The Goldfinch: SPOILERS

[MAPPLEBUM]

I thought this was probably the most beautiful command of the English written word I have ever read. In the dense writing, however, the plot takes an excruciating amount of time to move forward. The ending seemed too forced, too analytical. I didn't need all that by way of explanation for Theo's ability to recall. It was a narrative that didn't need the justification of his journals. I prefer to think of it as first-person omniscient. Not in that he can convey the thought of everyone else, but in the way that he has the ability to write the book as if he were living it at the moment.

Overall, it was just too slow-moving for me. I liked Theo, Boris, and Hobie less so. I desperately wanted Hobie to be more than he was, a true father to Theo. it's obvious Hobie cared for Theo, but it wasn't enough. Pippa was just there for me. The connection, save their one dinner, was so superficial.

I agree with you on all points except I didn't really notice slow moving plot. I sort of tend towards stories where nothing happens, and for instance, I just read Kite Runner and there were WAY too many plot twists for my liking.

I hadn't thought that Hobie was somewhat of an inactive or static character. He really could have at least had some surprises. And yes, thinking back to Pippa she wasn't dynamic either, though I did see it as a classic introvert's obsession with someone he hardly sees / knows.

[L.Jane]

. And yes, thinking back to Pippa she wasn't dynamic either, though I did see it as a classic introvert's obsession with someone he hardly sees / knows.

This. He was intrigued by her before the explosion, and then after she was always still that unattainable creature he was drawn to. The fact that she was never around and he could never REALLY get to know her allowed him to put her on this pedestal that continued to strengthen. Also because they lost a parental figure in the exact same way, it was a traumatic bond that linked them. Pippa could have been the most boring and unemotional dolt and he still would have felt drawn to her due to circumstance more than actual true life bonds and connection.

I too wanted more from Hobie, but honestly, in real life, thats probably all he could have given. He had always led his life a certain way, and he truly did care for Theo, but he didn't know what to do for him as a parent because he never had been, or planned on being a parent. He was already older and set in his ways. I think I wanted him to have done more because it could have changed the direction of Theo's life, but thats just my selfishly wanting a happily ever after for this kid. Not all people can see a hurting person and help them go in the right direction.

[WolfpackWife]

I agree with the last few comments. Like MB, I don't know that I felt that the plot was slow moving as a whole, but I do remember reading through Theo's time in Vegas and thinking that the account of his time there seemed to drag on with little happening, other than the repetitive nature of his activities with Boris. Thought I enjoyed how vivid the characters were so I think any slow points didn't both me as much. I kept waiting for Theo to meet a worse fate than he ended up meeting. For instance, I feared that he was going to descend into full on, incapacitating drug addiction, ruin and sever all ties with anyone who knew/cared for/loved him (mostly Hobie), and become completely apathetic to his life.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Going to hop on in here - better late than never, right? - because I finally got around to reading this. For all the hype and love around this book, I was a bit disappointed. Like Heidi, I thought the language was beautiful, but at times it felt incredibly self-indulgent on the author's part, like she knew how "pretty" it was and was just looking for an excuse to use a certain phrase. Particularly toward the end, all the musing just felt like a dumping ground for all the nice-sounding things she wanted to write but hadn't had a chance to use yet. And all that meandering talk was so utterly meaningless. Like yes, we understand, Theo sees great beauty in this and wants us all to know how incredibly significant and yet insignificant it is. Blah.

The other thing that drove me crazy was just how much Theo, as a main character, was just a passenger in his own life. He never made a decision, he simply reacted to everything that other people did to him. The most decisive things he ever did were taking the painting, which was basically a reaction to great shock, and picking up Popchik and leaving Las Vegas for New York, which was a reaction to his father dying. The storyline had a lot of potential as an epic journey, but with epic characters you need decisions and actions, and some kind of ultimate goal. Even the final resolution with the painting - Theo wasn't even present, Boris took care of it. If the purpose of the book was to immerse us in the aimless rambling of a delayed adolescent riding the tide of a catastrophe, it was a great success.

Finally, I felt like there were whole parts of the storyline that were completely irrelevant, like Kitsey. Kitsey was unnecessary except as a backdrop for Theo's final big crisis, to create contrast between the pretty, nice life he could have, and the darkness that he had to run away and face. You don't need to spend that many pages on a backdrop, especially one as superficial as Kitsey. What a waste of space. I felt the same about some of the time spent in Vegas - like, yes, we get it. Glittering desert. Spiraling out of control. Great friendship with Boris. Ok, move on. No way did this book need to be 569 pages long, except that it needed to hold all of Donna Tartt's darling phrases.

I did enjoy some of the characters - I rooted for Theo even though he seemed like such an utter loss, I admired Hobie for being the stand-up guy, even though he was fairly superficial, and enjoyed Boris's crazy, good-at-heart antics. The beginning of the book was incredibly engaging as an examination of a kid reacting to tragedy. But as a whole, it just didn't come together for me.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I borrowed it from our library on my kindle. Made it to midway through the Vegas section and gave up. I honestly hated it. I realize I never finished it but I just thought what I did read was so, so drawn out. I usually push through books even if I dont love them but I just couldn't do it. It was too long!

I often find that I dislike the Pulitzer Prize winning books - why is that?