Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown and Company.Welcome to the third installment of R29 Book Club, helmed by me, your historical-fiction-loving Washington D.C. editor. I've chosen The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, a hefty work that deals with all sorts of equally hefty issues: grief, art, crime, drugs, familial love (and the lack thereof), and the impact all of those things have on a growing boy.
For the uninitiated, Tartt has something of a cult following: She's notoriously press-shy and reclusive. Her first book, The Secret History, was a massive hit, but she didn't publish another one for 10 years. (The Little Friend which was also a runaway success.) Fast-forward another decade and we now have The Goldfinch, a heartbreaking saga that follows our young protagonist, Theo Decker, through what could easily pass for the worst young adulthood, ever. I'm a newcomer to Tartt, but her luminous, evocative prose has made her my new favorite writer.
So, if my ringing endorsement has sold you on the tome — trust me, even at 700+ pages, it's a fast read — I'd love for you to join me for this month's book club. Your to-do list: Grab a copy of the book, read along with us, and come back next Friday, March 14, for a chat about Part I (through page 206). Be sure to tweet your thoughts to @Refinery29, with #R29bookclub, as you read. On Friday, March 21, we'll go over roughly half of Part II of the book — chapters five through nine. Then on Friday, March 28, we'll finish the entire book (chapter 10 onward), with a discussion. Happy reading!