Cece > Recent Status Updates

Still not sure how “Millie” is short for Seraphina

Cozy mystery is great but rn I am loving campy spy.

“Someone always leaves a banana peel at the scene of a tragedy.”

The conversation with “recruiting” Lopez had me laughing out loud. “You misunderstand me completely.” Lolol

This is exactly like the stuff I love to watch on BritBox haha Way up my alley. ♥️

“He knew more about the death of Lula Landry than he had ever meant or wanted to know. The same would be true of basically any sentient being in Britain. Bombarded with the story, you grew interested against your will. And before you knew it, you were so well informed, so opinionated about the facts of the case, you would have been unfit to sit a jury.”

Gosh, that’s relatable.

I have made it to the end of the first part. This book has not hooked me.

Some thoughts:
- The one-eyed cat being called Drosselmeyer is so cute.

- This is so not a Russian book. I often forget he is actually in Russia; speaking French, not religious, etc.

- He has NOT suffered for his station. I don’t really feel badly for him. I do like him, but I also don’t really care about him.

Finally some depth…

Enjoying the book but I’m not sure it’s the right book for me right now. Tempted to set it aside. Very into seasonal reads at this time.

The Count is a human version of Paddington. Not for clumsiness but for earnestness and child-like charm.

Also stories of kindnesses repaid. ♥️

All the insinuations implicit in “did I really see your [esteemed] grandmother’s carriage at the house of [that awfully controversial] XYZ family?”… Along with meaningful looks after a response… these are the hooks of these stories for me.

Ending at the opera again… superb.

“Mrs. Lovel Mingot had the high color and glassy stare induced in ladies of her age and habit by the effort of getting into a new dress.” Lol

“Everybody knew the melancholy fate of the few gentlemen who had risked their clean linen in the municipal or state politics on NY. The day was past when that sort of thing was possible.” Lol 150 years ago.

Have to remember a secretary would be a man in this time. Haha

I guess I just can’t quite figure out where this is going. There is still a lot of book left, but what’s it’s stopping point?

I was this far in when I realized this takes place in 1983. That does explain a couple of things. I thought it was charming they all wrote each other letters, but I guess it was just because it is 1983. Lol

Is there nothing to be said for complicity? Lol

I love the idea that luck is invisible tho

And in one fell swoop Tartt answers the list of questions that I had to actually write down because I was feeling disoriented.

The lack of chapter breaks makes this feel like a real journey.

Also, ick at the classism! When you self-select into an elite group of five at an already prestigious college, don’t cry foul when you can’t easily find peers lol

A book in which characters have American Express cards, but do not have cell phones, is a charming book.

And with his first class with Julian, do we have a map for the rest of the plot?

It’s hard to quietly read a lecture you disagree with - is beauty terror? Umm… i don’t think so lol but it’s an interesting read.

The style of the class lecture and discussion make you almost want to jump in.

Two things: 1) Donna Tartt’s voice is enough to make you switch back to physical books. Who on earth let her read the audiobook for others to hear? Ugh. Sorry. 2) I am picturing Julian Morrow as David Sedaris. I know it’s not correct, but it’s where my mind went.

I may be too stupid to read this book lol it’s a feast. I would need to stop and think after every sentence to mull and process it.

Imagine you’re a dude. Now imagine your greatest love rival is the girl’s cousin. LOL - eww.

How could you make a movie from this book? There is so much internal drama within Anne. How could you capture that?

Is there any more savage takedown in Austen than this?

“A thick-headed, unfeeling, unprofitable Dick Musgrove, who had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name, and had been sent to sea because he was stupid and unmanageable on shore.”

These themes always suck me right in. Also just learned Netflix made an adaption in 2022! Interesting

Life is a comedy with sad bits

I will be bereft when this book is over.