Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 7/22/2014 + 1223 more book reviews

Phew! It took me about 3 weeks but I made it through all 771 pages of this massive novel that in essence was about a young man, Theo, who lost his mother during a terror attack on an art museum in New York and who during the chaos of the explosion, was able to make off with the classic painting "The Goldfinch" by Fabritius. Along the way, Theo lives with a well-to-do family in New York, the Barbours, moves to Las Vegas with his wayward father, then back to New York to live and become partners with an antique furniture restorer, Hobie, who was the partner of another person killed in the art museum explosion. Throughout Theo's moves, he is able to keep the "Goldfinch" a secret and hidden away. While in Las Vegas, Theo becomes friends with Boris, a fast-talking schemer from the Ukraine who has traveled the world with his father. Boris is probably to me the most interesting character in the book and he plays a key role throughout along with "the Goldfinch" itself. Overall, I did enjoy the novel and thought Tartt's writing was eloquent; however, I think the story could have been shortened drastically. I just thought there was way too much detail although much of it kept me fascinated including details about the art world and antique furniture.

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