However, being the mother of two girls who literally brightened after I swapped out their paltry breakfast cereal for sweet red quinoa, I blame Theo Decker’s character flaws on sub-par nutrition.

Now, I’m no art historian but when it comes to safeguarding the posterity of such a masterpiece, personally, I’d trust the Metropolitan over Duane Reade, but that’s just Michelle Obama.Īlong his journey towards adulthood, Theo loses other people who are close to him, and thus his ineptitude in art conservation could be blamed on grief. Rather than return the painting to the museum, Theo decides to hold on to it for decades … in a drug store plastic bag. (No I didn’t! This info’s on the dust jacket.) Before escaping the building, Theo makes off with a priceless piece of art - “The Goldfinch,” an oil painting by the underproductive (and therefore very valued) Dutch artist Carel Fabritius. To recap: The Goldfinch tells the story of a certain Theo Decker who loses his beloved mother in an explosion in the Metropolitan Museum when he’s just thirteen years old. I could have done with two hundred fewer pages dedicated to the rampant drug abuse and dietary deficiencies of two teenaged boys.

Between our new dog showing an affinity for toddler tackling and the fact that the Affordable Care act is only affordable if you have seventeen days to spend online, it’s been a stressful year. But as for The Goldfinch … I just - listen. Normally, that kind of anticipation comes with a major pay-off, such as the delivery of a tautly wrought, impossible-to-put-down book like The Secret History. Of course, waiting is part of the game when it comes to Donna Tartt: she writes a book a decade. Although I have an affinity for labored storytelling (have you heard my husband answer a question in a debate?), I have to admit that Donna Tartt’s latest took a loooong time to get good.

The goldfinch book online