The Goldfinch

I really loved the beginning of this book, it had such a strong opening. The premise it begins with had so many possible exciting paths that it could have took, and I was earnestly reading to see where it would take me.

From there, you start riding this adventure with Theo where he roughly grows and learns life’s hardships quickly from a variety of sources: Hobie who makes him his apprentice, Boris who is corrupting, Pippa who he feels tethered to, Audrey his mother, and everyone else… I love ‘mentor’ like characters in books, and Hobie was fabulous, and the tidbits about antique restorations and Theo’s hustle were fun and inviting to read about. I thought Theo’s mother was so fascinating of a character; her passion around art, and the respect people had for her really impressed me.

I know the book is a bit long, with a lot of patches of detail that seemed unnecessary, and I wonder under what circumstance make this the winner of the Pulitzer for Fiction in 2014…

Yet, I would still say its a good book, one that is littered with references to art, literature, and classical New York scenery that Tartt paints like a movie. It’s a book with an explosive beginning that takes you on an interesting and thrilling adventure - if you can read past the patches of meh - you’ll come out with some satisfaction in the end and ask yourself questions about the point of beauty and art, what is value, what is the relationship of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and the history of the people who looked out for beautiful things and pulled them out from the fire…

A few interesting words I learned while reading:

Sacrosanct: (especially of a principle, place, or routine) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with

Bijou: (especially of a residence or business establishment) small and elegant; or a jewel/trinket