I can't stop thinking about The Secret History (Spoilers)

Tartt has stated the book takes place in the 80's. There's actually a lot of references, too, like the movies that Richard has to go see for the group, the music, etc. The book is awesome--I love how it mirrors the Greek tragedies that they are all studying (even The Secret History is a Greek reference) and does a great job of being literary on a meta level.

1 DAY?!#?!@?%@#?%

for bunny's murder I absolutely empathise with him and I think he should have never died. Henry and the others are 10x worse than bunny ever was. They killed 2 people. 2 PEOPLE!!! and bunny wasn't even with them when they killed that farmer. bunny was what? homophobic? manipulated Henry for money? I get that that was awful but it still gave them zero rights to murder him. other reasons why they murdered him was probably because he was annoying them and taking jibs at them about murdering the farmer, and honestly, I thought that was iconic. I cried when bunny died and when Richard described him with the yellow raincoat and how bad his hand was after the FBI found his body. it was haunting and chilling. what also got me was when they also met his family. bunny's death was brutal and awful. like imagine your own friends planning to kill you, your supposed best friend pushing you off a cliff and making sure you stayed dead and then going to the funeral and meeting the family. HENRY was the one that carried the coffin, and he was the one that pushed him off. it's awful. I think we shouldn't really be happy about bunny death's and focus more on how those other five are fucking horrible people that should not have done that, no matter how bad or annoying bunny was.

Taking place in the 30'es??? The slang, the travelling by airplane, the promiscuity of female students, the clothing - polyester is for the elderly - and the extended use of dope clearly indicates that it takes place in the 1980'es. You must have read this book with your eyes closed! I am quite shocked.

How come you can't time-stamp the plot, when the novel is so telling?? In chapter 2 they discuss the moon landing (Henry had not noticed it), and in chapter 5 they visit an inn with remnants from USA's 200th anniversary in 1978. The book says the Corcorans have faces like John F. and Robert Kennedy, men of the past. And then you are unable to time-stamp these people as Tartt's contemporaries, born in 1963?????

i want to talk about camilla, we didnt have a look much of her personality or flaws because ofcourse richard is blinded by his over romanticism, but my point is i think we can see a glimpse or hints of camilla's flaw: that she could not get along with her same kind of gender for some obscure reason, remember about judy poovey and camilla at the party (the fight started when camilla was screaming at her), and when richard said that marion hates her and they do not get along from a situation that was not explained.

I finished the book yesterday, as an English student I loved it, though yes I hated the epilogue and it felt sooo long

I'm so late on this book. But like I was happy when Bunny died. The mfer was so annoying, homophobic, sexist, manipulative everything. But I somehow love Henry, the murderer. And i love Francis cause who doesnt love Francis

I’m an struggling to read this book. You read it in ONE DAY?! 😮
I’m loving it though.!! Like the plot is taking forever but also the small print is upsetting me because it’s taking me forever to read 😂

The winter scene really messed me up also. I think that’s what I had to put that book down for a few days 😂

GUYS WHATS YOUR FAV LINE FROM THE BOOK? MINE IS WHEN DONNA TARTT STRAIGHT UP DROPS THE HARD R. WHEN SHE WROTE "SAND NIGGERS" I INSTANTLY KNEW THIS WOMAN IS A LITERARY GENIUS. ISNT IT SO COOL HOW SHE SAYS SLURS IN HER ENTIRE COLLECTION OF WORK?

What's interesting to me is how many people simply love Henry. To me, Henry is the clear antagonist of the book. They're all deeply flawed individuals, but Henry's the worst of them. He's quite controlling and manipulative. He was the impetus for the attempt at the bacchanal, he killed the farmer, he insisted on covering it up, he brought them all to the point where they killed Bunny. All the while managing to maintain this idealized view of himself to the group. Without Henry's arrogance and delusions of moral superiority, none of this story happens. Bunny got worse and worse as the story went, yes, but only because of Henry.

It also shocks me how Camilla manages to still love Henry, even after his death. It's like she never managed to see him for who he was. The closest a character gets to it is Charlie at one point, though it's hard to know if that's because he sees it for real, or if he's just enraged that Henry took Camilla away from him.

