Narrator Hand Picked By Tartt- Outstanding!

I was fortunate enough to attend a recent Guardian Book Club where Donna Tartt was talking about her first novel, The Secret History. I was even more fortunate enough to personally ask her about her books being made into audiobooks (she has narrated both her previous novels)

I was curious to find out how she felt about David Pittu's narration of her third novel, particularly as she has always been totally against her novels being made into movies because she doesn't like the thought of her character's voices being interpreted by a director or actor.

Her response to my question was fascinating to me as I've always wondered whether authors have much of an input into their novels being made into audiobooks. She said that she had wanted to narrate The Goldfinch herself but didn't have the time in her schedule, so instead she listened to many audition tapes and eventually chose Pittu because she liked the way he read the very strange,but somehow loveable, Boris.

She then spent many hours with David Pittu on the telephone and described to him all of the voices and how each character should sound. I love that she did this, I am fascinated that each character has the voice she intended for them, this 'schooling' of the narrator really has paid off.

She said that she hadn't yet listened to the finished audiobook but hoped that it was good, she asked me if I enjoyed it, to which I replied it is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. And it really is truly the best audiobook I've ever listened to, as good as if not better than some of my favorites- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Under The Dome, The Help, NOS4R2, the Name Of The Wind. I wonder if the authors of these novels had the same kind of input to the audio versions of their novels as The Goldfinch has had.

It is truly a work of art and will stay with me forever. My advice- don't read too many reviews, the less you know the better, just listen to this book and let it take you a place only the most special of authors and narrators can help you journey to.

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225 people found this helpful

Began so well and then deteriorated

The first few hours of the recording promised an engaging story with well-drawn characters, however it went downhill after that. Theo Decker, the teller of the story, is a 13 year year old who loses his mother under traumatic circumstances when a bomb goes off at a museum they are visiting. He survives and encouraged by another victim grabs a priceless painting that shapes the rest of the book as we follow him into adulthood. The book begins to flag when he goes to Las Vegas with his estranged father and teams up with Boris: a Russian delinquent who introduces him to bad ways. Endless descriptions of the two of them getting wasted on drink and drugs was frankly boring. The book improves briefly as Theo returns to New York and re-unites with Holbie a furniture-restorer, he met shortly after the accident. My heart-sank when Boris returns to the narrative and had to endure more tedious descriptions of being drunk and the effects of various drugs. There’s a good story buried under all this self-destructive wallowing. The end of the book is even worse: long monologues of pop-psychology about the meaning of life from Boris that might have worked as satire, but I think it was meant to be taken seriously.

It’s as if the author had several books in mind: a boy’s coming-of-age story; a US version of Train-spoting; a crime novel; a guide to furniture restoring techniques; art appreciation; a crime story and a handbook of how to make the best of your life. If only there had been a ruthless editor to get rid of all the waffle and navel-gazing this might have been a really good book.

The narrator is excellent.

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49 people found this helpful

Like watching a runaway train....

Loved this book. Not my typical genre, but selected by my bookclub....but while they might all be reading it, I opted for the audio version! Brilliant.

On paper, the story plot itself appears quite straightforward, and in the interests of avoiding spoilers, I won't elaborate. However, it's the characters and their emotions that bring this book to life. Watching Theo, and the tragedy of his life unfold, exacerbated by some of the decisions he makes....it's like watching a runaway train gathering momentum, and there's nothing you can do to stop it as it surely rushes towards a disastrous end.

The characters are all richly developed, and the plot seamless.

A hugely satisfying book, in every way. I didn't want this book to end ......I needed to know about the next 20+ years of all their lives....

The narration is excellent, with wonderfully distinct and appropriate voices for the characters.

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34 people found this helpful

Great premise destroyed by pages and pages of bloat

This book is very well written so there is no doubt about the writers capabilities.
Unfortunately I feel that the story dragged on for so long on unimportant events and episodes which haven't added any real value to the story, I simply lost interest in Theo and the painting.
Also, Theo as a grown man, is not a very likable protagonist, he has lost his moral compass, has a weak character and his drug addiction problem is to me an overkill. Theo’s lifelong love for Pippa, with which he does nothing about, becomes frustrating with time and I wish the writer would have either given it a rest or moved forward with it. There were times when I wanted to shake Theo out of his pitiful, numb existence and tell him to wake up and stop feeling so damn sorry for himself.

What started off as a great story, progressed to be more and more tedious as the book went on. The whole episode in Amsterdam, was so overdone and out of character, by the time I reached the ending, I couldn’t wait for this damn book to finish.

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26 people found this helpful

Doesn't live up to the hype

Too long.
Long passages (mostly relating to drug and alcohol excess) that were dull and unnecessary.
Finishes with a homily informing us what it's all about, but it just didn't work for me.
Nothing wrong with the narration.

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23 people found this helpful

Wonderful Art-ful Coming of Age Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended this audiobook to several people. It is so absorbing, well-written and deliciously long!

