Throughout the book, tartt explores the tension between adolescence and maturity. While theo is only a boy when his story begins, he experiences a sudden transition to adulthood. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and selfinvention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate. To frame a story about art, love and morality, donna tartt visits two continents and travels across time in a beautifully told if sometimes sagging story. This study guide consists of approximately 68 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the goldfinch. This 45page guide for the goldfinch by donna tartt includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 12 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. It is an oldfashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and selfinvention, and the ruthless machinations of fatemore hardcover, first american edition, 771 pages. Oct 19, 20 the goldfinch, tartts longawaited third novel, is bookies favourite for baileys prize, with no british authors in contention published. Its hard to articulate just how muchand why the goldfinch held such power for me as a reader.
A guide for book clubs study guides for book clubs cope, kathryn on. The goldfinch by donna tartt donna tartt is a writer who takes her time shes published just one novel per decade since her debut in. You can comment on the following discussion points. Our book club just finished reading and discussing our latest treasure, the goldfinch, by donna tartt. How the goldfinch got away with its disgraceful racial politics in.
The goldfinch book club discussion questions arlenes book club. How the goldfinch got away with its disgraceful racial politics. The goldfinch combines vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and suspense, while plumbing with a philosophers calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. A little picture of a bird drives this sumptuously furnished novel. Book club discussion questions for the goldfinch by donna. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. I know that sounds like i just lifted that from the book jacket, but honestly its true. Its a beautiful, stayupallnight and tellallyourfriends triumph. Blackwells ring, talks to him about the explosion and war.
The middle portions set in las vegas, where theo and boris move from one drunken episode to the next, could have used some heavy editing. Among other content, it includes a full plot synopsis. Frankly i am not sure i would have continued on had the goldfinch not been a donna tartt book, knowing shed spring a sudden surprise on me toward the end. Its not only great for book clubs, but also for anyone who might want to delve a little deeper into the goldfinch. A guide for book clubs study guides for book clubs cope, kathryn. The goldfinch by donna tartt book club discussion questions. The goldfinch, by donna tartt the author of the secret history returns with a novel about art, love and loss thats drawn comparisons to oliver twist and the harry potter series. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the.
See more ideas about goldfinch, book club books and book club food. The goldfinch, signed by the author by donna tartt and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The goldfinch at a glance cliffsnotes study guides book. Walden, the idiot, silas marner, spiegel im spiegel, the magnificent seven, and, obviously, the goldfinch, to name a few. So as i read i wanted to ferret out what made the novel so compelling to some, while others. Nothing makes me happier than a book that will take up loads of my timeits probably as close as ill ever get to flying to the moon damn you, sir richard branson. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. In this comprehensive book club companion, kathryn cope guides readers through donna tartts pulitzer prizewinning novel, the goldfinch. In the early 1640s he studied at rembrandts studio in amsterdam, along with his brother barent fabritius. The goldfinch book club discussion questions arlenes. Might be right for those who dont want to read the book or who dont get. Winner of the pulitzer prize for fiction 2014 aged thirteen, theo decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Identify other moments in the novel where language fails. Its difficult to suggest just one list of books to read if you loved the goldfinch, because those who love the story are compelled by all of the books different elements.
Find out about the literary influences on the book, bird imagery used throughout, location and mood and the role weather played, as well as a full and detailed plot. This article provides a personality perspective that focuses on the relationship between two of the books main characterstheodore theo decker, who tells the story in retrospective. Lucius reeve, one of the victims of theos business scam, confronts theo with the idea that theo possesses the goldfinch and is using it for criminal purposes. The goldfinch book club questions and recipe book club bites. The characters in this book are so vividly portrayed it is quite possible you will never forget them. But the good news is there are plenty of books that should resonate with goldfinch readers in various ways. Boyd tonkin argues that it also guards the secret of its.
Frankly i am not sure i would have continued on had the goldfinch not been a donna tartt book, knowing shed spring a sudden surprise on me toward the. The goldfinch is obsessed with intertexts references to other works of literature, music, film and art e. Donna tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction new york times stephen king. In section i, theo gives james hobart, or hobie, mr. The goldfinch is a haunting odyssey that combines vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense winner of the 2014 pulitzer prize for fiction her canvas is vast. Softcover, little brown and company, 2014 you can purchase the goldfinch online at hugo bookstores. Donna tartt little, brown and companybeowulf sheehan donna tartts multicultural fantasy. Please put your thoughts on the goldfinch book club questions in the comments area below. The goldfinch by donna tartt donna tartt is a writer who takes her time shes published just one novel per decade since her debut in 1992. Whator what alldoes the painting represent in the novel. No reading group should be without this guide to donna tartts acclaim.
The goldfinch part i book club ideas by donna tartt. Published in 20, it was tartts first novel since the little friend in 2002 the novel is a comingofage tale told in the first person. The goldfinch, named after the 1654 painting by carel fabritius of a chained goldfinch, is a pulitzer prizewinning 20 novel by donna tartt and a book club favorite. The goldfinch is big and sprawling but its also messy. Its beautiful prose is densely layered and overflowing with richly developed characters. Disoriented during the attack, he takes the masterpiece the goldfinch. The goldfinch referred to in the title of donna tartts dazzling new novel is a charming painting of a pet bird created in 1654 by the dutch artist carel fabritius, who died that year at 32. Did you enjoy the goldfinch and would you recommend this book to your friends.