I enjoyed this video … I did actually start watching to get the spoilers 😅but after listening to your video I actually regain my initial interest in reading the book….I’m right in the middle or Act 3 after the winter act …

I loved the long parts that didn’t have a major effect on the plot of story, such as Richard’s experience with almost freezing to death everyday, because after all, he was a part of the story too. And while his pretentious friends were away with their family or on vacation in Italy, Richard is just stuck in Hampden with no where to go, and had hardly any idea what is going on with his friends while they were away. So, the only perspective that Richard can give at that point, is his misery in the cold.

I also loved the drawn outness of Bunny’s funeral because I feel like throughout the whole experience of meeting Bunny’s family, they all begin to feel some sort of guilt. I feel like before this, they were all consumed with selfishness and concerned with justifying the murder, and with not getting caught. But then they find themselves as murders standing before their victim’s family. They realize that Bunny was an actual person with a family, and not just someone that they went to school with who was a bigot and someone who they disliked and eventually murdered. They didn’t take into account how the murder would effect others, as well as eventually themselves.

This is the worst book

The secret history is a comedy I will die on this hill

I just finished this book today. People have already said it, but I liked the epilogue. My reason is simple, but it was nice. It was a little sad in some ways, but I find it nice to learn what happened to different characters in the story

I romantized it even while knowing something terrible is going to happen. I craved for thick paper, cotton shirt, suits, scenery. I hated them for ruining it. I rooted for them like Richard. I was lost when the group crumbled. I was heart broken for Henry. I hated charles for hurting camela. I went with the tale. Julian is the part I dnt understand but relate. What Julian did was what Richard should have done.

i just finished reading this book last week and i too have lots of thoughts and feelings. overall, i was quite let down, probably because it's been so hyped up lately. before i read any "dark academia" books i had this assumption about what that was, and my template for it was Harry Potter. so, automatically, if there's no magic, i'm just already a little disappointed.

i assumed the book took place right around the time the author wrote it, which was what, early 90s, late 80s? what's fascinating, as someone who graduated high school in 99, is reading about a college experience pre-computers. i just barely missed it, and oh man, what a difference that seems to have made. i mean, these people just play cards all the time and party? how quaint!

this book is quite good for a first novel, but it definitely feels like something written by someone who just graduated college- the academic focus, the observations of her fellow students. maybe if i were in college, or younger, i would have been more intrigued with the story. and in college i did know people who were in a sort of fandom of a professor, and some other guy who wasn't a professor, but was closely associated with some people at the school. so, i get it! people do seem to get really into very specific things when they're trying to forget their identity in college.

the story could have really used some editing, with all those bits (the winter in that weird warehouse over a dam - like, WTF?, the funeral) getting cut out or at least shortened considerably.

and yeah, what's up with the professor hardly being part of the story? i thought for sure he would have led the ritual and/or been the one to encourage the murder.

there should have been a lot more showing and less telling. the whole ritual is just relayed to the main character after it happened. the reader doesn't get to be present for it, which just feels like such a cop out.

the story would been better told without a first person narrator, maybe, but i do see your point about The Great Gatsby parallel, and that would make sense, because, as i said, it's clear the author was still in that academic mind set when she wrote the book, and mimicking or being inspired by a great work of literature would make perfect sense.

finally, what's the point of them being greek students? we didn't get nearly enough explanation about what that was all supposed to mean- like, the greek philosophy supposedly underpinning this group's wonky mindset.

The biggest take away for me from this book is that everyone is flawed but that doesn't automatically write them off as a categorically 'bad person'. Even with those seriously morally questionably characters the author does such a great job at humanising to the point that you find yourself sympathising with murderers, incest twins etc etc haha.

It has been 11 years since I finished this book and I have yet to move on/feel the same type of feelings with another book. Loved it but it has ruined me.

My jaw dropped when you said you read it in 1 day. Oh my GOD ??

I feel the exact same way about wishing I'd read The Secret History in school. I straight up want to write a full academic paper about it. I reread it like twice a year.

Omg Bunny’s voice that the author does in the audiobook is THE most annoying. I was dying laughing. Did anyone else laugh out loud? I found some of this book darkly comedic (the scene with the cat in the car). Was I supposed to laugh as much as I did? Lol

Judy Poovey.

IN. ONE. DAY?!??!?!?!?!

