The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

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• Print Length: 771 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0606353143
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (October 22, 2013)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group

Theo Decker leads us through his life in the fictional novel "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt. At the age of thirteen Theo, living in present day New York City with his mom, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. With no known contact with his dad in over a year, Theo is placed in the care of some close friends. Hanging on to two items that you acquired during the accident; a ring from a dying man and a famous painting "The Goldfinch" that reminds him of his mother. These two items pave the road to his future.

“…awful to learn,  by having it suddenly vanish from under me, that all my adult life I’d be privately sustained by the great, hidden, savage joy: the conviction that my whole life was balanced atop a secret that at any moment blow apart.”

I will not go into great detail about the story due to the fear of spoiling the multitude of events that make this novel so interesting. The main characters were well written. I was astounded of the details that were presented about their lives. The author made the backgrounds of the main characters so complete you feel like they could be real people. My favorite character is "Hobie, most well-intentioned and unworldly of persons." Hobie is a character that Theo meets through the ring he receives from the dying man during the accident and who ends up have a great deal to do with Theo’s adult life.

I did find myself at two points in this book thinking “why in the hell did he choose to do that?” I don’t know if it was just me or in these two instances the author was trying to make the story a little more interesting by having the main character taking the least likely choice set in front of him. Then again, I am not a risk taker and the main character clearly is so this might be why I was lost a couple of times.

I also want to point out that due to the details and information provided in this book, I feel I have learned a bit about art, antiques, and other tidbits.  Not only was it a page turner but you learned a little bit too. The author clearly did her homework.

A great book and a must read to anyone who likes realistic modern day fiction and doesn't mind a long read. I found myself having to watch the clock to make sure I didn't get to lost in the book and lose track of time because with this book I could easily get lost in its pages. I also recommend this book to art lovers, too.