The Secret History Audiobook By Donna Tartt cover art

The Secret History

A Novel

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The Secret History

By: Donna Tartt
Narrated by: Donna Tartt
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About this listen

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK • INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A contemporary literary classic and "an accomplished psychological thriller... absolutely chilling" (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch.

Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality.

“A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment.... Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled.”—The New York Times

©2023 Penguin Random House Audio (P)2023 Random House Audio
Coming of Age Psychological Suspense Fiction Scary Classics
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Editorial review


By Kat Johnson, Audible Editor

THE SECRET HISTORY WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE AESTHETICS

I’m old enough to remember the publication of The Secret History, back in 1992. Like Zadie Smith’s White Teeth almost a decade later, it was one of those rare Publishing Events, when a debut author and novel arrived so authentically entwined that everyone agreed—a literary star was born. Tartt, in men’s pajamas or a necktie and sleek bob, commanded attention. So did the novel, with its premise of murder among classics students at an elite liberal arts college. The Secret History was instantly heralded as an icon of its era. Who knew that, 30 years later, it would perform the same feat for a new generation?

I tore through The Secret History as soon as it came out. Like its narrator Richard Papen, I was a middle-class teenager thrust into a rarified academic world—in my case, a Swiss boarding school instead of a Vermont college—populated by the rich international set. I also wanted to be a writer, and The Secret History set a bar that seemed impossibly high. It’s not one of those novels that makes you think "I can do that"—quite the opposite. It’s simultaneously a complex inverted mystery (like Columbo, it starts with whodunit and then tantalizingly drips out the why and how) and a modern Greek tragedy with characters and prose so compelling, it’s positively hypnotic. I was envious and smitten, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Richard is a California native who is new to both the East Coast and Hampden College, where he’s trying to hide a mediocre background and lack of wealth. In a stroke of luck, he’s invited to join the school’s selective Ancient Greek program, run by charismatic professor Julian Morrow and comprised of five other students. Bunny Corcoran is an all-American preppy type, at home with money and privilege in the style of the Kennedys. Cecilia and Charles are beautiful blond twins with a mysterious relationship and, despite Richard’s love for them, a predilection for offhand cruelty. Henry Winter, tall and reserved, is a polymath and polyglot who’s the smartest and most complicated of the bunch. And there’s red-headed Francis, always wearing a billowing cloak or a pince-nez, who likes boys but is essentially closeted due to the times and his extremely traditional, wealthy family.

These are the main players in a murder that ends with Bunny dead at the bottom of a cliff and buried by snow—hardly a spoiler, since Tartt provides this information in the novel’s exquisitely chilling prologue. In part one, the novel rebuilds beautifully to the climax of the deadly event, while the second part deals with its aftermath, its meditations on beauty, ecstasy, morality, and the taint of murder so seductive that it demands and rewards multiple readings.

Continue reading Kat's review >

Critic reviews

"A beautifully written story, well-told, funny, sad, scary, and impossible to leave alone until I finished. . . . What a debut!"—John Grisham

"Powerful . . . Enthralling . . . A ferociously well-paced entertainment."—The New York Times

"An accomplished psychological thriller . . . Absolutely chilling . . . Tartt has a stunning command of the lyrical."—The Village Voice

Featured Article: Who's the best? Rediscover the greatest, most notable American writers of all time


To curate a list of famous American writers who are also considered among the best American authors, a few things count: current ratings for their works, their particular time periods in history, critical reception, their prevalence in the 21st century, and yes, the awards they won. Many of these authors are taught in school today. From Hemingway to Harper Lee, these famous American authors are all worthy of enduring recognition—and a fresh listen!

What listeners say about The Secret History

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Please re-record this wonderful book with a male narrator

Donna Tartt is a magnificent writer. I am glad I got to hear this story and I understand her desire to tell it as she heard it in her head. But Richard, a young college student from California, is telling the story. Donna’s woman’s voice with its lingering Southern accent often kept me from suspending my disbelief while I reminded myself once again “oh no, that’s right, he’s a young man.” She did Bunny to perfection but, otherwise, she drove me a bit mad.

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Yes. Just yes.

How does anyone explain a Donna Tartt novel?! The story is weird and I kept asking myself WHY. Yet I couldn’t stop. Has the same vibes as The Goldfinch and yet vastly different. Also I loved the narration. Hearing the author’s perspective of her characters was amazing.

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Astonishingly good

I can’t believe I’m so late to this book, but that meant I got to hear the author read it. Loved the book, love her voice. A work of genius.

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Love the Narration

I love Donna Tarts narration of all the characters both in this book and True Grit !

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Why do writers think they are narrators?

I read this on the heels of “The Goldfinch” - a great story with equally great narration. If you can get past a female narrator with a Southern accent reading for a character which is neither, it’s a captivating read.

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An unexpected favorite

I wasn’t into the story at first but got totally sucked in and loved this book. The authors accent threw me off at first because it doesn’t match where the characters live but I ended up really enjoying her narration.

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Stupendous

In the manner of The Great Gatsby
our omniscient narrator, a social climbing outsider, enters the rarified world of the Greek scholars at Hampton College in Vermont. A circle of privileged insular young people he slowly comes to know each of them intimately. What follows is a character study of great depth and power. An examination of the seductive force of belonging, of the devotion and loyalty that lead him to participate in an immoral act. An unflinching look at evil, guilt and lack their of.

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Gripping tremendous story

The accolades and admiration this work receives can seem like hyperbole. But, nope. It’s wonderful, gripping, smart and with marvelous writing. I loved it.

I must say something about the negative comments here about the narration. I’m honestly baffled: Tartt’s reading is excellent and to me endlessly listenable. She’s not over the top with dramatizing the characters, but each one has a recognizable voice. I’m not trying with my audiobook listening to hear a recording of a theater play. Instead I want the reading to be clear and to carry me into the story without getting in the way of my imagination. The narration here 100% does that.

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The twist never comes

The character building and descriptions are well done and well read. I might have really enjoyed the story, had I not thought that it’s slow pace would build to something unexpected, which never happens. So, I was mainly disappointed.

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I’ll miss them!

Too bad the book is over. I loved it. I loved the characters. And mostly I loved the narration. Thank you Donna Tartt. This one left quite an impression on me.

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