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Cari It is no coincidence that Julian chose kids without any parental guidance and was very keen on not having any outside supervision (ie. other faculty i…moreIt is no coincidence that Julian chose kids without any parental guidance and was very keen on not having any outside supervision (ie. other faculty involved). That is never a sign of good intentions. He wanted a group of vulnerable kids to influence without any questioning.
Julian was calculating, self-absorbed and cruel. When he described the mysteries of the bacchanal so alluringly, I understood it as an invitation to explore this idea. That part when he and Henry are talking about "necessary" things is quite suspect. I am sure Julian encouraged Henry to pursue a bacchanal by any means necessary, while at the same time maintaining his saintly persona. If you tell a group of impressionable people to have a bacchanal in the way the followers of Bacchus did, there is not only sex but also extreme violence involved. This Julian clearly understood. In my mind, there is no question he manipulated Henry into it.

Julian likes to play naïve and his students, truly naïve themselves, really believe things such as that Julian doesn't know that they use drugs or that someone like Bunny, who clearly was no scholar, wrote his own papers without assistance. Aside from Henry, Richard explains they didn't even know where Julian lived, that it wasn't uncommon for Julian to pretend that he didn't know them in public and that they really didn't know much about Julian. And yet, they all mistakenly believed Julian loved them. A very convenient belief cultivated by Julian so that his students would shield him from any consequences of their wrongdoing.

Then during Bunny's funeral, Julian has that moment when his façade drops for a minute and joyfully tells Henry that it is all like a Dostoyevsky novel. For someone who rejects all modernity and only finds beauty and value in the classics (of antiquity), what an odd thing to say. Of all novelists, to invoke the one who wrote "Crime and Punishment," which is also quoted in that part of the story, is not a coincidence. In that novel, a gruesome murder is carefully planned and executed. Worst of all, when Julian says the funeral reminds him of Dostoyevsky, he is clearly happy about it. At that point, in my mind, there is no doubt he knows exactly what is going on.

The moment Henry and Richard inadvertently force him to acknowledge the situation in the letter, he can no longer pretend to be oblivious and his game is over. He clearly will not be implicated and his students, spiraling out of control, are not longer useful for discreetly enacting his dark ideals, so he leaves.

The big question for me is whether he has done this before. What happened to the group of students before Richard's? Since Henry was determined to protect him (ie. the contradictory statements that Julian knew "all/not all" about the bacchanal), we will never know the full extent of his involvement. However, to me there is no doubt Julian is the mastermind behind Henry's unhinged ideas/plans. Julian chose him precisely because Henry had the charisma to make the group carry out his (Julian's) ideas.(less)

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I have one question (having just started the book and reached the part where Richard and Bunny are having cocktails/lunch): WHAT DOES RICHARD LOOK LIKE? I haven't read a description of Richard yet and can't picture him in my mind. Thanks.

Shona It occurred to me halfway through that I was picturing him as Arthur the Aardvark from the 90s children's TV show... presumably Bunny had become Arthu…moreIt occurred to me halfway through that I was picturing him as Arthur the Aardvark from the 90s children's TV show... presumably Bunny had become Arthur's rabbit friend Buster in my mind, and then each of the characters matched up to one in the show...(less)

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Jackie L

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I'm just at the beginning, but wondering where this story is going. I felt the same about The Goldfinch. She is a terrific writer, but her stories meander and I begin to lose interest. I feel as though I am in a long fog-filled hallway trying to get to the exit at the other end. Does anyone else feel this way?

Virpi I believe it's just Tartt's way of writing: she's a "meanderer". She draws a lot from classic art and literature and her style of writing, I believe, …moreI believe it's just Tartt's way of writing: she's a "meanderer". She draws a lot from classic art and literature and her style of writing, I believe, is also meant to reflect this. Unfortunately, in out high speed instant fix -culture readers don't seem to appreciate details and storytelling. There's more to a good book than just the plot. (Try reading Dostoevsky or Dickens or, even more, older classics such as were mentioned in this book.)(less)

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what do you think about the ending of this story as it relates to the main character, richard?