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The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Goldfinch

by Tartt, Donna

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10
0349139636
ISBN 13
9780349139630
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Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
20 Copies Available from This Seller
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About This Item

Abacus Books, Incorporated. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.

Synopsis

Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Donna Tartt's novel  The Goldfinch  enjoyed a meteoric rise since its debut in October 2013.  The Goldfinch  is Tartt's third novel after the very successful  The Secret History  (1992) and  The Little Friend  (2002) and enjoyed an initial printing of 75,000 copies by publisher Little, Brown, and Company. Frustratingly for fans of the author, it took Tartt almost 11 years to complete  The Goldfinch , but it became one of the most anticipated books of 2013, and it quickly became a best seller. Interestingly, although most Pulitzer Prize winning novels only become best sellers after they win the illustrious award,  The Goldfinch  was the oppositeit enjoyed a great critical and audience reception long before it was nominated for the Pulitzer. In a common pattern for Tartt,  The Goldfinch  is a long book, finishing at over 700 pages. The simple dust jacket design features the image of a painting of a goldfinch peeking through ripped paper. Later editions of the book will surely update the dust jacket to indicate its win of the Pulitzer Prize. Tartt is a quiet and very private writer, so signed, first edition copies of  The Goldfinch  are rare and will only continue to skyrocket in value. Further, if Tartt continues to write and publish such excellent and well-received novels, the overall value of her entire repertoire of novels will rise as well. Since  The Goldfinch  is such a large and thus heavy book, collectors wishing to maintain the highest quality will want to be especially careful not to bend or place any undue pressure on the spine.

Read More: Identifying first editions of The Goldfinch

Reviews

On Dec 10 2018, a reader said:
Award-winning American author, Donna Tartt begins her third novel with her twenty-seven-year-old protagonist, Theo Decker, in December, hiding out in an Amsterdam hotel room, reflecting on his life, while scanning newspapers for any available information about a recent murder. Over the next seven hundred plus pages, these in-depth reflections form a meticulously detailed account of the Theo's life, beginning with the circumstances, when he was just thirteen, of his mother's death, an event of which he says: "Things would have turned out better if she had lived." It was then that he acquired the eponymous Goldfinch, the single remaining painting by 17th century Dutch Master, Carel Fabritius.

The ride that Tartt takes the reader on starts with Theo a virtual orphan in pseudo-foster care, then in the care of his negligent father, consuming copious quantities of drugs and alcohol. When fifteen-year-old Theo looks in the mirror, he notes his resemblance to his (safe-to-say) despised father, Larry, and when Larry's girlfriend Xandra flings at him "You and your dad are a whole lot more alike than you might think. You're his kid, through and through", his denial is vehement. It becomes apparent from his later behaviour (drugs, alcohol, betrayal of good friends, criminal dishonesty) that she was indeed perceptive.

Readers familiar with Australian author Steve Toltz's epic debut novel, A Fraction of the Whole (2008) may notice similarities, both in the length (somewhat daunting), the careless parenting, the roller-coaster life, and the black humour (in lesser quantity), although Tartt's work is much less far-fetched. She certainly achieves a vivid portrayal of a thirteen-year-old boy's grief at the loss of his mother.

Tartt has a talent for character description: "I found myself blinking up in the late afternoon glare at a very tall, very very tanned, very thin man, of indeterminate age. He looked partly like a rodeo guy and partly like a fucked-up lounge entertainer. His gold-rimmed aviators were tinted purple at the top; he was wearing a white sports jacket over a red cowboy shirt with pearl snaps and black jeans, but the main thing I noticed was his hair: part toupee, part transplanted or sprayed-on, with a texture like fibreglass insulation and a dark brown color like shoe polish in the tin." A good literary read that would have benefited from some judicious editing.

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Details

Bookseller
Better World Books Ltd GB (GB)
Bookseller's Inventory #
GRP78348186
Title
The Goldfinch
Author
Tartt, Donna
Book Condition
Used - Good
Quantity Available
20
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0349139636
ISBN 13
9780349139630
Publisher
Abacus Books, Incorporated
Place of Publication
London
This edition first published
2014

Terms of Sale

Better World Books Ltd

30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping cost for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Please keep in mind that because we deal mostly in used books, any extra components, such as CDs or access codes, are usually not included. CDs: If the book does include a CD, it will be noted in the book's description ("With CD!"). Otherwise, there is no CD included, even if the term is used in the book's title. Access Codes: Unless the book is described as "New," please assume that the book does *not* have an access code.

About the Seller

Better World Books Ltd

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2009
Dunfermline, Fife

About Better World Books Ltd

Better World Books generates funding for literacy charities through the sales of second-hand books. Our current partner charities in the UK are READ International, the National Literacy Trust, Room to Read. (Registered Charities no. 1128534, no. 1116260 and no. 1125803 and the National Adult Literacy Agency. Much of our stock is ex-library due to our close relationships with UK libraries. We offer a service that helps them keep their unwanted books out of landfill. All ex-library books will be marked as such in their individual listings. 99% of orders are dispatched within 24 hours and we offer a 100% money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied.

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