I just finished it so much earlier and faster than planned, thanks to being ill and staying mostly at home 😅. I loved the slow burn and all the wandering off which, in my opinion, fleshed out the characters and their connections, their motifs and emotions so very well which is my favorite thing to read about. Also, I liked how Tartt wrote about depression and childhood neglect/abuse and it’s effects on everyone involved.
I appreciated the atmospheric tone of the book. While it was not really action-packed, I enjoyed the narrative.Harriet's character stands out to me, particularly her resistance against conforming to the typical expectations of 'womanhood', standing up for herself, being brave etc. She is just a child but still! It seems the book is more focused on the aftermath of the murder and its impact on individuals, their behaviors, and the overall atmosphere of the town.
While it's not a bad book, I didn't derive the same enjoyment as I have from Tartt's other works. The initial struggle was real, as I found the beginning somewhat slow and a bit boring. Although Tartt's writing is, as always good, there was a subtle difference that I can't quite pinpoint.
The last ~150 pages or so were great. I'm not sure the massive, lengthy build-up to that conclusion was worth it, though. Tartt's writing was still solid, but I do wish this book was much shorter. I don't think the themes would have suffered from being a little more concise. As far as the end goes, I actually really liked the open end. It would have felt too neat if we'd found out an answer about Robin's murder. Besides, this book wasn't actually about the mystery of his murder at all but a character study of the people touched by it and aside from the length, I think it was in general very successful at that. In conclusion, I would give this book 3.8 stars.
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