THE SECRET HISTORY by DONNA TARTT

THE SECRET HISTORY by DONNA TARTT

The cleverest thing about this book is that most of the action is told through dialogue. I think there are only two occasions when the protagonist is actually experiencing the action for himself. This only made the book more unique, however.
You could call this a murder mystery but not because the murder is a mystery. The reader knows exactly who has been murdered and how and by whom on the first page of the book. Instead, the mystery lies within the goings on and personalities of the members of an elite group of Greek Scholars.
I remember from The Goldfinch absolutely loving reading about the lavish lifestyles of Tartt’s characters and this book delivers once again on that front. The characters are super rich and privileged (apart from the protagonist) and I particularly enjoyed their names; Laura Stora, Cloke Rayburn, twins named Charles and Camilla, Judy Poovey to name a few!
With the popularity of Greek myth retelling in recent years and my subsequent love for them, I found the Greek references in this novel extremely thrilling. I thought it was very clever on the writer’s part and allowed her to make some interesting links and foreshadowing.
In short, I think this is a very important piece of literature. All of the characters were extremely well-written and I missed their presence when they weren’t around.
I know I’m late to the party, but has anyone else read this and have a strong opinion one way or the other?

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

She goes back into the Hunger Games? What? How is Collins going to pull that off?
Agreed, the best part of the first book was the excitement of the Games, but was it really necessary to do it all over again? The reader is just recuperating after a traumatic experience with mutts ripping a young boy to shreds when it is revealed that Katniss and Peeta will go back into the arena.
The first part of this book was a little bit whiny on Katniss's part. Of course, the trauma of the Games would haunt you, but the reason we liked Katniss was because she wasn't like other wimpy girls. She was tough and she could handle it. Maybe I just want her to be the Mockingjay like all the other rebels.
Anyway, the first half shows the start of the fall of the Capitol's regime, which is a little repetitive and old news, but still made me turn pages. Then we have the re-entry into the Games and all that lark of costumes and waving and interviews. Peeta is lovely again, but Katniss is unresponsive and just doesn't get him most of the time, which is more than frustrating. But that's all fun, keeps the reader hooked.
Then they're back in the arena and it feels very different this time. There is less of a threat and, even though Katniss has accepted that she will die to save Peeta, we still don't believe her. They join up with Finnick and Johanna and Beetee and Wiress. (The names are fantastic throughout.) The character of Johanna is brilliant and I found myself wanting to read her story.
They work out how the arena works very quickly, which saves time and confusion, but seemed a little too simple.
In the end the bigger picture is revealed and we know they were all working together as rebels to overthrow the Games and the Capitol, but keeping this from Peeta and Katniss to save them. Splendid. It's an age old story that will be told over and over, but with these new characters and this new world we accept it and love it.

The Hunger Games

After weeks of deciding whether to read The Hunger Games or not I found the trilogy at a discount price and took it as a sign.
It took me a little while to get into the first book because I don't normally read dystopia fiction, however, once I started to love Peeta and Katniss I knew it was a hit and couldn't put it down. The introduction was a little long, but I see that it was important for the development of the characters. We needed to see where they had come from in order to appreciate them and want them to win.
The idea itself is great, one that I wish I had thought of first! It was also very well written which is rare for teen fads these days. Writers seem to think teens don't appreciate a good bit of prose, well they do and I certainly did when I was a teen.
Of course, because I am a romance glutton, I instantly sought out the love affair and was a little disappointed with Gale. Even though he is gorgeous and strong and brave, I still didn't feel he was right for Katniss in that way. And then we are introduced to Peeta. The wonderful, lovely Peeta and I just knew I was rooting for him from then on. It only got better once the games started and Katniss was looking after him. Such special moments that really come off the page.
I was even happy with the ending and, with a little bit more closure around Peeta and Katniss's relationship, would have been happy to end there without the other two books.
I think it works because it is an exaggeration of our society and how other societies may have been throughout history. When we read we want the truth in a different way than we're used to and The Hunger Games delivers that.