This list of books like the secret history is sponsored by flatiron books and m. The commercial success of the secret history led to the publication of a slew of novels featuring similar elements. The secret historyintroduction wikisource, the free. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to the secret history of costaguana. Start typing the title or the author of a book you like, and click on the link underneath which matches best. The secret garden, novel for children written by american author frances hodgson burnett and published in book form in 1911. The secret history is the first novel by donna tartt, published by alfred a. I used to be a huge reader, but then i started college. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite new england college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the. Donna tartt won the 2014 pulitzer prize for her most recent novel. Nothing on the shelf has quite prepared the reader. Tartts title is a cracker, not least because it is true to the appeal of the book.
The novels first scene is that of a group of friends, including nineteenyearold narrator richard papen, driving back to hampden college after murdering a friend and. This one might seem obvious, but if you like tartts writing, why would you not try some more. Sadly, by its nature, the secret history isnt the kind of book thats. Goodreads members who liked the secret history of the worl. Since its release, the secret history has always been something special. Feb 03, 2011 nothing on the shelf has quite prepared the reader of my secret history. It was donna tartts the secret history, and i hated it. The secret element of the book is interesting as a lot of the mystery schools are veiled in secrecy.
In the secret film and her book of the same name, both released in 2006, rhonda byrne presents teachers alive today who impart this special wisdom that has been known by so few. Today im discussing ten books that bear at least some resemblance to donna tartts wellloved book, the secret history. Here are 8 books like the secret history, filled with dark secrets, elite schools, loyal friends, and murder. The secret history was published in 1992 and became an instant best seller. Feb 05, 2016 in which amanda asks for your help in understanding the secret history. It is the urtext of what i now consider to be my favorite genre namely, wealthy students at elite colleges exploring sex.
You might like his works outside of american psycho, theres a. I wound up rambling a bit in this post, so i put a tldr at the bottom. Linguistically, it provides the richest source of preclassical mongolian and middle mongolian. My dad loaned his copy to me a year ago because i was taking classics, and it sat untouched on my nightstand until i came to my decision to read more a few weeks ago. Truly deserving of the accolade a modern classic, donna tartts novel is a remarkable achievementboth compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful. They include some of the worlds leaders in the fields of business, economics, medicine, psychology, history, theology, and science. You might like his works outside of american psycho, theres a similar vibe. Donna tartt, winner of the 2014 pulitzer prize for her most recent novel, the goldfinch, established herself as a major talent with the secret history, which has become a contemporary classic. Six students in their first year at oxford university quickly become best friends and begin to play a game of dare or consequences, which starts off as harmless fun but escalates until one of them is dead. The secret the book that changed the world, by rhonda byrne. It was also recommended by people who know my taste as well as those who dont, seemingly by the world of book lovers itself, by some of my most literary and wellread friends, by my mother. All the characters in this book have their strengths and weaknesses and all of them have played a role in the development of the story. If several similar results are shown, click the highest one. Goodreads members who liked the secret history also liked.
Jan 11, 2008 i had a flirtation with the secret history before i ever read it. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. In which amanda asks for your help in understanding the secret history. What happened when i followed the secrets advice for two. He felt there was a moral need for an organization that practiced brotherly love. More than twenty years after its release, donna tartts the secret history continues to bewitch readers with the tale of a group of decadent classics students at an elite vermont college in the 1980s and for good reason. Like its narrator, richard, who longs to be a part. Back for an exciting third season, america s book of secrets goes deeper, farther and wider than ever in its unceasing effort to bring viewers the truth behind today s most shocking headlines. Use the alphabetical lists below to look up a favorite book or author and then click see readalikes to discover similar books. Imagine the plot of dostoyevskys crime and punishment crossed with.
Like its narrator, richard, who longs to be a part of the secretive group. Find books like the secret history of the world from the worlds largest community of readers. Id seen all the press that the book and its enigmatic author received and knew that this was the one for me. How best to describe donna tartts enthralling first novel. Strangely, the act of transforming oneself is very personal and introspective something the esoteric schools encourage above all else, to know thyself a very discouraged ambition at many points in history. The six main characters are richard papen, a california native who wishes. The writings of procopius are the primary source of information for the rule of the emperor justinian i. Ive nearly finished my third read of donna tartts the secret history. The pastoral story of selfhealing through nature and companionship became a classic of childrens literature and is considered to be among burnetts best work. Sep 04, 1992 the secret history by donna tartt 524 pages. To see the complete list of this books readalikes, you need to be a member.
The secret history is regarded as the single most significant native mongolian account of genghis khan. More when the van door slammed on offreds future at the end of the handmaids tale, readers had. The secret history is a wonderfully beguiling book, a journey backward to the fierce and heady friendships of our school days, when all of us believed in our power to conjure up divinity and to be forgiven any sin. Here you can find handpicked readalike recommendations for more than 4000 contemporary books and 3000 authors. Donna tartts secret history is the book i always recommed. If you like the secret history you might like similar books never let me go, a little life, the little friend, a visit from the goon squad, the blind assassin. Despite its campy feel, the order has secret societies, magical. We, like richard, are being given membership of a select group. The secret history 25th anniversary edition under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite new england college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries.
