The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I had two over- 500 page novels reserved at the library here in Panama City Beach.  The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, a novel which won both the Man Booker and the Governor- General's Fiction award, was the first one I received, and I read 189 pages of that before I asked myself if I was really interested enough to continue; the answer was "no", so back it went to the library.

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, was the second one, with 770 pages of reading. I've read both of Tartt's previous novels and enjoyed them, so I was quite anxious to get started on This one, which took her nine years to write. Well, I did read it to its completion, although I found my interest flagging often, and ended up skimming the last 100 pages. There is some wonderful writing in here, and Tartt can sustain a novel of this length, unlike Catton, who is only a few years older than the publication date of the novel!

I don't consider my time wasted with either of these novels, but I am more than ready to read something a bit crisper and less Dickensian.

The question continues in many readers' minds as to whether it's a better read when it's a "real" book as opposed to an e-book. I did find these very heavy and awkward to hold, especially The Luminaries.

However, I am glad I didn't purchase either one of these two!