The Goldfinch by Donna TarttMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book took me forever to read.
In the middle of working backwards through the the most recent winners of the Pulitzer for Fiction, I had read various reviews of The Goldfinch, some saying it was amazing and several putting it down as being writing for young adults not deserving of its prestigious win.
It starts off with a bang (no pun intended) but then it slogs through for many long chapters describing in the minutest detail the most unsavory actions of young people, whom I came to think I did not like as protagonists. It is only in the last 150 pages or so that one comes to understand how a book like this could win the Pulitzer. Don't get me wrong. There are many interesting scenes interspersed throughout, but it's so-o-o long.
Near the end, Tartt asks, "Who said, 'Coincidence is God remaining anonymous.'?" A quote often attributed (erroneously, I think) to Albert Einstein, but in its way descriptive of much of what takes place in the story. There is another passage that describes the zone where art and love exist, and this is award-winning writing.
If you start on this don't give up too easily, realize you're in for the long haul, and that you're also in for a memorable experience. I look forward to the movie to see how they cram all of this into two hours.
