I first read our current Read With Us selection, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, not long after it was published in 1992. I remember liking it well enough to recommend it to everyone I “talked books” with back then, but . . . I also remember not loving it. Not really.
I do remember enjoying the atmosphere and the ambiance of the small, “storybook,” liberal arts college that serves as the setting for The Secret History. Having graduated from two large (well, actually one kinda large-ish and one extremely huge) and more contemporary universities (the University of Wyoming and The University of Texas at Austin), I was charmed with the whole fictional Hampden campus.
But the characters? Not so much. In fact, I distinctly remember not liking ANY of the characters in The Secret History. (Which is probably why, at the time . . . I didn’t love the book.) Really, they’re a pretty despicable group, as a whole.
But, still. There was something about this novel that made it compelling and fascinating and highly readable for me, despite my dislike for the characters.
One of the story summaries I found online describes the book this way:
In The Secret History, Donna Tartt raises age-old questions about good and evil, posing a challenge to our preconceptions of morality. The novel serves not only as a riveting mystery but as a deep dive into the complexities of human psychology and the lengths individuals will go to protect their own.
— The Well Read Company Book Club
I just started re-reading the book over the weekend, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what I think of it now . . . over 30 years later. Back in 1992, I was a busy young mom (Brian would have been maybe 9 months old when I first read The Secret History, and Erin was a busy toddler), and I didn’t tend to like books if I didn’t like/couldn’t relate to at least ONE of the characters. I’m a different (and – ahem – much older) reader now. I can’t wait to see how it “sits” this time around!
I hope you’ll c’mon along . . . and Read With Us this winter.
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The Secret History is currently available on Amazon in paperback ($9.08), Kindle ($12.99) or Audible versions ($27.00 or 1 credit). You can also check your local bookstores for a copy — and, of course, the book should also be available at most libraries. (Note: I am listening to the audiobook version of The Secret History, but I also have my original paperback copy on hand for reference.)
The book discussion day for The Secret History is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Bonny, Carole, and I will each post discussion questions on our blogs that day, and then – later in the evening (7:00 pm Eastern time zone) – we’ll be hosting a live book discussion/meet-up on Zoom. If you’d like to join the Zoom (and we’d really love it if you do) please let me know in the comments or send me an email with your confirmation (link in sidebar).
C’mon along!
Read With Us!
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To help you enjoy your experience in reading The Secret History, I have Updated the Read With Us resource page here on my blog to include background information – author information, reviews, character listings, interviews, etc.
I remember really liking the book the first time I read it, but I’ve asked myself why for many years. I’ve started listening to it so maybe I’ll see why I enjoyed this bunch of unlikable characters so much. I’ve read enough about Bennington in the 80s (where Donna Tartt was when she started writing the book) to think that it was kind of a wild place!
It has been a few years since I first read The Secret History and I am stunned at the things that are “popping out” to me! I am not sure I noticed these things in my first read! I think this will be a fantastic book to discuss as well!
Interesting to read Bonny’s comment that Donna Tartt was in Bennington when she started writing this book. I know that area and Southern VT well – having spent every summer there growing up. So many interesting characters in that State AND, those times – so heady. Anyway…I am reading this book for the first time. I do not like the story and I definitely do not like the characters. BUT, the writing is so beautiful.
I’m still reading…”I also have my original paperback copy on hand”. 🙂 Looking forward to diving in soon!
I read the book more recently than you did (I think it was around 2016), but it’s still long enough ago that I don’t really remember many details. I was hoping to listen for my reread, but it’s an 11-week wait at my library! So I’ll be reading my original paperback as well. Looking forward to digging into this one with all of you!
A good reminder that I need to move this up in my queue!