"The Secret History" has been on my wishlist ever since I read "The Goldfinch". And this year, I finally got to it.
And a very impressive story it is. But it's difficult to get into details without giving out spoilers. Just this much. A group of students doesn something really bad and can only get out of it by doing something even worse. The characters are not really likeable but they get under your skin. You can't follow their actions but somehow you can.
A challenging book that will probably stay with me forever.
Quotes
on migraines:
"Henry, flat on his back in a dark room, ice packs on his head and a handkerchief tied over his eyes.
'I don't get them so often as I once did. When I was thirteen or fourteen I had them all the time. But not it seems that when tey do come - sometimes only once a year - they're much worse. ...'"
on death:
"Is death really so terrible a thing? It seems terrible to you, because you are young, ... It does not do to be frightened of things you know nothing ..."
From the back cover:
"Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever."
I've always been a little curious about this one, but apparently not enough to read it. Yet. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteThere is only one answer to that, Lark, too many books, too little time. I did find this fascinating, though, but it also took me years to get to it.
DeleteThanks for the review! I have The Goldfinch in my 'tbr' pile and will hopefully read it this year.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Lisa. I have read a few German books lately, mainly because of my book club and friends lending me their copies, so I don't even get to my TBR pile but I was glad I read it. And The Goldfinch is a great one. Enjoy.
DeleteSo, Marianne, I have a curious question for you! You are fluent in several languages, correct? Have you ever read a book in both German and also the same book in English? Was your reading experience different by reading the same book in different languages? I'm simply curious if language plays a part in our perception on how we feel when reading books. How language is used seems important.
DeleteNot so curious after all, Lisa. Yes, in the past, I have read all my books in German before I started reading English. I had to, even if my English had been good enough from the beginning, you couldn't just go into a bookshop in Germany and order an English book or order it "online". But I have re-read many of them later. Often, I understood better what the author meant. Sometimes, it was weird before and then I read the original and knew, the translator didn't know exactly what he was talking about.
DeleteIn any case, if you read the original, you are "talking" to the author directly whereas with a translation, there's always a third person involved.
When I was in an international book club, we did have members who preferred to read books in their original language or we read a book from their language that had been translated into English. After a while, I found that the translations into English were often not as good as the ones in German. I suppose, there are many, many more books that get translated into German (and other languages) than into English and therefore, there are more translators available and the quality is better.
Language always changes things. What seems polite or nice in one language, might seem rude in another (of course, culture also plays into this).
I might have to think about this and write a whole post about it. But thanks for the question, Lisa. And ask, if you have more.
Thank your for thoroughly answering my question, Marianne. I enjoyed reading about your experience of reading the same book in different languages. Should you end up writing a post about this topic, it would be fun to read.
DeleteYou're welcome, Lisa. I just try to get through with this blog at the moment. Plus, I write all the books that have appeared in German on my German site, so it might take a while.
DeleteIt sounds intriguing! Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy. It is intriguing and I'm glad I could convey that to you and the others.
DeleteYou are right. I'll probably never forget this book, its amazing writing style, but I so hated the characters!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Emma. As I said, the characters were not really likeable. Often that makes us hate the book but the style is so great, that you just have to go on.
DeleteI loved this novel when I read it many, many years ago. I got inspired by your review, and I think I have to re-read it. I only remember parts of it.
ReplyDeleteRe-reading it is certainly a great idea, Lisbeth. I will try to do that at some point, I am sure. The book left a great impression.
DeleteI keep going back and forth on this one. Maybe 2025 will be the year I finally read it!
ReplyDeleteI can see why, Sarah, it's not non-fiction. LOL
DeleteBut I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say if you ever get to it.
That is a great sentence about this book without spoilers! I remember being incredibly absorbed when I read it but feeling the last 20% or so was rushed and not as good as the rest.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Constance. Well, the beginning already was the end, so I didn't feel much more needed to be said but, yes, there could have been more of the in-between.
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