well. that was certainly just as good as I'd been led to believe! really an incredible piece of prose.

it felt somewhat slow-starting, but even so I enjoyed just being around the characters - not that I liked them, more so that they were so vivid, and they intrigued me in an almost anthropological way. do people like this really exist? yes. I think I've met them before, actually. the more mundane aspects Tartt shows here reflect quite a lot of what I've seen in my meanders into the upper-class world, at least.

the plot was smooth, even in its absurdities it all felt like a natural progression of events, which really was what made me want to keep picking it up despite its enormity and tendency to tangent into bits and pieces of related-but-unrelated scenes and reflections. I think that's what made the characters feel alive, though; Tartt's ability to recreate the patterns and connections the subconscious makes, and place them perfectly in between and into the scenes of action is really commendable.

yeah. good book. they're not lying!