I keep thinking why everyone was so afraid of the fact that Bunny knew they allegedly killed a farmer. Bunny didn’t have any evidence, what could he possibly said to the police? My college friends were possessed by an ancient god and barehanded ripped apart local farmer? Like group could have easily been each others alibi, they didn’t have any motive. Moreover it never even mentioned that there was an investigation about the farmer. I think Henry could have easily deny everything and even come up with a story that he wrote his diary to test Bunnys loyalty or smth. But even without that I can not see a solid ground for a serious investigation against those 4

A Brokeback Mountain quote above The Secret History is insanity. I simultaneously passed away and rose awake when I saw it. I am one with God. I am complete, I am not the body, neither am I the mind. I am complete.

Haha can you imagine how are we going to identify a book time based on 2020’s? The fashion is all over now. 😂

I was excited to learn about the spoilers but now I’m more confused. I see potential if you give us a more structured with flow narrative video. I like that you are no Vlogin and pouring tea or showing us your lunch while we just trying to find info about the book. Thank you. For your insights on this book.

Man I just finished this book and I’m obsessed, I strongly disagree with a lot of your takes (bunny being unlikable, winter section only being there for Richard to be saved by Henry). But this was a fun retrospective to hear another opinion, thank you for sharing!

They so terrified of ending up in prison and ruining their lives for killing Bunny. Yet they all still ended up in their own mental prisons and ruining their lives. I think Richard was never going to be truly happy no matter what life threw at him.

I loved the epilogue because I NEEDED to know what happened to the cat.

My favorite book :)

This book has forever changed reading for me, I'm not even smart or well read enough to truly get it, but I'm just like mindblown. I wish I existed when it came out and could have read it then

Donna's writing is so great!

I also loved reading about Richard almost freezing to death and reading this at winter time, I felt that to my core

Why is Bunny called Bunny? 🐇

yeah i definitely feel the way you’re feeling and am still waiting to talk about some parts that are just like shocking and just happened like. the twincest? the gutteral first murder of the man that somehow got mutilated by their weird test rituals?! it set me up to think that the book would be come a lot more greek horror supernatural than it turned out to me, kind of like alex michealides

I’m not and wasn’t a snobby university person.. but I’ve dated them.. my most recent boyfriend definitely girly fits perfectly in with these characters.. I find them insufferable.. trust me.. they’re that dramatic in real life.. waiting for him to grow up any day now.. I was stupid and fell in love with the emotionally stunted asshole..

What I absolutey love about this book is how at the behining we fall in love with all the characters and by the and of the book we absolutely hate them. I don't like the books where the characters are too good to be true. I prefer books with moraly gray characters.

Also the way the plot unfolds... It is briliant! We descover things alongside Richard but looking back the clues are sooo obvious.

Plus the fact that we can never know what happened because we only get Richard's VERY biased point of view....

This book is just a *chef's kiss

Funny enough Judy Poovy was my favorite character

am i the only one who was still upset they murdered bunny? lolz i mean obviously from the letter that was later discovered it’s clear there are other ways people could have found out! they were being a little dramatic

i think the part where richard is sleeping in the cold for so many days over christmas break was important because it showed what he was willing to put himself through instead of face his real core issues with his family.

Just completed this book and I loved it

I liked the prologue a lot, but there was a lot of filler before Richard got the college. The ending was disappointing because the author seemed to lose confidence in her own themes. The narrator started out as reflective and guilt-ridden, but lost much of his interior conflict at the end when he’s upset that his crush didn’t like him back. Awwwww… they were accomplices to murder.

There are a lot of references to be able to pinpoint time period - Jane Fonda workout videos (80s) CD case - late 80s, no cell phones - before 2000s, Wheel of Fortune (80s)

I am in exactly the same position. I had been putting off reading this book because I thought from all the hype it was getting that i would be disappointed, but I was pleasantly surprised. I devoured it in a few days, couldn't stop reading and now I feel a huge hole in my chest. I love all the characters and the epilogue left me with a suffocated feeling that I haven't been able to shake off. I'll be honest, at first I didn't like Henry's character almost at all (he was very bland to me) but after his death and the epilogue where Richard dreams of his ghost and walks away to nowhere I don't know why I felt a horrible nostalgia and so much sadness 😭 well I'm very sensitive probably, but I can't get over the characters, I think it definitely became one of my favorite books.

I felt emo ever since the book