Darden North, MD

My review of "The Goldfinch" appears in print and online in the January 25, 2014 edition of "The Clarion Ledger." F or this reader,  a bsorbing  Donna Tartt's newest novel i s a step away from the thrillers I write and typically enjoy. Authors who review the work of other authors are said to help all concerned.  "The Goldfinch" is a opportunity to indulge in a rather lengthy, but beautifully written, work of literary fiction. http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140126/FEAT/301260058/Book-review-Goldfinch-both-complex-dark ----- Darden North is the IPPY-award winning author of four novels and murder mysteries, most recently "Wiggle Room."

A five-star review is often defined as amazing. "Gone Girl," a novel by Gillian Flynn, is indeed amazing, mostly because of the amazing Amy Elliott Dunne.   The mark of an intense, imaginative author (Some reviewers call Flynn creepy) is that she has the mastery to make the reader either strongly like or dislike a character. Strong character development does not turn up lukewarm; it has to be either hot or cold. This reader took an immediate dislike to the selfish, manipulative Amy Elliott Dunn, Nick Dunne's antagonist, his wife of five years.   I would nominate Amy as one of the coldest females in modern fiction, and, perhaps, the cheating Nick as one of the most vulnerable, flawed males. To me, what is truly remarkable about storytelling (and maybe real life) is that some may disagree and consider Amy Elliott Dunne the hero. The work is written in first-person and told almost tit-for-tat by Amy and Nick. It includes enough foreshadowing and foreboding to make th