The brat pack meets the bacchae in this precious, waytoolong, and utterly unsuspenseful townandgown murder tale. Written with a rare intensity of both intelligence and feeling. Set in new england, it tells the story of a closely knit group of six classics students at hampden college, a small, elite vermont college based upon bennington college, where tartt was a student between 1982 and 1986. She was born in greenwood, mississippi, and is a graduate of bennington college. The secret history by donna tartt book club discussion. Like its narrator, richard, who longs to be a part of the secretive group, readers are enraptured by the seductive delights of tartts prose. Richard is weakly accepted into the group but it isnt until he discovers a terrible secret about the others that he is finally absorbed into the group. I just finished the secret history by donna tartt last night and i can safely say that it is now my favorite book. Strangely, the act of transforming oneself is very personal and introspective something the esoteric schools encourage above all else, to know thyself a very. The goldfinch her novelsl the secret history and the little friend were also international bestsellers. Books to read if you loved the goldfinch penguin random house. The secret is that during a reenactment of a greek bacchanal the others have got so terribly drunk and drugged that during wild hallucinations they have accidentally murdered a local farmer on. I bought it after i had read bret easton ellis complete works, and funnily enough, my edition of the secret history has a note by donna tartt dedicating the book to him. Adam smith the secret history who is the strongest person in the novel, thats a good question.
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite new england college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum. The secret history is my personal platonic ideal of what a novel should be, and since i first read it back in the heady days of junior high, i have spent my entire reading life attempting to find similar versions of it. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite new england. It was written for the mongol royal family some time after the 1227 death of genghis khan also known as temujin.
Parent saunters into the book aged fifteen, shouldering a. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite new england college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. The secret history, donna tartts highly publicized first novel, is a most unusual murder mystery, since the primary murder and its perpetrators are identified on the first page. However, in this particular library of books like were going to look at. Id like a book where the mc is sorely tempted, perhaps comes close to. I, like most people, cant seem to just watch one episode of television anymore. Set in new england, it tells the story of a closely knit group of six classics students at hampden college, a small, elite vermont college based upon bennington college, where tartt was a student between 1982 and 1986 the secret history is an inverted detective story narrated by one of the students. Now for the first time in history, all the pieces of the secret come together in a revelation that is life transforming for all who experience it.
The secret history by donna tartt is an intricate glimpse into the lives of six students at hampden college in vermont and the impressions of one of those students who arrives midway through the relationships of the others. This book was published in 1992, but harks back to a time more reminiscent of the early 1900s in style. Procopius was the author of a history in eight books on the wars prosecuted by justinian, a panegyric on the emperors public works projects throughout the empire, and a book known as the secret history that claims to report the scandals that procopius could not include in his officially. Find books like the secret history from the worlds largest community of readers. It is the urtext of what i now consider to be my favorite genre. Books similar to the secret history by donna tartt. If you liked the secret history by donna tartt i make no secret of the fact that i absolutely adored this book. Are there any other books, or films or television shows for that matter, that are like the secret history. The secret history of procopius is a strange companion for the histories and the buildings by the same author. Mar 07, 2016 the knights of pythias was founded by justus h. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
The secret history of the mongols traditional mongolian. Special topics in calamity physics by marisha pessl and the basic eight by daniel handler are just two among their number, and theyre often mentioned in the same breath as tartts masterpiece. However, in this particular library of books like were going to look at fiction which aligns closely with the secret history without being part. I usually had no idea what the characters were referring to, haha. Im in a tough major, and for the past three years ive been letting my neuroticism prevent me from doing things that help me relax. The story of the three wars against the persians, the vandals and the goths had almost been completed when the author, in seeming disgust, decided to regale a safely removed future age with the backstage gossip that had been current while justinian and theodora had been. Donna tartt wrestles with a very similar scenario in her unconventional novel the secret history, a murder mystery in reverse which like hitchcocks film starts with the crime, and then tantalizes the audience not with who done it but rather the more unsettling question of why. Dec 17, 2017 the commercial success of the secret history led to the publication of a slew of novels featuring similar elements. The best parts of the book occur after the second murder, when. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Nov 05, 20 in the 20 years since the publication of donna tartts the secret history, following the obsessive, incestuous friendship of a small group of classics students at an elite new england college, the book has attracted a cultlike following of its own.
The testaments margaret atwood becoming michelle obama the starless sea erin morgenstern girl, stop apologizing rachel hollis educated tara westover. A remarkably powerful novel and a ferociously wllpaced entertainment. I had a flirtation with the secret history before i ever read it. A bunch of eversomandarin college kids in a small vermont school are the eager epigones of an aloof classics professor, and in their exclusivity and snobbishness and eagerness to please their teacher, they are moved to try to enact dionysian frenzies in the woods.
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