Am I The Only One Who Didn’t Like ‘The Goldfinch’?

Am I The Only One Who Didn’t Like ‘The Goldfinch’?
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A young New Yorker grieving his mother’s death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this “extraordinary” and beloved Pulitzer Prize winner that “connects with the heart as well as the mind” (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review).

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don’t know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by a longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into a wealthy and insular art community.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love — and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention. From the streets of New York to the dark corners of the art underworld, this “soaring masterpiece” examines the devastating impact of grief and the ruthless machinations of fate (Ron Charles, Washington Post).

The Goldfinch is a novel I struggled to finish; it took me almost a month to make it through the whole book, and I was dreading reading it by the end.

Because of this, I am going to keep this review short and sweet. Let me discuss the points I liked and disliked about this book:

What I liked about The Goldfinch:

  • Tartt’s writing was so good! Her style and wording were vibrant, and there is a lot of imagery that comes along while reading through it. Definitely the strongest positive about this novel!
  • I liked the relationship between Theo and his mom. I wonder how much of what Theo remembered was part of this childhood imagination and which bits were real, but I liked them either way.
  • Poppy was a very realistic and likeable character! She had this eccentric and vibrant personality that drew me to her from the first mention of her. But, once again, I was left wondering how much of it was Theo’s infatuated view of her rather than her “real” self.
  • Hobie was hands down my favourite character here! I just kept waiting for him to appear throughout this read! He had this benevolent, selfless personality along with this very grandfatherly vibe.

What I did not like about The Goldfinch:

  • This book was insanely lengthy! I was disinterested halfway honestly. There was quite a bit that I felt was mundane and not really necessary for the plot to build on.
  • There was way too much furniture talk! I did not understand most of it. I was not interested enough to keep Googling every new and strange word that popped up, so I ended up lost in this jumble of furniture descriptions that kept popping up.
  • Am I the only person who did not like Boris? I just kept dreading him turning up!

And that is my short review on The Goldfinch! Since I’m not a big fan of the book I find it pretty hard to give my typical detailed view on my experience reading this but…

… do leave a comment if you have anything to say about my points above!

4 thoughts on “Am I The Only One Who Didn’t Like ‘The Goldfinch’?”

  1. I haven’t read this yet but I do have a copy and it is long! I’m in the furniture business so now I’m curious to see what you’re talking about with all the furniture descriptions 😁

    1. Ooooh! I’m excited to see what you’ll think of this book then! Do give it a try!!! 😋

  2. I am put off by long books unless it’s an author I already love. So I have very little interest in The Goldfinch, especially as I’ve seen a lot of people say it’s a bit of a struggle.

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