The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt, Katia Benovich · first published 2013
55% recommend27% neutral18% critical
Why HN recommends it
A smoothly readable literary novel blending coming-of-age, art theft, and crime. It moves at a page-turning pace and suits readers seeking an absorbing, long read.
Common criticism: Some find its pace slow and the story less compelling than hyped.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"The Goldfinch is a rarity that comes along perhaps half a dozen times per decade, a smartly written literary novel that connects with the heart as well as the mind....Donna Tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction."--Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present day America and a drama of enthralling force and acuity. It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…Mauritshuis, the regular home of The Girl with a Pearl Earring, is also well worth your while. It's a lot smaller than the Rijksmuseum, so you don't need to set aside as much time, but additionally has The Goldfinch by Fabritius (recommended companion read: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt) and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt.
on “Rijksmuseum to Stage the Largest Vermeer Exhibition in 2023” ↗…Jo Marchant - If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur - Deep Work by Cal Newport - Enduring Love by Ian McEwan - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion and a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗For anyone who has time on their hands and wants a good read, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a wonderful book that tells a story set in the world of art theft.
on “Dutch museum says van Gogh painting stolen in overnight raid” ↗Best book I've read in a long time: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt -- it's not often that literary fiction reads as smoothly as a Stephen King book. It's a coming of age story, a drug story, a heist story all rolled up. Best book I ever read (for myriad…
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗A great novel with furniture fraud at its core is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
on “How a Sneaky Furniture Expert Ripped Off the Rich and Tricked Versailles” ↗I can't recommend Donna Tartt's books enough, especially The Secret History and The Goldfinch. I've read both 3 times now.
on “The Singular Voice, and Pungent Humor, of Charles Portis” ↗…comfort. 1. Patrick O'Brian's "Master and Commander" and its twenty sequels set during the Napoleonic Wars, featuring British naval captain Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon, Stephen Maturin. 2. "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt. I wish I'd known of more such books at the time.
on “Ask HN: What books have you found understandable during serious depression?” ↗I've loved this book since it was released. Weirdly, until The Goldfinch came out, it was a book that was at once globally popular but somehow locally unknown; very few of my acquaintances had read it, so I could never talk to anyone about it. There's a podcast named Once…
on “The Secret History: A murder mystery that thrills 30 years on” ↗…follow-up works, but even more disappointed by her pace. Since TSH was published in 1992, she's written only two other novels: * The Little Friend, in 2002, which is set in her native Mississippi; and * The Goldfinch, in 2013, which won big prizes (including a Pulitzer), but is to my tastes inferior to the other two. Her once-a-decade pattern suggests another book should be coming along any year now, but who can…
on “The Secret History: A murder mystery that thrills 30 years on” ↗…everyone's taste and that's fine, but she's a great writer for people who are looking for that sort of vibe. Tangentially, I'd heartily recommend Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver to folks who liked The Goldfinch
on “Stolen van Gogh Painting Worth Millions Returned in an IKEA Bag” ↗…press sometimes spins it that way. As an aside, one of the only paintings of Carel Fabritius to escape the gunpowder explosion that killed him as well (made more famous recently by Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch') is a really cool example of a painting from the time that was clearly made using lenses. It looks to my eyes more or less exactly like a photo made using the iPhone's panoramic setting. Would be really…
on “Evidence Mounts That Rembrandt Used Optics to Paint Self-Portraits” ↗One of my favorites is Stephen King's NYT review of Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch': https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/books/review/donna-tartts...
on “How to Review a Novel” ↗* The Secret History -- Donna Tartt * The Goldfinch -- Donna Tartt * Hotel New Hampshire -- John Irving * A Prayer For Owen Meany -- John Irving * Wonder -- R.J. Palacio * Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- Mark Twain * The Elegance of the Hedgehog…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…in a single sitting. I was lead to Rebecca after I found and read a discarded copy of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”. I wanted more and Googled “books like Rebecca”. Sadly, I thought Tartt’s “The Goldfinch”, which lots of people raved about, was not very good.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