I chose a Pulitzer Prize winning novel when I chose The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. The story is about a world famous piece of art, a painting on wood of a goldfinch on a perch attached there by a tiny chain around one foot. The main character is Theo who is 13 when the book starts and in his mid-twenties at the end. Theo's life is tumultuous and he tries to make good decisions. His best friend, Boris, also has a tumultuous life and he makes decisions to benefit himself. Boris and Theo seldom agree on the best course of action to take. In this story there is parental neglect, drugs, crime, alcoholism, terrorism, and cheating. Throughout this philosophical long story an older man named Hobie represents honesty, decency and integrity. As a reader, I needed Hobie in this story. I needed a genuinely nice person to balance out the other characters. In the end the question remains, is it better to live a life making decisions that benefit yourself over living a life making decisions to benefit others if you both end up in the same place? Does our free will influence the trajectory of our lives? I really enjoyed this book. I warn you, it's a long one.
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