The Goldfinch was an entirely unexpected book, in so many ways. By the end, it had touched me deeply and provoked so many different lines of thought about who we are as people, and how one event in our lives can impact on so much.

The Goldfinch is not a happy book, but I would not say that it ended on a despairing tone that left me broken-hearted, quite like I expected. It is also incredibly long, and quite slow. However, that is where it achieves. I am absolutely the worst person in the world for abandoning a book by accident, because it is long and I have very little time. The wonder of The Goldfinch for me, was that I was always brought back into the story. The slow pace should not be a factor that puts you off, because it is so beautifully written (again, something I rarely care for). The pace had purpose, it was still incredibly exciting and enthralling and especially the last 200 pages, I just could not keep away from the book.

I will not argue this book is perfect and say I loved every second, even though I felt that overall it was a beautiful book, with a deep message, and I would say it is one of my favourites. However, I still reserve the five star rating because there were moments I did not engage, where I was conscious of things I didn't like, and I was frustrated by the actions of poor Theodore Decker. However, for me this made up the whole journey, and did result in my eventual enjoyment. Especially because I had hoped for more of a Dutch setting to make-up for my post study-abroad blues and missing the beautiful land of the Dutch. Nevertheless, I think the 4 star rating sums up my experience overall.

Another thing this book made me really want to do, was go to look at more art. The way Theo describes the art and talked about his love of art, it made be consider paintings in a way I had not thought about before. It was quite revealing. I liked that a lot.

There are so many beautiful quotes I would love to take from this book and share with you all, but I think you need to read it to experience the true wonder that it is. However, the one that felt most raw and open and what this book is all about, was towards the very end: "life is a catastrophe".

Thoroughly recommend for individuals wanting to contemplate life, mental health, well-being, direction and art.