The Secret History

A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return.

ISBN 0140167773   Pages 640 ISBN13 9780140167771 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 435 Publisher Penguin Books Ltd   Published in London Imprint Penguin Books Ltd   Previous ISBN 9780141013053 Format Paperback   Height (mm) 198 Publication date 01 Jul 1993   Width (mm) 129 DEWEY 813.54   Spine width (mm) 27 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level General

"The Secret History succeeds magnificently. . . . A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment. . . . Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled." "--The New York Times" "An accomplished psychological thriller. . . . Absolutely chilling. . . . Tartt has a stunning command of the lyrical." --"The Village Voice ""Beautifully written, suspenseful from start to finish." --"Vogue ""A haunting, compelling, and brilliant piece of fiction. . . . Packed with literary allusion and told with a sophistication and texture that owes much more to the nineteenth century than to the twentieth." --"The Times" (London) "Her writing bewitches us. . . . 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." --"The Philadephia Inquirer ""Enthralling. . . . A remarkably powerful novel.

This has got to be the best book I have ever read. It is brilliantly written with great observations & you really feel like you know the characters from early on. It is very atmospheric, you just want to keep reading. Suffice to say, I must have bought it for at least ten friends & have read it three times! - Lucy Porteous

No other novel has thrilled me and captured my attention like this one did. A superb plot, beautifully drawn (if unlikely) characters, a poetic style throughout and absolutely gripping until the end. Deftly crafted as well considering the main act of the novel is revealed at the start. I believe a classic for years to come, and easily one of the greatest of the last century in the vein almost of traditional Victorian novels in its style. No other novel has compared to the impact and resonance that this one had on me, and for that reason, it must be my favourite book of all time. - James Cullen

One of those books which I really didn't want to end. Definitely a modern classic. - Alison Littlewood



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