The Goldfinch in Bound Together

May 20, 2014 Annet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: wow-impressive, favorite-author, coming-of-age, literature-pure

Brilliant. Big fan of Donna Tartt.

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Jul 28, 2013 Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: nyc, usa, 2014-read, audible-us, arts, mystery, life-stages

I was VERY hesitant to read this book. I am worried that my giving it three stars will say to many that it is not worth reading, and that is not the message I want to leave. I am very glad I read this book. I will explain why the reasons I didn't want to read this book were wrong, at least for me! Lastly I will explain the simple reason why I gave it three stars and not more. Remember, three stars means I liked the book and it is worth reading.

Negative reviews state that the book is too long an I was VERY hesitant to read this book. I am worried that my giving it three stars will say to many that it is not worth reading, and that is not the message I want to leave. I am very glad I read this book. I will explain why the reasons I didn't want to read this book were wrong, at least for me! Lastly I will explain the simple reason why I gave it three stars and not more. Remember, three stars means I liked the book and it is worth reading.

Negative reviews state that the book is too long and that it needs better editing. I disagree. In this book it is the details that make the book. The characters are three dimensional. Not one of them is a cardboard figure. It takes detailed descriptions to show the nuances of a character; both the positive and negative aspects must be shown. In this book we discover the characters through their actions, through descriptions, through humor, through dialogs and through philosophical meanderings. Not just one or two, but many of the characters become real life people with good and bad attributes. All these words and pages also described the settings where the story unfolds - NYC, Amsterdam and Las Vegas. The places are palpable - through the very details that some reviewers want cut away. Not me! Art and literature and drugs and furniture restoration are all detailed. I liked the details. It is the small details about an artist or an author that make the art and the literature mean something. The same is true of a person that is addicted to drugs. To understand you need the details.

The prevalence of drug usage is what many say makes the book just not nice to read. Keep in mind that it is important to look at how the author views drugs. Is it condoned? Such a message is not given in this book. You come to understand how people are drawn into its clutches, and how difficult it is to escape. At the same time people are not written off, and this is important to me.

Thirdly, I thought, "What in the world is this book going to teach me?" Well, the end has a philosophical tone that draws all the threads together and leaves messages that are worth considering. The conclusions drawn are to my liking! Art - what is its purpose, and why is it so important? Tartt stresses art's personal significance to an individual. When you look at a painting, or a ceramic vase or a piece of beautiful furniture, what does it do to you? YOU, I mean you. Nothing else is important at all. I couldn't agree more. Another theme is the nature of people - that every single one of us has good and bad qualities. Again I agree. She takes this theme and draws on it a bit more. How does one get the most out of one's potential? By following our personal attributes or by following the guidelines prescribed by society? And what if we have qualities that draw us toward evil..... She shows us that good actions do not always result in good and bad actions in bad. It adds a whole other perspective to how we judge ourselves. There is so much one can discuss concerning these themes; I found them interesting. Finally, we have all lived through 9/11. Historically speaking, in generations to come, it will be interesting to look back at our generation and see how we changed after the event. Another central theme of the book is post-traumatic stress disorder. What I am saying is that the book covers interesting themes.

I have to mention the humor. Damn, there are funny lines! If I have to pick the character I love the most I guess it would be Boris. His is the alcoholic and a drug addict and really quite a criminal, but listen, he has good qualities too. And his English is SO bad. (He made me smile, making me think how bad my French can sometimes be!) That is just part of what makes him funny. He is sweet too. His mom was Polish and his father Russian. What a character!!!! Then there is Mrs. Barbour and Pippa and Hobie .Oh gosh, I love Hobie too. A good bunch of characters - if you are looking for a book with character portrayal. There is mystery too, related to art theft.

David Pittu does an absolutely fabulous narration of the audiobook. I loved his voices for Boris, for Pippa, for Mrs. Barbour. Not many male narrators can do women this well.

