The Goldfinch

By: Donna Tartt

Narrated by: David Pittu

Length: 32 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Solo Narration - Male, 2014

Audie Award Winner, Literary Fiction, 2014

The author of the classic best-sellers The Secret History and The Little Friend returns with a brilliant, highly anticipated new novel.

Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling force and acuity.

It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and at the center of a narrowing, ever-more-dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is a beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

©2013 Donna Tartt (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

Narrator David Pittu accepts the task of turning this immense volume into an excellent listening experience. Pittu portrays 13-year-old orphan Theo Decker with compassion, portraying his growing maturity in this story of grief and suspense…Pittu adds pathos to his depiction of the troubled Theo as he deals with addiction and finds himself in a dance with gangsters and the art world's darker dealers. ( AudioFile)

"Dazzling....[A] glorious, Dickensian novel, a novel that pulls together all Ms. Tartt's remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading." ( New York Times)

"A long-awaited, elegant meditation on love, memory, and the haunting power of art....Eloquent and assured, with memorable characters....A standout-and well-worth the wait." ( Kirkus, Starred Review)

A long book and well worth the time

What made the experience of listening to The Goldfinch the most enjoyable?

I gave this book a try just because I liked the title, it had fairly good reviews, and it was long (which I prefer). I was wonderfully surprised to find that the entire book kept me waiting to find out what was going to happen next--something that few long books seem to accomplish. At first you are grabbed by the devastating story of what happens to the main character. And then just a few more characters that are absolutely brought to life by the reader carry the book through to the end. David Pittu creates the character Boris with his voice just as much as the author does through her writing. And Boris amuses the listener throughout the book. There are spurts of action here and there, but this isn't a book of fast-paced action by any means. It's more a study of how a combination of incidents in a person's life can completely change the direction someone takes. The whole book is a rewarding experience.

What about David Pittu’s performance did you like?

David Pittu's interpretation of Boris is perfect. It would be easy for the listener to really dislike this character, but because of the way Pittu portrays him, you just can't help but sort of like him.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It's best to listen as time permits. The story line is good enough that you won't lose track of what's going on if there are a few days between listening.

An aspect totally unexpected

I greatly appreciate and depend on the reviews of other listeners for most books i select, though admittedly rarely contribute my own comments. In this case though i feel compelled to mention an aspect of The Goldfinch that is strikingly omitted in both the summary and the reviews i have read. First though, i must preface my comments by admitting that i listened to this book non-stop while driving from Alabama to Maryland and then sneaked "listens" whenever possible, despite a house full of family who gathered for the Thanksgiving holiday. So needless to say i found the story utterly engrossing and entertaining. That said, however, i was pretty turned off by the excessive drug and alcohol use that was a huge presence throughout the story. These abuses had an enormous impact on bad behavior throughout, influencing the actions and infiltrating the oft-described dreams and even hallucinations of Theo and some of his friends/acquaintances. I would have preferred it had some of these "scenes" been edited out and strongly believe the story would not have suffered by such omissions. It became a bit of an overkill for me and i found myself thinking, "Oh come on...not again!!!" In any event, overall i did enjoy the book but could not unconditionally recommend it to friends.

Incredible reading; story could have used editing

The narration is fantastic. I will remember the voice and the accents forever. Was a little wordy and longwinded in parts (painful actually) but overall I enjoyed it greatly.

Great narrator

I think David Pittu did an amazing job of representing all the different characters in the book. HIs voice was spot on for both Theo and Boris. But his interpretation of Hobie and the Barbours was very good, too. All too often, regional and foreign accents are grating and very distracting, but no so for Pittu. I hope he narrates more adult fiction.

The book itself is not a page turner but very fascinating when read in portions; I would read it for a few hours, then swtich to a different book, and back again to The Goldfinch. Dickensenian in style, I think this title is best read as Dickens's works were published--in serialized format-- so that this jam-packed plot can be best absorbed.

It’s fine

This is a very long story about a young man trying to overcome grief, family strife and various other tribulations, including the fact that he’s unlawfully come into the possession of a famous painting. The story was unique, but the individual elements in it were often cliche. Most of the characters, even major characters who appear prevalently over hours and hours, have very little depth and do not change through the course of the novel (with a handful of notable and enjoyable exceptions). And the emotional reactions of the main character in particular range from obvious, predictable and repetitive to jarringly out of character. The tone he adopts for 80% of the novel is melodramatic self-pity.

These issues become wearisome because the novel is so long. I could deal with a self-pitying narrator or flat supporting characters for, say, 10 hours, but 30 hours is wearing even my patience. Indeed, all of this novels little flaws and quirks start to wear on you over it’s run time, which is excessive given the story. I have enjoyed many long audiobooks, but there is no reason The Goldfinch should be as long as it is. It’s full of filler. It’s very plot-driven, but instead of driving the action forward, the author tends to linger on detail and description that is utterly unimportant to the story or characters. Despite being 32 hours long, the story follows only one character over the course of only a few key periods in his life. I’ve read other books that followed a whole cast of characters over even longer periods of time and yet were shorter while containing more depth (A Brief History of Seven Killings, an excellent audiobook I recently listened to, comes to mind).

So, do I recommend it? Despite the negative things I’ve written, I would give it a lukewarm recommendation. It tells a story with twists and turns that are interesting and unpredictable without seeming gimmicky. Some of the characters in the book are wonderful creations (I loved Boris and thought Xandra was well written, and other characters too). And on the edges you can see hints of what in other novels would have been social commentary. There’s just enough here to justify a listen, particularly if you don’t mind the run time and some long stretches of expounding on superfluous things.

Oh, and the narration is good.

Awesome read

This is 34 hours of worthwhile audiobook. Narrator does a good job with accents and different character voices. It is a dark and gritty coming of age story in a way.

Beautiful voice

Love, truth, beauty, pain and despair all in a little Goldfinch and in the beholder

A true ‘life story’!

This was a really unique book, I loved it!
Unlike a lot of books I listen to there were very few “explosive”, “tense”, or “on the edge of your seat” moments, but also unlike a lot of books i listen too, it was one of the very few that I felt i was there with the characters! I could smell the rooms, I could touch their clothing, I could see everything they were seeing!! So well written!! And the narrator ranks right at the top of the few hundred audibles I’ve listened too! I highly recommend it!

Perfect

Thank you Donna Tartt! Thank you David Pittu! This is my favorite audio book. I too now want a last name with two ‘T’s in a row. No, but seriously, this is the best.

One of the best books I've ever heard

Phenomenal writing, incredible dialog -- in multiple languages, unpredictable yet believable plot. Is it a love story, a mystery, an exploration of human nature, a classic pondering of the meaning of life? It's all those and more. I HOPE there is a sequel. Engrossing characters filled with flaws making you wish so much they take the right turn and life gets better. It does, then it doesn't, following life's always ups and downs. Hate for it to end. The Goldfinch makes up for all those "uh" books you feel you wasted a credit on. It's worth 6!
Interested in art or antiques this is definitely for you. Can't imagine it won't be a multiple award winner, if it isn't already.