A few months ago, it seemed like everyone was talking about The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. The description of the book sounded intriguing, so I put the e-book on hold at my library. The wait was long, and I finally got the book. However, I didn’t realize that it’s 771 pages long. I had two weeks to read it. Could I really finish it in only fourteen days?
I’m a fast reader and I don’t mind reading long books. Last summer, I reread The Lord of the Rings, which is well over a thousand pages, just for fun. However, reading a book that is familiar is easier than reading new material. Plus, I tend to read for enjoyment and am more of a literal reader. I don’t look for deeper meanings as I read. You might say I’m shallow.
I had one thing in my favor. It was the beginning of summer, and so I had more time to read than usual. I had a disadvantage, though…the book wasn’t catching my attention. I thought it would be more about the art world that it was. It was more about a 13 year old boy learning how to do drugs and build a lifetime of dependency on lying. I kept thinking as I read, “If only his mother were still alive!”
And perhaps that was the point of the whole book. I honestly don’t remember the flurry of words that happened at the end. But I do know that I was disappointed in the book as a whole. What kept me going was a determination to finish it before the library took it back. When an e-book is due, it disappears from my e-reader, and if I lost The Goldfinch, I was not going to check it out again. I was still desperately trying to finish the book on the day it was due. Somehow, I made it to page 771 and breathed a sigh of relief.
After finishing conquering The Goldfinch, I needed some light reading. My next book was Avenging Angel, by Nevada Barr. This book was familiar territory for me. I hadn’t read it before, but I’m a big Nevada Barr fan and have read most of her books.
There wasn’t much need to “conquer” Avenging Angel. I read it in two days! Good guys get the bad guys. Now that’s my kind of book.
Just this week, I was rewarded for my diligence. On the TV show The Good Wife, Alicia’s mother mentions The Goldfinch when she tries to change the conversation! I was like, “Hey! I read that!” as I watched the show.
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