---
product_id: 31131175
title: "Donna Tartt's The Secret History: A Reader's Guide"
price: "₩54109"
currency: KRW
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 6
url: https://www.desertcart.kr/products/31131175-donna-tartts-the-secret-history-a-readers-guide
store_origin: KR
region: South Korea
---

# Comprehensive novel analysis In-depth author biography Critical thinking prompts Donna Tartt's The Secret History: A Reader's Guide

**Price:** ₩54109
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Elevate your Secret History obsession — because every page deserves a deeper story.

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Donna Tartt's The Secret History: A Reader's Guide
- **How much does it cost?** ₩54109 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kr](https://www.desertcart.kr/products/31131175-donna-tartts-the-secret-history-a-readers-guide)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Author Spotlight:** Explore Tartt’s biography, influences, and lesser-known works for a richer reading experience.
- • **Discussion Ready:** Curated questions and further reading suggestions to fuel your next book club or study session.
- • **Collector’s Choice:** A well-preserved used copy that’s perfect for serious readers and literary enthusiasts alike.
- • **Critically Acclaimed:** Join thousands of readers engaging with a guide ranked in top American Literature Criticism.
- • **Unlock Hidden Layers:** Dive deep into Donna Tartt’s world with detailed thematic and character breakdowns.

## Overview

This used copy of 'Donna Tartt's The Secret History: A Reader's Guide' offers a structured, accessible introduction to one of contemporary literature’s most influential novels. Featuring a detailed author biography, thematic analysis, reception history, and curated discussion questions, it’s designed for book clubs, students, and fans eager to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Tartt’s work.

## Description

Continuum Contemporaries will be a wonderful source of ideas and inspiration for members of book clubs and readings groups, as well as for literature students.The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to 30 of the most popular, most acclaimed, and most influential novels of recent years. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. The books in the series will all follow the same structure:a biography of the novelist, including other works, influences, and, in some cases, an interview; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas; a summary of how the novel was received upon publication; a summary of how the novel has performed since publication, including film or TV adaptations, literary prizes, etc.; a wide range of suggestions for further reading, including websites and discussion forums; and a list of questions for reading groups to discuss.

Review: Anyone who reads and thinks deserves better literary criticism - This "readers guide" for Donna Tarrtt's "The Secret History" is thin on insight and value. While it is one step above "Cliffs Notes" in being both a summary and a "critical" work, it smacks of a first approximation of a better treatment that was then cut and slapped together on a thin budget and tight deadline. Literary criticism is a notoriously underpaid field (heck, folks posting here at desertcart are giving it away for free), but still, readers are underserved by Hargreaves. Sad, for many of her observations and detail work teased out here have merit for discussion, and just as the reader is getting interested Hargreaves cuts off and moves on. Hargreaves first chapter "The Novelist" is perhaps most useful for the curious Tartt stalker (yikes!), for it is an adequate thumbnail biography and summary of author details appearing in print elsewhere but in previously uncollected form. This chapter has no original content. Chapter two is the largest section and covers "The Novel" with a topical breakdown of characters, plot summary, setting, and main themes. Hargreaves correctly identifies many of Tartt's structures and literary techniques and devices, but in her "Conclusions" section on page 62 misses the point of the work entirely when she bald facedly states "There are no moral absolutes in the world that Tartt creates in her novel..." demonstrating that Hargreaves has completely missed a recurring leitmotif in the novel: Catholicism. Two chapters follow to pad out the work: "The Novel's Reception" and "The Novel's Performance" the last of which smacks of sour grapes and left me curious why they were not simply combined into a single chapter. The "Further Reading" section is perhaps the best, for it is nearly an annotated bibliography, and includes very nice summaries of obscure Tartt short pieces. The useless "Discussion Questions" left me fearful of the level of teaching of literature that goes on in Hargreaves's world, for not a single selected question raises the issue of religion in the work. Considering the central event of the novel, this is preposterous and misleading. Anyone who reads and thinks deserves better.
Review: Secret history fans - Got this for my teen who is obsessed with the secret history. She loved it 🥰

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #965,015 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,811 in American Literature Criticism #7,223 in Study Guides (Books) #7,294 in Literary Movements & Periods |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 21 Reviews |

## Images

![Donna Tartt's The Secret History: A Reader's Guide - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51r1xf-26IS.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Anyone who reads and thinks deserves better literary criticism
*by B***R on October 17, 2005*

This "readers guide" for Donna Tarrtt's "The Secret History" is thin on insight and value. While it is one step above "Cliffs Notes" in being both a summary and a "critical" work, it smacks of a first approximation of a better treatment that was then cut and slapped together on a thin budget and tight deadline. Literary criticism is a notoriously underpaid field (heck, folks posting here at AMAZON are giving it away for free), but still, readers are underserved by Hargreaves. Sad, for many of her observations and detail work teased out here have merit for discussion, and just as the reader is getting interested Hargreaves cuts off and moves on. Hargreaves first chapter "The Novelist" is perhaps most useful for the curious Tartt stalker (yikes!), for it is an adequate thumbnail biography and summary of author details appearing in print elsewhere but in previously uncollected form. This chapter has no original content. Chapter two is the largest section and covers "The Novel" with a topical breakdown of characters, plot summary, setting, and main themes. Hargreaves correctly identifies many of Tartt's structures and literary techniques and devices, but in her "Conclusions" section on page 62 misses the point of the work entirely when she bald facedly states "There are no moral absolutes in the world that Tartt creates in her novel..." demonstrating that Hargreaves has completely missed a recurring leitmotif in the novel: Catholicism. Two chapters follow to pad out the work: "The Novel's Reception" and "The Novel's Performance" the last of which smacks of sour grapes and left me curious why they were not simply combined into a single chapter. The "Further Reading" section is perhaps the best, for it is nearly an annotated bibliography, and includes very nice summaries of obscure Tartt short pieces. The useless "Discussion Questions" left me fearful of the level of teaching of literature that goes on in Hargreaves's world, for not a single selected question raises the issue of religion in the work. Considering the central event of the novel, this is preposterous and misleading. Anyone who reads and thinks deserves better.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Secret history fans
*by C***A on April 29, 2023*

Got this for my teen who is obsessed with the secret history. She loved it 🥰

### ⭐⭐⭐ Pricey.
*by S***L on November 17, 2001*

This is an extremely slight little handbook--too limited to be of much use to the experienced reader, yet too expensive to justify its inclusion as a complement to Tartt's modern cult classic. Students who are at all motivated can easily get as much information through a few quick internet searches. I'm giving my copy to a student TA as a handy accessory for help in grading papers.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Donna Tartt's The Secret History: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)
- The Secret History: A Read with Jenna Pick

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*Product available on Desertcart South Korea*
*Store origin: KR*
*Last updated: 2026-10-01*