animals, life, nature, photography

Excerpts from this book: A Secret History

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photo by Sylvia

“…there were flowers everywhere, roses and carnations and anemones, on his desk, on the table, in the windowsills. The roses were especially fragrant; their smell hung rich and heavy in the air…Breathing deep, I felt intoxicated. Everywhere I looked was something beautiful—Oriental rugs, porcelains, tiny paintings like jewels—a dazzle of fractured color that struck me as if I had stepped into one of those Byzantine churches…”

photo by Sylvia

“Death is the mother of beauty,” said Henry.

“And what is beauty?”

“Terror.”

photo by Sylvia

“One likes to think, there’s something in it, that old platitude amor vincit omnia. But if I’ve learned one thing, in my short sad life, it is that that particular platitude is a lie. Love doesn’t conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does, is a fool.”


All excerpts from the book, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, 1992

photo by Sylvia

34 thoughts on “Excerpts from this book: A Secret History”

    1. His coloring is so unique, he’s actually a barn cat—one, of over a dozen nearly feral cats at a large horse barn. Of all the cats, this is the only one of the group that socializes with people.

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  8. Every single part of this post is wonderful. That cat is a beauty!!

    Donna Tartt is on my list of writers to discover. These exerpts sure entice me all the more.

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      2. Well, I’ve read comments from folks who haven’t liked the book or the movie (which I’ve never seen), but I can tell you that The Goldfinch is in my top 10 books of all time. It’s one of the few books that after having read it for the very first time, I finished it and started it again immediately (and it’s not a small book, as you know). I hope you enjoy it.

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      3. I’ve read comments of all sorts too – from love to loathe (didn’t even realise there was a movie!) and I figure I’ll decide on my own and take your word for it 🙂

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      4. Well you know, after reading Middlemarch last year (at the same time that a favorite author/artist of mine was reading it) it brought me up short because he really disliked it. A lot of folks were chiming in about how much they disliked it on his substack. So it’s interesting what we like and don’t like and why, isn’t it? I did end up liking Middlemarch a great deal. And Donna Tartt is not similar to George Elliot, but I do love Donna Tartt’s writing. Yes, it’s wordy…but the words are lovely. That’s what I think, anyway. There are many books that are highly regarded (or just popular) that I either really disliked or literally couldn’t get through (Infinite Jest, The Waves, Bitter Orange, Harry Potter…)

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      5. I have that brick in my bookcase. Haven’t attempted it yet, but I will.
        It is very interesting to see how tastes differ.
        Bitter Orange was a somewhat frustrating book. Claire Fuller was a Friday Fictioneer so I have read every book she has written. Her style is not the happily ever after type…
        I will definitely be giving Donna Tartt a try!

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      6. I thought the writing in Bitter Orange was beautiful but I really disliked the human characters. I tried to get through it because of the writing and because the house, as a character was interesting to me, but I just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t finish it.

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  9. Not familiar with Donna Tartt, Sylvia. So I looked up a summary of The Secret History. Interesting. Enjoyed your photos as always, especially the cat. I take lots of cat photos in my wandering.

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  11. All things pretty. I’m supposing kitty was checking you out, wondering who’s the visitor?😺😺😺

    WP finally got around to notify me of your new post. A few days late. Hope you and your family are well. Also, I finally read your About page. I find that all interesting, as a first-generation American, your parents emigrating from Spain. A family member did some genealogy research a number of years ago and said my great-great grandparents came from Portugal, landed in Corpus Christi. My grandparents, mom side, are from Greece, landing in Charleston, SC. We’ve inherited everything Greek. From our dad’s side, it’s part Japanese, the part Portugal ancestry.

    Glad to see you here too.

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