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  • The Goldfinch

  • Written by: Donna Tartt
  • Narrated by: David Pittu
  • Length: 32 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (975 ratings)

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The Goldfinch

Written by: Donna Tartt
Narrated by: David Pittu
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Publisher's Summary

Audie Award Winner, Solo Narration - Male, 2014

Audie Award Winner, Literary Fiction, 2014

The author of the classic best-sellers The Secret History and The Little Friend returns with a brilliant, highly anticipated new novel.

Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling force and acuity.

It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and at the center of a narrowing, ever-more-dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is a beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

©2013 Donna Tartt (P)2013 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

Narrator David Pittu accepts the task of turning this immense volume into an excellent listening experience. Pittu portrays 13-year-old orphan Theo Decker with compassion, portraying his growing maturity in this story of grief and suspense…Pittu adds pathos to his depiction of the troubled Theo as he deals with addiction and finds himself in a dance with gangsters and the art world's darker dealers. ( AudioFile)
"Dazzling....[A] glorious, Dickensian novel, a novel that pulls together all Ms. Tartt's remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading." ( New York Times)
"A long-awaited, elegant meditation on love, memory, and the haunting power of art....Eloquent and assured, with memorable characters....A standout-and well-worth the wait." ( Kirkus, Starred Review)

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What listeners say about The Goldfinch

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic way to fully absorb this book

David Pittu should win some kind of award for his performance in this book. Every accent, every person he portrayed was executed to perfection.

Boris, Amazing. Xandra, hilariously accurate. Hobie, perfection.... But Theo.... Theo was obviously the best.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Excessive overthinking.

Poor Theo with all his street smarts he just didn’t seem to get it later on in life and makes all kinds of mistakes always questioning always wondering. In the end he has wonderful words, but nothing to show for it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Terrific

This was a great story from start to finish. I cannot wait for the film.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolute Perfection

This is one of the best books, if not the best book, I have heard. The narrator is beyond amazing and brought the book to life. I couldn't get enough of the book (dont let the length scare you) and didnt want it to end. The story is compelling, timely and a wonderful commentary on the human experience. I would recommend this book 100%

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinarily luminous

Not much to say, really; everything stands between the two words of the title of my review.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed first half

Arduous at times. Glossed over some important parts, painful expansion on others. Loved characters & narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

EXCELLENT LISTEN!

I thought the narration was excellent! In fact, I think it MADE the book. The book was good, enjoyable, but the reader made it wonderful! I loved this book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good story but patience required.

This is not a quick listen. Patience is needed and you must not be in a hurry to unwind the story. There are moments where I had to fast forward to keep my interest. A brilliant story but sometimes felt the author was lost in the details rather then the story itself.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Good. Worth listening to,but not Pulizer material

Narration was excellent. The characterizations sound a bit cartoonish at first, but D.Pittu does accents and narrative tone well, and makes the characters immediatly distinct from each other, reducing the amount of attention it takes to listen.

The story was engaging, and easy to follow. The characters are two dimensional, uncomplicated, predictable. The story is about as complex and nuanced as you would expect in an advanced YA novel. It is a good entertainment, nothing more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my forever favourites

I loved this so much I listened to it twice back to back. The narration is incredible. The story is heart wrenching but wonderful. I had to listen to the very end a couple times to really absorb the depth of what the author was saying. I love this book and it will forever be a favourite.

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1 person found this helpful