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The Secret History (Paperback)

by Donna Tartt (Author) "Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (201 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 640 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd., London (3 Oct 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140167773
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140167771
  • Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (201 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,729 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > T > Tartt, Donna

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Product Description

Product Description

A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return ...


About the Author

Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and educated at the University of Mississippi and Bennington College. She is a novelist, essayist, and critic. THE SECRET HISTORY has been translated into twenty-four languages.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

201 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (201 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner! Couldn't put it down! and other cliches as well., 29 Nov 2006
By G. Lloyd "gruff76" (Edinburgh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I found myself trying to sell the story of The Secret History to a friend of mine in an effort to get him to read it. It went something like this.

ME: Its reeeeeeeally good. Its about this close knit group of college kids who do something really shocking and then do something more shocking to cover the first thing up!
FRIEND: And......?
ME: Um....... that's about it really.

I resorted to reading the cover notes to him and they weren't much better. Y'see, there are only a few shocking moments within the book but they are essential building blocks for later parts of the novel. To tell you, nay even hint as to what the shocking moments are would ruin vast swathes of this novel for you, and shame shame shame shame on other reviewers on these pages for doing so. SHAME!

This novel is beautiful and claustrophobic. Donna Tartt's writing style elegantly and effortlessly guides you through this bizarre world of academia. Her characters are fully rounded and complete and, as you expect from any good novel, you find yourself totally believing in them.

Underneath the subtle cover, bland title and nondescript blurb on the back is a doozer of a story. I recommend this title to anyone.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Past meets Present., 4 Sep 2006
By Ms. E. J. Rutherford (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I would recommend The Secret History to anyone because it is truly superb.
I don't normally read much fiction, and I prefer fast paced story lines and authors who do not include too much detail and description. However, The Secret History is the opposite to this and I loved it. The plot moves slowly but this allows for interesting psychological insights about each character to develop. Donna Tartt's readable style of writing kept me intrigued and wanting to know what would happen right up until the final page.
From the outset the story appears to be the usual tale of a group of young friends at university, but this soon turns into a tale of self-destruction. Although the book is set in modern times, the characters all seem to be trapped in their own world and are fairly closed off to the rest of society. This makes them come across as quite old fashioned. The frequent references to Ancient Greek language and culture also give the book a sense of history and antiquation. Thus the book is truly a modern classic. Read it!
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One in a million, 30 Mar 2001
By A Customer
If I could take only one single book to the notorious island it would be The Secret History.

Originally I bought it only because a friend of mine had recommended it to me about a dozen times and kept asking me whether I had finally read it myself. Well. I was into 19th century classics at the time and really really really didn't feel like reading a novel by an unknown contemporary author. And an American one as well! So I bought and started reading it only to avoid further awkward quesions.

What can I say? I truly love books and have read hundreds. But none, literally NONE, ever made me feel the way The Secret History did and still does. It's the most fascinating and gripping book I've ever had the honour to read. The characters are fascinatingly mysterious; the plot the most interesting one I can think of; the setting great; and the language simply wonderful.

The bad thing about having read The Secret History (10 times? 11?) is that now I will always be longing for another one like it. The Secret History is THE book.

I know that other readers have experienced the same. Many of them keep asking about a new novel by Donna Tartt. I don't. I don't really want her to write another one, and I don't think she will. Every serious author wants their new novel to be just a little bit better than the last one. And let's face it: Donna Tartt will never achieve that because she's already written the perfect novel.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Secret History
I found the book fascinating and probably would not have read it had I not been allocated it to read by my book club society.
Published 1 day ago by E. I. Brant

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional writing and a rip snorter of a plot
If anything negatively critical can be found about this book it might be that sometimes it is too indulgent with description when the reader is anxious to get on with the plot... Read more
Published 1 day ago by P. Clark

3.0 out of 5 stars Nefarious activities in the mountains of Vermont
Richard Papen, a mature, working-class student from California heads to the mountains of Vermont to enrol in an elite but isolated college to study the Classics. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Trevor Coote

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive, a literary masterpiece.
The Secret History is a literary masterpiece, since reading this novel nothing has managed to top it. Read more
Published 13 days ago by A. Constantine

3.0 out of 5 stars Just a thought
There is enough in this book to merit a long discussion but with zillions of excellent reviews already on Amazon, here are just a few thoughts instead. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Officer Dibble

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect psychological murder mystery
This novel survives because of Donna Tartt's superb control of the plot and its characters, otherwise the measured pace would kick in and become tiresome. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Mick Read

5.0 out of 5 stars A literary experience
I am ashamed to confess that when I was given Ms Tartt's book in a present, I thought it was going to be chic lit! Read more
Published 18 days ago by Wizteria

4.0 out of 5 stars Just finished for the 2nd time
I read this 13 years ago and was totally blown away by it. Reviewing it at that time I would've scored it 5 stars - 6 if I'd been allowed. Read more
Published 3 months ago by daisyrock

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling and Brilliant.
The Secret History, Donna Tartt's debut novel, was published in 1992 to tremendous accolades. Here was a writer who had produced a book that was enigmatic as well as popular;... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Leyla Sanai

3.0 out of 5 stars Rather dull
Like a couple of the previous reviewers I feel that this novel was somewhat too long. I found myself struggling to finish it thanks to the copious amounts of useless padding that... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jamie Hadley

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