The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

from goodreads

2.5 stars

The other day on Facebook one of my friends posted her results for one of those online quizzes. This quiz was about art work and asked if you could match the name with the popular piece of art. I decided to take it, not because I know a lot of art, but just to see how well I would do. Amazingly I got 10 out of 10. This is due impart to the pieces actually being popular and the fact that it was multiple choice so I was able to deduce the title and honestly a bunch of luck.

This got me thinking to what we consider great art. What makes a piece great? What makes it not so great. Is there an actual method to deduce art or is it subjective? Is there a way to classify great art, or is just a crap shoot?

The same could be said about books. Is there a methodology that we could use to deduce what is the pentultimate book? I wish there was then we wouldn't have to read bad ones. But it is good that there isn't. Every author is so different and every reader is so different. Our life history can influence our choice of reading material. Yet, when the right book meets the right reader at just the right time magic happens. Though it can be rare it is beautiful when it does.

Synopsis

This book follows a boy and then man named Theo Decker. In his early teens he is in a bomb attack that kills his mother. This sets off a chain of events that takes Theo into the upper crust of New York's social scene, then to the dredges of Las Vegas and then back to New York and the high end antique scene. The glue that holds his scattered world together is a painting, a painting that acts like a compass in his whirlwind life.

My Thoughts

I don't know what to think about this book. It is a real head scratcher that's for sure. The language and descriptions used were awesome. Though at times the story felt a bit wordy, yet the wordiness added a richness to it, sometimes. The length was quite something at 771 pages. I think that page number will stick with me.

The story at times kept me thoroughly engaged. The beginning section was quite intriguing and I was thinking that this was going to be a really awesome read. I also liked the section when he moves back to New York. It again piqued my interest.

But then when he goes to Las Vegas, and after awhile in New York, it just seemed to drag on and on. I wished the Las Vegas part had been cut down a bit. While I understand why it was necessary as part of the story, I wished it had been severely edited. To see someone waste and risk their lives with so much drug abuse was horrible. And the gross negligence of Theo's father, despicable. It's like why force Theo to go to Las Vegas when he had a more stable environment where he was.

So, I can't give it a full solid three, as there were many times I wanted to give up. I'm not sure why I kept going. I guess the blurb on the flap made me think that it would be getting really exciting. I think if there was a bit more action and a bit less drug use described it would have made for a more interesting read as the drug culture doesn't interest me at all.

The use of art and getting a glimpse into the antique world was also interesting. I guess that is the thing that was neat about this book. You got a glimpse into worlds and interests you might not normally get to see. It has piqued my interest in learning more about art, but that's about it.

When I finished the story I felt relief of it being done and that's about it. There are some books that stick with you for a while and you think about what you read or about the characters. This is not one of those books. Whenever I happen to think about it I just think of the gross parental neglect shown in Las Vegas and the waste that can happen when there is not a parental figure that shows a genuine interest. It is sad.

For what it is worth, The Goldfinch won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Sometimes I don't understand books that win prizes. Perhaps I am just not as deep and in tune with the art form as I need to be. Clearly other people liked it more than I. I guess this book just wasn't my thing.