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the characters - especially Theo, the protagonist, with his inner turmoil and sense of duty alongside his desire for desire; and Borys, the kind of friend who is great to have yet always brings some kind of trouble in his wake. The plot is full of surprises and, despite gradually entering the realm of thriller, or crime novel, never becomes unbelievable, mostly due to the depth and authenticity of Theo's reactions, and the richness of his inner life in response to his world.

What about David Pittu’s performance did you like?

David Pittu gave a standout performance. I especially loved the way he brought Borys to life, the Eastern European/Russian accent was perfect to my ears. All the characters were so well voiced. He really fleshed out the story and his pacing is impeccable.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh and cry. It also made me think a lot. I loved the way Theo thought about life and his thoughts allowed me to explore a lot of my own ideas.

Any additional comments?

There was a special pleasure for me in the ideas about art, about how 'great' art should belong to everyone, and the effect that art can have on people's way of thinking and acting. I also thought the novel was realistic in its portrayal of alcoholism and drug use. For many people addiction is not a totally crippling illness that destroys their lives, as it is usually described, but rather an important part of their life that they manage to control enough to have relationships and work, although their addiction does colour who they are and the choices they make.

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22 people found this helpful

Masterpiece. 32 hrs 23 mins. Not a second too long

Any additional comments?

Donna Tartt is an astounding storyteller. She writes in such an understated way; no histrionics, no superfluous words and always allows the reader to feel what they want to feel without having been obviously led to that emotion.

This was part thriller, romance, mystery, gangland, family and a historical art book. What I was left with was the profound philosophy of Hobie, Boris and Theo. All so different but all wonderfully succinct.

The narrator was astonishingly good. There was not one jarring moment when any accent grated on the ear. He "sensed" Theo's state of angst so convincingly I was moved to tears on occasions and I gasped in fear, willing the main character to listen to his inner good sense.

If Donna Tartt waits another eleven years before publishing a book - that is fine by me. I am sure it will be worth my patience.

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20 people found this helpful

Best book I've listened to this year

This book was wonderful, both the story and the narration. It has spoiled me for anything else and I mourn its finishing. I might just start listening to it from the beginning again!

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17 people found this helpful

Devastating story, remarkably read.

If you could sum up The Goldfinch in three words, what would they be?

Involving, compulsive, moving

What did you like best about this story?

Ms Tartt's total immersion in the life of a young boy learning to fend for himself in a world that is both randomly cruel and kind is a tour de force; following young Theo through the vicissitudes of his bereavement and subsequent loneliness is utterly compelling. His friendships with the bad-boy Boris, and the saintly Hobie have an immediacy that is true and heart-felt, and Tartt's perfectly honed ear for the distinctive levels of societies from high New York through seedy Las Vegas and the bad-lands of gangsterdom are extraordinary. Fabritsius and his golden painting are now super-stars in their own rights.

Giving each of the many characters a life of their own, David Pittu has a myriad of voices and a sympathy with Theo that makes the whole story shine; of all the many narrators that I have listened to over the years, Mr Pittu ranks as one of the very best.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Not the most enjoyable of the scenes in the book, of course, but the horrific bombing of the museum and the subsequent chaos that Theo has to confront, sitting with a dying man while trying to understand what could have happened to him and to his mother, will be unforgettable to any that listen. His confusion, his bewilderment and his innate compassion for the old gentleman is painted in masterly strokes.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

'Broken Chains - the Goldfinch that flew.'

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17 people found this helpful

Not worth the wait

Donna Tartt writes one book every ten years. Her previous “highly acclaimed novel was very disappointing and I thought I would give her one more chance. This one is definitely better. A young boy (Theo Decker) has his life changed forever when a cataclysmic event kills his mother and throws him onto the path of a dying man who steers his life into a new direction.

He staggers from one crisis to another, trying to find or avoid family connections. He encounters every facet of American society, from the very wealthy to utterly desolate. Theo has an incomprehensible and very irritating habit of being startled into silence whenever the plot needs him not to make a very simple explanation. There are twists and turns and many, very deep introspections, including a vast retelling of a drug-induced sequence which is just tedious.

Tartt tells a good story, but tells it too long. She cannot see the world from a male point of view, and she really does not try very hard. But she does give is two absolutely brilliant characters: Hobie, the most generous and gentle soul; and Boris – a friendly but dangerous friend. She makes Boris the narrator for much of the second half of the book. Although he has broken English she still manages to place phrases such as “cultural patrimony” in his mouth. I think the inconsistence of the characters she draws and the words they say (and the thoughts they think) ultimately sink the story.

The finale is a tedious stretch of moralising lifted from the Disney Corporation. Written in the current American style (lots of talking, little depth, even less description) it is like watching a talk show. Fortunately there will be another 9 years before I may be tempted into trying another Tartt offering.

The narrator is absolutely brilliant – his accents (except for the Dutch) are brilliant and consistent. I guess it is a tall order to find someone who is good at Russian and Dutch.

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15 people found this helpful