 |
| courtesy of blogs.independent.co.uk |
Donna Tartt is nothing short of amazing. Her writing is so
beautifully descriptive without overdoing it. The details. She nails them with an enviable ability to set up images in your mind allowing then the plot and characters to flow over you. Such subtleness.
I have several favorite parts
but they aren't story/plot related necessarily. They have more to do with the
general message she is conveying. Things that made me think about life. My life. My place here. Maybe it's more to do with loving her
writing style for me. And these parts I mention occur in the last 150 or so
pages. Yet there is no patience required to get to "the good stuff". I was "all in" from the very beginning.
Sometimes I don't mind when I turn
the final page of a book (even if I've liked/loved it). This was not the case
with The Goldfinch. Actually, I rationed the
last 100 pages over 3 days, then the last 25 over several hours taking breaks
even though I wanted to press on. I saved the final
10 pages for this morning. To savor with a cup of coffee and plenty of time to
reflect. And I still wasn't ready.
I am seeing her tonight (in
Chicago) and I hope, as she signs my copy, I have a chance to say
something to her. I've practiced the words. I had to because I will be very
nervous (because it's not often you meet a "crush" in person). I hope to
say, "I can't remember when I've read a more satisfying final page and a half of
a book. Ever." I mean this.
 |
| Salon.com |
Read it. It takes a while (or it
did, me) but it's worth every word. And I'm happy she doesn't write novels too
often. I can spend years anticipating the next one. You know, the whole bated
breath thing.
Editor's note: I even had my nails done (for her). A very sassy, almost black, purple. Lincoln Park After Dark...
