A few weeks ago, I drove from DC to Durham to visit one of my close friends for the weekend. With stops and small bouts of traffic, it’s about a four and a half hour drive each way. I wanted to listen to something engaging for the road, and everything I’ve heard about Donna Tartt, led me to download The Goldfinch — hoping her most popular novel would fit the bill. And then I noticed it was a 32+ hour audiobook…
Was Listening to The Goldfinch for 32+ Hours Worth It?
Let me start off by saying that I really loved The Goldfinch. Before I dive in, I want to give a huge shout out to the narrator, David Pittu, who was the sole narrator of the 32 hour, 24 minute audiobook version. I thought Pittu did an excellent job with pacing, tone, pitch, and his emotion for each particular part was spot on. I felt very connected to the main character, Theo Decker, right from the get-go.
A Well Written Story = PB Book Gold
Scenes were beautifully painted, everything was vividly described in even the smallest detail, and I really felt like I intimately knew the cast of characters and what made them tick. These are all things I very much enjoy about books, or at least can make or break a book for me. It’s seriously all about a well written story and how much I can connect to a book. I will read a book about literally any topic if it’s written in a compelling way, which I think is totally fair. Anyway, The Goldfinch did an excellent job with the fleshing out of the main story.
But Was It Too Long?
However, there was such an abundance of detail in The Goldfinch that it ran for 771 pages or 32.5 hours as an audiobook. I’m not usually one to complain about the length of a book, if it’s a captivating story. Some of my favorite books are doorstop books. I do genuinely believe that The Goldfinch is an interesting enough story but on the other hand, it could have used some heavy editing. I’m talking like 250+ pages could have (and should have) been shaved off this book.
SO! Do I think that listening to The Goldfinch for 32+ hours was worth it? YES! It was definitely a tad too long and did drag at times, or go off into a subplot that could have been edited out… I do believe in the end it’s worth the read or listen. It’s a great book, even though it’s filled with heavy darkness and intense sadness. If you haven’t read it, I would recommend!