This has definitely been an enjoyable read, but I feel that with time it may sink into the crowd of all the many, many good books out there. That is why three stars. I feel a bit miserly, but I think this rating will stand the test of time.

I keep thinking of more things I should mention. After reading the book you will need to go on internet and read about the painting “The Goldfinch” by Carel Fabritius, a student of Rembrandt’s. This was his last paining. He was killed at the age of 32 in 1654. Here you can see the painting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritshuis, to be found at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Haag, Netherlands. Here is another thing to think about – why is the book’s title The Goldfinch?! Look at the painting carefully. ...more

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Apr 04, 2014 Rachel rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery

What the hell Donna Tartt? What the hell world at large?? I went into this not expecting a masterpiece, not expecting a Pulitzer Prize work (especially since I was reading it when it did actually win the award) but thought it would be a fun, fast-paced, well-executed piece of fluff; something lighter and trashier that I would have a good time with. Blegh. And I loved her other two novels! Were they the same as this? Did my reading tastes mature? I don't know. But I really wonder if it would have ...more

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Jul 20, 2014 Irene rated it liked it

I really wanted to love this book. It came recommended by a reader I respect. I loved The Secret History by Tartt. This won the Pulitzer after all. But this book felt like swimming through molasses. I believe it takes greater skill to carefully select a handful of perfectly placed details which convey a sense of the characters or setting, to offer two or three precisely chosen scenarios to draw the reader in, enable the reader to know the motivations and heart of the characters than to provide d ...more

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Jan 06, 2014 Sara rated it really liked it

About halfway through the book, I decided that it's really not about the bird or the painting but rather a boy who becomes just like his despised father....
In the end, I changed my mind. As written in the last few pages:
"The bird looks out at us. It's not idealized or humanized. It's very much a bird. Watchful, resigned. There's no moral or story. There's no resolution. There's only a double abyss: between painter and imprisoned bird; between the record he left of the bird and our experience of ...more

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Apr 23, 2014 Michelle Stie rated it really liked it

Pretty good summer read. Gets a bit repetitive at times, but given that the book is about making sense of the nonsensical and finding patterns in the irrational, a little repetition is understandable. The narrator is a strong character, and one who is sympathetic, even when he is being completely horrible.

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Oct 11, 2013 Mina rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club-reads, tob-2014

3.5 Stars.

In the beginning I was in love with this book. I was completely heartbroken by the opening events that take place in the museum. I was with Theo every step of the way as he tried to make sense of his life/actions and the feeling of being all alone.

Vegas - it wasn't pretty - but it wasn't supposed to be. I imagined how he was feeling going from NYC to the empty land of the Vegas suburbs. I cheered for him when he found a friend and shook my head so many times at the neglect.

Throughou ...more

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Apr 28, 2014 Bridget rated it it was amazing

What a beautiful story. I have read reviews stating that the end was disappointing, for me this was not the case. The ending helped to bind the character (Theo) and the painting together. The painting encompasses so much of the characters feelings and actions..he is bound by his mistakes, his fears and his loss yet the painting releases him of this guilt eventually. I can understand why it took so long for this book to be completed, it is a work of art.

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May 27, 2014 Pat rated it liked it

Why didn't I follow my first thoughts about reading another Donna Tartt tome? I didn't care for her Secret History so I resisted this new Tartt book for quite a while, and I wish I had continued to resist. I can't say I even heard anyone recommending it. Way too long, way too much drug/alcohol use/, several despicable characters, and the most troubling ending I have read in a long time! The main character ends the story with a long, long tirade about how his life and life in general is totally u ...more

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Dec 04, 2013 Karen rated it liked it

Shelves: abandon, 2013, bound-together-group

made it to 344..and I just can't put anymore work into this. it is well written..it is slow and plodding and then there are bursts of plot. I am not not the right frame of mind right now..so I will take a break and revisit. ...more

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