The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

A long and heavy read, which I need as a little break from all the light summer reads I’ve been enjoying. This one weighs in with 775 pages.  

The premise – Described as a coming of age story, we meet Theo at the age of 13, in the middle of a tragic event. I don’t think it’s a big spoiler to say that he survives a bombing at a museum.  We follow him as he traverses his non-traditional upbringing. We get to know some wonderfully interesting (and a few of them are even likable) characters and see how they influence him.  As the years pass, a lot happens. However, at the same time, nothing happens. This is not a plot driven book. It’s about the characters, seeing how they experience life, wondering how small changes in any moment would have changed the course of their lives. When I finished it just sat for a moment wondering “what was the point of all that?”

A few of my favorite characters:
Of course Boris!  Theo’s best friend in Las Vegas
Hobie – his friend and caretaker.  I wish we all had a Hobie in our lives.
Mr Bracegirdle – because come on, that name!!! 

This is a long book (about 780pgs). I listened to it on audio.  I loved Boris’ accent, and I could listen to Hobie speak for hours.  In all honesty, if I were reading a paper book, I may have found it boring and given up.  But if audio is your thing, and you have some time on your hands (32 hours of listening), grab it and give it a listen!