Member Review by Sharon Walsh
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt was inspired by Carel Fabritius’ painting of the same
name. The painting is all but 9x13 inches in size but so much is offered the viewer
in miniature form. We see a small songbird chained to its feeding box. We question
if it still sings of lost freedoms and joy in flight. We cannot but be moved by its
plight.
The book has a two part opening. In the first, the protagonist Theo Decker is hiding
in a hotel room in Amsterdam, scouring Dutch newspapers for crime reports
mentioning his name. Before this thread of the narrative is expanded, we are taken back to the beginning,
when 14 year old Theo is in the New York Met with his mother. His mother loved the painting of the goldfinch,
telling Theo that it survived an explosion that killed the artist. She says ' people die, sure, buts it's so
heartbreaking how we lose things'. Fixating on an attractive young girl, Theo stays in the room whilst his
mother moves on to another room. Moments later, a terrorist bomb explodes. Whose mother is killed, but he
survives and as he scrambles through wreckage he takes the painting and gets out of the museum.
As Theo says 'her death the dividing mark: Before and After'. The section of the book devoted to ' Before' is
short, but its aftermath pervades the whole of the 'After'.
In the poignant passages to follow, Tartt writes of Theo's bewilderment and grief and also of his determination
to keep his ties with his mother by hiding the painting. He moves to live with the wealthy family of a friend, an
apparent short term arrangement that extends for some while. During this time he makes contact with antique
furniture restorer Hobie, who becomes a quiet central character later in the book. Through Hobie he meets
Pippa, the girl he saw in the museum. Tartt then leaves these key characters as she brings in Theo's
estranged father to claim his son and take him to live in Las Vegas.
His contrasting new life is played out against a backdrop of crime, drugs and alcohol, all encouraged by his
developing friendship with Boris. Still, enticingly we the reader know that the painting remains wrapped and
hidden in Theo's bedroom. On the death of his Father, Theo leaves Las Vegas and heads East again, to New
York where he moves in with Hobie. This becomes Theo’s opportunity to form a bond with the first trustworthy
adult in his life since his mother. As he watches Hobie at work, he learns the antique trade and puts it to use
in lucrative fraud. He realises the value of the painting, and in fear of its discovery, he hides the wrapped
package in a hired lock up.
Continued…..
The novel then shifts gear, as people and places from his past collide with his present. It's a complex fall-out
with unsatisfactory love interests, drug dependency and fraud all becoming increasingly significant. Perhaps
the most shocking moment in the book comes when Boris reappears from his past and confesses that he
had stolen the painting some years ago, replacing it with a book in Theo's package. We feel the deep felt
loss, as Theo realises his only precious possession has gone and with it his last link with his mother. All the
worries and stress of guarding the painting have been for nothing, as a result of his friend's betrayal.
For me, the hunt for the painting by Boris and Theo is the least credible section of the book. The dash to
Amsterdam and the violence that follows is only acceptable because it eventually gives Theo time to reflect
and face Hobie with the truth of his years of fraud. He then travels the world, righting his wrongs and slowly
becoming the son his mother would have wanted.
So, we have some closure in an unsettling book that churns with themes of love, grief, loss and betrayal.
The masterpiece in the book is the small, exquisite painting - which readers of the hard copy are given a
peep at on the front cover. The text itself provides the reader with a compelling story, but one must wade
through lengthy prose in order to follow it. Tartt packs her book with superfluous detail and an over use of
parenthesis to the point of me crying out for the lack of action on the part of the Editor.
Certainly there are many beautifully written passages, but I think Tartt would have done better to take heed
of the work of Fabritias - small can pack a punch! (can I criticise a Pulitzer Prize winner? )
Having written this, oddly, I now want to revisit the text. Like the painting, perhaps this is a book that needs
more than one look.
I was very pleased to win a copy of The Goldfinch from the CSMA Reading Room. It is not a book I would
have bought, and so thank you for the opportunity to extend my reading repertoire!
Sharon Walsh, Reading Room member
Member Review by Rose Gladdish
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Almost as soon as I started this book I was gripped by poor Theo’s plight and feeling his pain. A 13 year old
boy at the centre of a bomb explosion in a museum where he bonds with a dying a man (whose life and death
becomes inextricable entwined with his own), steals a valuable painting (the Goldfinch) and then, suffering
with concussion, walks away from the scene alone and unnoticed in the mayhem - not discovering until
sometime later that his mother, who is estranged from his father, has been killed.
