The Goldfinch - Book Review

☆☆☆☆1/2

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is an exquisite book, rich character dramas brought together with considerable storyteller's coincidence and misdirection that never seem obvious or enough to intrude and ruin the narrative. I would really love to have half stars and would then give a 4.5, with only half a star missing for the length.

This is a story that takes time and is better for the length - but I couldn't help asking myself, at what point does beautiful prose override the need to edit. Even here, I'm torn, as the descriptions from Thomas of imagined happenings that may never eventuate are intricate and well-developed, yet at what point do we want pages of ruminations on what might be, rather than cutting to what actually happens? Would those cuts have been tough to make because of the quality of the writing - no doubt, but they are there to be found.

I loved it. I found a new writer, for me, and will search out her other books and hope they are equally as enjoyable. As a Pulitzer winner, I think This is certainly worthy - I just wish those last, difficult cuts had been made to take away the very few moments when I was questioning why we had so much detail on twists and thoughts that added little.