The GoldfinchThe Goldfinch
Score Modern
What it's about
Thirteen-year-old Theo Decker is visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his mother when a bomb goes off. His mother is killed. In the chaos, Theo takes a small Dutch masterpiece, The Goldfinch, and carries it with him as his life comes apart: from a wealthy Park Avenue family to his absent father in Las Vegas, where he meets Boris, a wild Ukrainian boy who becomes his best friend, and finally into the art underworld.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize, was a #1 New York Times bestseller, and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books. It's a huge, absorbing novel about grief and beauty.
You'll love it if you liked
The Secret History
A Little Life
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayGood to know
It's nearly 800 pages, and the Las Vegas section is long. It includes heavy drug and alcohol use.
By the numbers
- Readers38 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller86 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz2 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #40 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #179 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #360 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Donna Tartt
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Quick answers
Is The Goldfinch worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize, was a #1 New York Times bestseller, and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books. It ranks #360 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Goldfinch about?
Thirteen-year-old Theo Decker is visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his mother when a bomb goes off. His mother is killed. In the chaos, Theo takes a small Dutch masterpiece, The Goldfinch, and carries it with him as his life comes apart: from a wealthy Park Avenue family to his absent father in Las Vegas, where he meets Boris, a wild Ukrainian boy who becomes his best friend, and finally into the art underworld.
How long does it take to read The Goldfinch?
About 19 hours (775 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Goldfinch won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (2014).
What should I read after The Goldfinch?
If you liked it, try The Secret History by Donna Tartt, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.