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The Secret History – Donna Tartt (SPOILER FREE)

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For fans of the aesthetic of upper-class academic settings or those drawn to the darker, more morose themes of literature (or both), Donna Tartt’s The Secret History offers a captivating and chilling experience.

Set at Hampden College in Vermont, the novel follows 20-year-old Richard Papen, who joins an elite, selective Ancient Greek class taught by a brilliant but detached professor. Richard finds himself having to assimilate with the foreign ways of his intellectually and socially superior classmates, who harbor secrets that lead to a series of tragic, life-altering events.

What I found to be most interesting in The Secret History was its exploration of themes like the corrupting impact of economic privilege, the conflict between morality and loyalty, and the weight that guilt carries on one’s consciousness. The novel is full of introspective, philosophical reflections and literary references, which may appeal to readers who enjoy deep character studies, thoughtful commentary on day-to-day life, and stories that stick with you long after the final page.

If you are unsure whether or not you’d enjoy the book, here are a few similar ones that you could compare it to:

–Dead Poets Society, N.H. Kleinbaum: Academic settings that are a breeding ground for free intellectual thought that take a turn towards darker themes

–The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde: Captures the psychological and moral downfall of a member of the intellectually and economically privileged class

–Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh: Shows the nostalgia, beauty, and eventual downward spiral of a set of elites through the eyes of an outsider.

Happy reading!

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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The Secret History

I recently saw the movie, The Goldfinch, and when I learned it was based on a book I knew I had to read it. After researching the book I realized that the author, Donna Tartt had another book called The Secret History, so I decided to read both of them.

Set in New England, at Hampden College, a transfer student Richard Papen is the protagonist coming from an average middle-class household, Richard is thrown into a world of classic literature and wealthy individuals. Richard joins an exclusive class with only five other members studying classic literature. He believes that to connect with his classmates, he needs to disguise himself as wealthy. He succeeds, and the six of them begin to grow close. Richard soon discovers that this eccentric group of misfits he’s joined has more secrets than what meets the eye.

I liked this book I think that the characters and storyline were well-developed. These characters all have unique characteristics that make them seem real to the reader. I thought that Tartt’s use of Richard’s observant nature to establish the setting and characters was ingenious. The twists create an incredible amount of suspense throughout the second half of the novel. Another thing that I liked about this novel was the realistic nature of the main characters when I was reading, I felt that I connected with the characters and understood their point of view and overall nature. I also enjoyed the overall vibe of the story it felt like a “dark academia” and eclectic type of novel.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction or likes classical literature. Although it does have some dark undertones and is quite lengthy, it is a fun read with lots of twists. I would also recommend Donna Tartt’s other book, The Goldfinch, which has some similar themes that The Secret History reflects.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Authors We Love: Donna Tartt

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Donna Tartt is an American novelist who writes psychological fiction. You may have seen her literary works before, some of which include: The Secret History and The Goldfinch. Personally, I have read many of her novels, and enjoyed all of them. She has an intense, nuanced writing style that really draws you into the world that she creates.  Her novels have a very mysterious, often melancholic vibe to them. 

Her most recent novel, The Goldfinch, is a stunning 780 pages long. Despite its slow-pace, Donna still manages to maintain a captivating and engaging story. It is one of her most intricate and emotionally profound novels. It– rightfully so– has earned her many awards. In 2014, Tartt won not only the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, but additionally the Andrew Carnegie Medal in 2014. The book was also adapted into a film.

Similarly, The Secret History is another prominent novel by Donna Tartt. This book has such a distinctive feel to it. I recommend you give it a try if you haven’t already. It is an incredible book; I wish I could read it for the first time again!

Tartt has touched many people with her novels. In an interview, she states that,” I’ve had some moving letters from people in prison. I also love hearing from young people who have been inspired to study classics.” Tartt highly values the deep impact her books have on readers. She is also a very humble person, who is genuinely passionate about literature. She is also incredibly talented, even at a young age. She wrote her first poem at just five years old! 

Overall, Donna Tartt is an amazing author. Her novels are a work of art, and she is an inspiring person. I recommend you give her books a try.

Book by Donna Tartt are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt is narrated by Richard Papen, a new student attending a school called Hampden College in Vermont. Upon arriving, he is given the opportunity to take an ancient Greek class, in which he meets five Classics students: Charles, Camilla, Henry, Richard, and Bunny, who he grows close with within the first few months of the year. However, from the very first line in the prologue, Tartt spoils the fact that Bunny is eventually murdered, leading the novel to center around this event and how it was dealt with by the rest of the group.

Throughout the course of the story, Tartt alludes to several themes concerning the dangers of appearance and the romanticization of the elite class. For example, Richard is initially attracted to the group due to their wealthy, or as he describes, “magnificent,” appearances. He even fabricates aspects of his past in order to better fit in. However, as the group’s secrets, out-of-touch personalities, and extreme flaws slowly begin to unfold, it shows how their beauty never went beyond surface-level. No matter how rich they were, they were unable to cover up the guilt they felt from the damage they’ve caused.

What I found most intriguing and unique about this plot compared to others is that although Richard provides a well-paced, extremely detailed description of the course of events before and after Bunny’s death, he constantly alludes to the fact that he is a great liar, causing readers to question how valid his perspective truly is. Especially since he isn’t as involved in the group’s plans as others, the audience is left feeling as if they need to know more, and that there are gaps in the narration that can be filled by another character’s point of view. Therefore, I found myself continuing to contemplate the story days after I had finished it, making the novel an extremely memorable read that I see myself recommending to almost everyone.

-Aysha H.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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With a plan to hide, paranoia to battle, and friendships to question, a group of five college students deal with the psychological punishment of murdering their sixth member: Bunny Corcoran.

The Secret History, by Pulitzer Prize winner Donna Tartt, is deep, fascinating, and full of aesthetic-driven description. Richard Papen, a poor college student from California, transfers to Hampden College in Vermont in order to escape his old life. There, he can’t help but be entranced by a group of mysterious young adults that saunter around the campus disconnected from the rest of the student body. Belonging to the highly exclusive Classics major taught by Julian Morrow, those five students have a divine air about them that Richard can’t resist. Securing his spot in their class, Richard is dragged into much more than a new group of friends: relationships full of hidden truths, a wild secret to keep that he never saw coming, and brewing plot of even more horrible proportion. Join Richard as he learns what friendship with Henry Winter, Francis Abernathy, Bunny Corcoran, and the Macaulay twins really means.

From the overlying theme to direct references, Donna Tartt draws heavily from Fyodor Dostoyesky’s Crime and Punishment. Both stories deal with how a seemingly justified murder affects the murderer’s mental state, driving them to extreme paranoia and desperation for relief. Both books open with a murder, Crime and Punishment’s happening about 20% of the way in while The Secret History‘s is described in the prologue. While Crime and Punishment reads chronologically, The Secret History tells the reader about the murder first, then flashes back months before, carrying through the murder and on to what happens after. Having just read Crime and Punishment, the parallels stand out. Reading about a variety of characters’ reactions in The Secret History is far more interesting than that of the sole guilty soul in Crime and Punishment.

Donna Tartt’s writing style is beautiful, oftentimes bringing me to pause and reflect. I grew to care so much about her tragic characters, and her writing brought me to be truly shocked or pitiful or furious right when she wanted me to be. I couldn’t predict any of the twists this book offered, which is a sign of a well-written story. This new adult/murder mystery novel was thrilling to read, and it’s a story that will last with me for a long time. Thought-provoking, genius, and beautiful, The Secret History is well worth the read.

-Abby F., 12th Grade

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive and Hoopla.