Murder between friends? (The Secret History - Donna Tartt)

Member Name: zusy

Product:	The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Date:	28/09/00 (216 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gripping read, brilliant plot, would make a fantastic film.

Disadvantages: None!

What?s a little murder between good friends? This is the question Tartt asks in this gripping and well-written tale of loyalty, love, friendship and death.

Richard Papen is a 28-year-old from Plano, California. He longs to get away from the boredom of small town life, and decides on a whim to apply for a place at an elite American college. To his surprise, he is accepted, although he struggles financially, and is thrilled to at last be learning and living amongst people he can relate to.

Still, Richard wants more. He notices a cliquish group of students in a tiny class who are handpicked by the tutor who runs it. They appear to the outside world as weirdoes who snub all others outside their group.

Rumours have it they are Satanists, child killers or just plain snobs who think they are above everyone else. They also happen to be studying Richard?s favourite subject - Ancient Greek.

Our hero decides he will try to worm his way into the group and tries to become one of them. What happens next will ultimately change his life forever ? and not for the better.

This is a compelling novel in which the tension builds slowly but highly effectively. We are told from the outset that someone has been murdered, and that Richard is somehow tied up in the whole messy business, and we spend the rest of the novel finding out who the victim was and why they were killed.

Many people have recommended this book to me, and I?m so glad I finally took them up on their advice and got myself a copy. It?s beautifully paced and intelligently written. A great snuggle-up-by-the-fireside read.

Summary: