The Secret History - Donna Tartt

Right. This is a first for me, and hopefully a rare occurrence — or ideally a never‑again — kind of situation.

I started reading this book two and a half months ago, and I’ve finally decided I don’t want to read another page of it. I’m 131 pages in, and I feel like I’ve wasted countless hours wandering through a world I have absolutely no emotional connection to. It’s flat. And when I say this book is boring, believe me… it’s boring. However, I’ll warn you now: I can’t speak for the entire book because I haven’t even made it halfway. So everything I’m saying comes from what I have read; and if that’s any indication of what the rest contains, the climax and ending don’t look hopeful.

I love the dark academia genre; If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio is one of my favourite books. It’s thrilling, intriguing, and genuinely captivating. Because of that intense fondness, I naturally assumed Tartt’s novel would give me something similar. Instead, I’ve been met with disappointment of the highest order, in case that wasn’t already obvious. I’m so disconnected from it that there’s a steel wall between me and page 132, and I have no desire to break through it.

Initially, this surprised me. The Secret History has so many glowing reviews; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a novel so universally praised, and after my experience, I genuinely don’t understand why. Maybe it’s because I’m not into Latin, Greek, or anything to do with “classics”. But why should that make me hate a novel this much when it’s written in contemporary prose, and only touches on those classical elements? It’s not like I’m reading Shakespeare or Frankenstein, where I have to concentrate on every clause just to understand what’s happening.

It’s a modern classic, easy to follow, with a supposedly dramatic narrative… if you’re into dry storytelling that feeds the reader information you don’t necessarily need, that is. The protagonist spends pages rambling about things I can’t even identify because I must have mentally checked out. I’m none the wiser about the plot, and I dread to think how much more I’d have to endure before reaching the “200 pages of excitement” someone mentioned in their one‑star Goodreads review. And even if that’s true, I don’t have the energy or motivation to wade through the four hundred pages surrounding it. To me, that’s ridiculous. A book should enthral me from start to end, not from page 400 to page 500-something. In my book, that’s a lousy story.

Then again, maybe this is more up an English literature student’s street — and that’s fine, whatever floats your boat. But this certainly isn’t the novel for me. It’s too slow, the characters are bland and a little stereotypical (but in a muted, uninteresting way), and i’ll repeat: I’m over one hundred pages in and nothing has happened. I’ve literally only read two chapters; not even that. That alone makes me want to scoop my eyes out with a plastic spoon. It’s long, and for what reason? I haven’t learnt anything that makes me want to turn to the next page. So what’s the point?

The fact that I can’t bear to read any more is genuinely shocking. I never give up like this. I read things so you don’t have to — but with this one, I’ve tried it, I’ve hated it, and now I’m sharing it; unfinished or not. Unfortunatly, I’ve hit a wall, and I’m in desperate need of something that’s actually good for both my downtime entertainment and fuel for my own writing. Reading is my jam, and this book has put that hobby on hold for far too long. It’s sad.

With all that being said, the rest of the book might be great, and you might think the world of it, and you wouldn’t be alone. But I’m not alone in feeling the way I do either, and I’ve been completely put off. I’ve tried my best to convey that above, and i hope that some if not all of it, speaks to you. If you didn’t enjoy English literature in school, or you’re not a language‑learning fan, or you don’t like dark academia, or you’re looking for your first dark academia read… don’t pick this one. There are far better stories to dive into than The Secret History. It’s not worth it.

And on that terrible disappointment, never fear, I’ll be starting a new novel today — hopefully one that earns a much more positive review.

Buy your copy of the book here: https://amzn.eu/d/0edXPqjB