Its hard to articulate just how muchand whythe goldfinch held such power for me as a reader. It is a story of loss and obsession, survival and selfinvention, and the enormous power of art. I read the goldfinch before, not as part of this abm book club, but since i always read this blog regularly i hope its ok that i am adding a comment. If you are an avid reader, the goldfinch is the kind of book that you only come across a few times that leaves a lasting impression on you. The goldfinch, a dickensian novel by donna tartt the. Apr 07, 2015 the goldfinch is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power.
The goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through presentday america and a drama of enthralling power. The goldfinch by donna tartt book club kicked off 2014 with our readervoted book, donna tartts anticipated the goldfinch. Many comparisons have been made between this book and great expectations and other dickens books do you see the similarities. When tragedy at a museum steals theodore deckers mother from him, he clings to her memory in the form of a small and beautiful depiction of a goldfinch locked in place and time within an invaluable painting.
The protagonist, yearold theodore decker, survives a terrorist bombing at an art museum where his mother is killed. Book club discussion questions for the goldfinch by. The goldfinch is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. The goldfinch is a novel by the american author donna tartt. Nothing makes me happier than a book that will take up loads of my timeits probably as close as ill ever get to fl. The goldfinch, a dickensian novel by donna tartt the new. Designed to make your reading experience more rewarding and enjoyable, this study guide encompasses a wealth of information. Stephen king, new york times an astonishing achievement. The final 5% of the book then beats you over the head with lessons that you should have learned if you were as smart as the author. Thirteenyearold theodore decker survives a terrorist bombing in a new york art museum, which kills his mother. In the first few pages of the book, we get some powerful insight into our year old protagonist, theo decker, and his current situation. Donna tartts the goldfinch is a complex story about theodore theo decker, a young boy who suffers the loss of his mother in a terrorist attack at the metropolitan museum of art in new york city. Published in 20, it was tartts first novel since the little friend in 2002.
Composed with the skills of a master, the goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through presentday america. Sep 29, 2014 tartt is a wonderful writer, but her third novel is deeply flawed. A dramatic event happens about twothirds of the way in that upends the very foundations that the story is built on. Read the goldfinch absolutely for free at readanybook. A guide for book clubs the reading room book group notes. Id love to hear what you thought of this months book. Author tartt has noted that the purposeful destruction of the giant sandstone buddhas of bamiyan valley afghanistan in march of 2001 inspired her to begin her novel with an.
How many ways is theo tied to the goldfinch, forced, always, to land in the. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosophers calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. I will go back through this when i finish the book. This one, her third, tells the story of a young man named theodore decker who is forced to grapple with the world alone after his motherbrilliant, beautiful and a delight to be aroundis felled in what would seem to be. The goldfinch, tartts longawaited third novel, is bookies favourite for baileys prize, with no british authors in contention published. Always a sucker for a good boyandhismom story, i probably was taken in at first by the cruelly beautiful passages in which yearold theo decker tells of the accident that killed his beloved mother and set his fate. Oct 22, 20 charles is the deputy editor of book world. The goldfinch donna tartt book club guide refinery29. What to read after the goldfinch posted by trisha, managing editor on september 09, 2014. The goldfinch part i book club ideas by donna tartt our book club has been looking forward to reading the goldfinch for the past four months let me explain why. An exlibrary book and may have standard library stamps andor stickers. In the first few pages of the book, we get some powerful insight into our yearold protagonist, theo decker, and his current situation. Alone and rudderless in new york, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend.
If you loved donna tartts the goldfinch, check out. Designed to make your reading experience more rewarding and enjoyable, this study guide encompasses a. When i asked book readers about the goldfinch, i generally received two answers. Fabritius was born in the tenyear old beemster polder, as the son of a schoolteacher. The goldfinch is obsessed with intertexts references to other works of literature. On that note, ive provided book club questions and a delicious recipe for the goldfinch below for your meeting. Luckily for all parties involved, either group will be completely enraptured by donna tartts new book, the goldfinch. A longawaited, elegant meditation on love, memory and the haunting power of art.
Book club discussion questions for the goldfinch by donna tartt. Donna tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Donna tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction, stephen king an astonishing achievement. Tartt is a wonderful writer, but her third novel is deeply flawed. A guide for book clubs study guides for book clubs. This is a minithesis on the goldfinch, packed with very readableunderstandable.
Find out about the literary influences on the book, bird imagery used throughout, location and mood and the role weather played, as well as a full and detailed plot summary and questions for book clubs. It won the 2014 pulitzer prize for fiction, among other honors. Oct 08, 20 the goldfinch referred to in the title of donna tartts dazzling new novel is a charming painting of a pet bird created in 1654 by the dutch artist carel fabritius, who died that year at 32. Its the voice of an expert literary facilitator in the book club. How do these artistic touchstones inform the novel, especially theo and boriss cultural education in. Our reading guide for the goldfinch by donna tartt includes book club discussion questions. May 31, 2014 i read the goldfinch before, not as part of this abm book club, but since i always read this blog regularly i hope its ok that i am adding a comment. Composed with the skills of a master, the goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through presentday america, and a drama of almost unbearable acuity and power. While they are at the museum, a bomb explodes, killing theos mother and traumatizing him. I used this as a preread to the book in hopes that i would notice more as i was reading the book. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The next 20% is just like the previous 75% theo making bad decisions and being a bystander to real stories. Theodore theo decker and his mother visit new york citys metropolitan museum of art so she can view the masterpiece the goldfinch.