AK Blakemore: ‘The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt was extremely silly and bad’
Poet and novelist AK Blakemore discusses books that shaped her reading and writing, from childhood picture books to works by F Scott Fitzgerald, Adrienne Rich and Virginia Woolf. She says reading Rich after the birth of her son changed her view that motherhood would limit her creative life, and made her look forward to writing as a parent.
Blakemore calls *The Great Gatsby* close to a perfect novel, praising its yearning and its anger at the cruelty enabled by extreme wealth. She credits Selima Hill’s poetry with inspiring her to write, has come to appreciate Jane Austen, and often rereads Woolf’s *Orlando*. She says she could not reread Hemingway’s *The Sun Also Rises*, and describes Donna Tartt’s *The Goldfinch* as “extremely silly and bad”.
- AK Blakemore names the books that shaped her life and writing.
- Adrienne Rich’s work reshaped her view of motherhood and creativity.
- She praises *The Great Gatsby* and dismisses *The Goldfinch*.
New here? Start with this
AK Blakemore is a British poet and novelist. This article features her discussing the books that have shaped her as a reader and writer, spanning from childhood picture books to literary fiction.
Her influences include works by F Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich and Jane Austen. The piece shows how different texts have influenced her development.
Blakemore's relationship with books has evolved throughout her life. She has described how reading Adrienne Rich's poetry after the birth of her son shifted her perspective on motherhood and creative writing.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Donna Tartt's novel merits recognition as a sophisticated work exploring profound themes about art, morality, love and redemption. The protagonist Theo Decker is a psychologically credible character whose development over decades feels authentic, and the novel's examination of how chance shapes human destiny carries genuine philosophical weight. Tartt's prose is accomplished and intentional, and the work's cultural impact and sustained critical appreciation reflect its literary significance.
The case against
The novel's considerable length yields diminishing returns, relying on plot contrivances and coincidences that strain credibility rather than enrich meaning. Tartt's elegant prose occasionally becomes self-indulgent, with characters' philosophical reflections reading as the author's erudition on display rather than organic expressions of their lived experience. The work mistakes ambition and scale for genuine profundity, sustaining an earnestness that jars uncomfortably with its melodramatic plot mechanics.