Theo is unsurprisingly, disorientated and haunted by these events throughout the book which Donna Tartt
describes expertly, making the reader want to take Theo under their wing. When Theo’s wayward father and
his girlfriend turn up, Theo is whisked off to Las Vegas where life changes yet again for poor Theo, unfazed
Ms Tartt’s writing shows versatility with a visit to the seedier side of life.
Without doubt this book has been well researched; the author must be commended on her knowledge of art
and antiques and giving us such a vivid insight into the world of drugs. However, after the sudden death of
Theo’s father and his trip back to New York, I felt that the writing became rather self-indulgent, writing not for
the reader but for herself, the beautiful descriptions of antiques, drug induced imaginings and philosophical
ponderings started to become drawn out and convoluted, regretfully, I began to find the book a little boring,
forcing me to skim through the paragraphs to pick up the story again.
So in conclusion, this book is superbly written, with a really enjoyable storyline (when it was there and not
being lost in the descriptive passages) but at 864 pages, it is desperately in need of editing and shortening
which, in my opinion, would then make it a brilliant book. Ultimately, it gets 3 stars out of 5 from me which I
am sad about because at the end of the Las Vegas section I was enjoying it immensely and giving it 5 out of
5.
Rose Gladdish, Reading Room member
Member Review by Jackie Hannaford
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Sum up your experience of this book in one sentence.......
Roller coaster of deep emotions and vivid descriptions.
What did you especially like about this book? Is there a particularly memorable piece of writing or
scene in the book?
During the explosion the sense of disorientation of Theodore and his disbelief at his mother's death are so
well written that the reader can share the emotions.
Does the book have a message?
Life is transient and not always full of goodness, but there are objects which can hold eternal love - such as
the Goldfinch painting.
What did you feel could have been improved upon?
The novel could have been 200 pages shorter while still retaining the storyline and vividness of the
descriptions.
What was your favourite character and why?
Theodore Decker - because he is there throughout sharing his emotions with the reader. I felt sympathy
with him.
Do you want to read more by the same author?
Yes
Rate this book (1-5 Stars)1= Poor - 5= Excellent
Jackie Hannaford, Reading Room member
Member Review by Pete Tully
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Sum up your experience of this book in one sentence.......
Despite initial reservations and feeling daunted by the length of the book, I found
it a riveting read chronicling many of the problems society faces in the 21st.
century whilst remaining entertaining and captivating.
What did you especially like about this book? Is there a particularly memorable piece of writing or
scene in the book?
I particularly enjoyed the detail involved throughout. The Museum disaster scene was particularly
memorable and exquisitely narrated.
Does the book have a message?
A message of love and survival against all odds.
What did you feel could have been improved upon?
Certainly not qualified to answer this one, nothing that I could think of!!
What was your favourite character and why?
Hobie (Mr Hobart), a wonderful characterization of a friendly, eccentric and somewhat ”dusty” intellectual.
Do you want to read more by the same author?
Yes
Rate this book (1-5 Stars) 1= Poor - 5= Excellent
A fantastic book, one of the best I have ever read.
Pete Tully, Reading Room member
Member Review by Rhona Morris
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Sum up your experience of this book in one sentence.......
Never a missed opportunity for a metaphor.
What did you especially like about this book? Is there a particularly memorable piece of writing or
scene in the book?
I did find the characters and all their varied nuances compelling, and particularly enjoyed the dynamic of the
relationships in Hobie's house. However, I think that the best scene by far was the explosion at the
beginning of the book which was written in a way which was at once gripping and grimly unsettling. If the
book had continued with the pace of this section it would have been fantastic!
Does the book have a message?
I think the book is reflective and encourages readers to do the same. The metaphor around the chained
goldfinch is echoed in Theo's inability to escape from the moment in time when his life dramatically
changed in the museum. It is only once he moves on from this that he can progress in his own life.
What did you feel could have been improved upon?
There was definitely too much description which slowed the plot down and made it quick tricky to read at
times - especially towards the end. It began to feel like there were no missed opportunities to add a
metaphor or explore a complex idea, and they were just added gratuitously at times.
What was your favourite character and why?
I liked the way that the painting was made into a character in its own right. It was given history and
relationships, and was loved deeply but differently by many of the other characters.
Do you want to read more by the same author?
No
Rate this book (1-5 Stars) 1= Poor - 5= Excellent
Rhona Morris, Reading Room member