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The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) (Hardcover)

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The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) By Donna Tartt Cover Image
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Staff Reviews


When I tell you about The Goldfinch, you will probably wonder if we booksellers work on commission, earning a gold star for every book we put into a reader's hands. The simple truth is that it's a phenomenal novel; all of my previous "favorite books of all time" are now just a little less so because this one has skyrocketed into my top five; that I want you to read it so that when I tell you how each sentence is a carefully crafted, evocative, transformative beacon of storytelling, you will know what I mean. It's not only about the death of the narrator's mother and his subsequent fascination with a stolen painting, but about love, death, obsession, home, and friendship. I hope you savor every shining detail.

— Andrea

Donna Tartt (The Secret History and The Little Friend) is a writer who takes at least 10 years to write each of her books. The Goldfinch centers around 13-year-old Theo, a tragic event, and a historical painting that pulls Theo into the underworld of art. The research that went into this novel must have been extraordinary, and yet it is unnoticeable; the story is so infused with detail and feeling that you lose yourself in the characters and their experience. This is a novel about the orchestration of where we end up versus where we belong—the story of fate versus destiny. It is a work of art, one that must be personally viewed to be experienced. Read it.

— S.M.C.

Description


A young New Yorker grieving his mother's death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this "extraordinary" and beloved Pulitzer Prize winner from the author of The Secret History that "connects with the heart as well as the mind" (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review).

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by a longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into a wealthy and insular art community.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love — and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention. From the streets of New York to the dark corners of the art underworld, this "soaring masterpiece" examines the devastating impact of grief and the ruthless machinations of fate (Ron Charles, Washington Post).

About the Author


Donna Tartt is an American writer who has achieved critical and public acclaim for her novels, which have been published in forty languages. Her first novel, The Secret History, was published in 1992. In 2003 she received the WH Smith Literary Award for her novel, The Little Friend, which was also nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction. She won the Pulitzer Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Fiction for her most recent novel, The Goldfinch.

Praise For…


"Dazzling....[A] glorious, Dickensian novel, a novel that pulls together all Ms. Tartt's remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading."—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

"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

"The Goldfinch is a book about art in all its forms, and right from the start we remember why we enjoy Donna Tartt so much: the humming plot and elegant prose; the living, breathing characters; the perfectly captured settings....Joy and sorrow exist in the same breath, and by the end The Goldfinch hangs in our stolen heart."—Vanity Fair

"A long-awaited, elegant meditation on love, memory, and the haunting power of art....Eloquent and assured, with memorable characters....A standout-and well-worth the wait."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"It's a classic...If you haven't read it, read it. If you have, read it again."—Andy Cohen, Today Show

"Where to begin? Simply put, I'm indescribably jealous of any reader picking up this masterpiece for the first time. And once they do, they will long remember the heartrending character of Theo Decker and his unthinkable journey."Sarah Jessica Parker for Goop

"A soaring masterpiece."—Ron Charles, Washington Post


Product Details
ISBN: 9780316055437
ISBN-10: 0316055433
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2013
Pages: 784
Language: English
Series: National Book Critics Circle Award: Fiction Finalists
ABA Admin Product Details
Data Source: ONIX
Created At: 3/16/2015 02:22am
Last Updated At: 3/16/2024 07:58pm