I finally picked up Goldfinch after seeing it on too many lists. I decided I wanted to listen to it on audio and not read it. I am not exactly sure what prompted me to do this, especially after the really long Luminaries.
But I did.
And it was long, really really long.
It took me almost two months to really listen to the book. But I kept at it. I listened to it everywhere. In the car, at home, while I was walking, in line at Starbucks, and on and on.
In the end, I think I really liked it. I felt connected to the story but I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters in particular and even though I am not sure I will jump to read another Donna Tartt soon, I still am glad I read this one.
I really enjoyed Goldfinch, even though I really disliked the main characters. Ugh. Usually, if I don’t like the characters, I can’t finish the book but Tartt transcended that. That said, I don’t think I’ll be reading any more Tartt books in the near term, either.
It took so long to get through the first five pages, that I put it down and said, next week. But the next week, it took me even longer to get through the first ten pages. It’s off my list. I read for pleasure not to try and figure out what’s going on!