Skip to content

The Little Friend

The Little Friend

Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Click for full-size.

The Little Friend

by Tartt, Donna

  • Used
  • near fine
  • Paperback
Condition
Near Fine
ISBN 10
0679439382
ISBN 13
9780679439387
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Miller Place, New York, United States
Item Price
A$116.21
Or just A$104.58 with a
Bibliophiles Club Membership
FREE Shipping to USA Standard delivery: 2 to 8 days
More Shipping Options

Payment Methods Accepted

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Discover
  • PayPal

About This Item

New York: Knopf, 2002. Harriet Cleve grew up in a small Mississippi town, and the tragic death of her brother was never solved. Now, twelve year old Harriet, older than her years, is determined to find the killer, but what she encounters is fatr too dark and far too adult. Small spot to front wrapper, minor wear topo front flap of wrapper.. Uncorrected Bound Proof. Plain yellow Wrappers.. Near Fine.

Synopsis

The Little Friend is a 1929 novel by Scottish writer Bruce Marshall.

Reviews

On Jul 9 2017, a reader said:
"It was the last picture they had of him. Out of focus. Flat expanse of green cut at a slight diagonal, with a white rail and the heaving gloss of a gardenia bush sharp in the foreground at the edge of the porch. Murky, storm-damp sky, shifting liquescence of indigo and slate, boiling clouds rayed with spokes of light. In the corner of the frame a blurred shadow of Robin, his back to the viewer, ran out across the hazy lawn to meet his death, which stood waiting for him – almost visible – in the dark place beneath the tupelo tree"

The Little Friend is the second novel by American author, Donna Tartt. Harriet Cleve Dufresnes is twelve. Her best friend, (Duncan) Hely Hull is eleven. It is the summer of 1976, Alexandria, Mississippi, and they have managed to avoid being sent to camp. Having exhausted their usual activities, Harriet becomes interested in the murder of her brother Robin, who at age nine was found hanging from the black tupelo tree on Mother's Day, twelve years earlier. It's something nobody talks about.

Tartt expertly captures feel of a never-ending Mississippi summer during vacation time. Her portrayal of twelve-year old Harriet beautifully illustrates the naivete and the single-minded self-absorption of youth which, coupled with the allure of a taboo topic, facilitates a fixation borne of an absolute conviction based on hearsay. Tartt brings together in one tale the genteel class who still have black servants and the residents of the seedier side of town, the poor "White Trash". The poverty mindset is well depicted, as is that of the more fortunate classes:

"She possessed, to a singular and uncomfortable degree, the narrowness of vision which enabled all the Cleves to forget what they didn't want to remember, and to exaggerate or otherwise alter what they couldn't forget; and in restringing the skeleton of the extinct monstrosity which had been her family's fortune, she was unaware that some of the bones had been tampered with; that others belonged to different animals entirely; that a great many of the more massive and spectacular bones were not bones at all, but plaster-of-paris forgeries"

At over five hundred pages, this is no fast-paced murder mystery, but rather, a slow burn Southern drama, in which the tension builds to an exciting climax. This novel is filled with some deliciously black humour and a good dose of irony as characters navigate their war through meth labs and drug-fuelled paranoia, snakes and preachers, summer camp and funeral parlours, trailers and decaying elegance, grief and guilt.

Tartt treats the reader to some marvellous descriptive prose: "The view had captivated her: washing fluttering on lines, peaked roofs like a field of origami arks, roofs red and green and black and silver, roofs of shingle and copper and tar and tin, spread out below them in the airy, dreamy distance. It was like seeing into another country. The vista had a whimsical, toy quality which reminded her of pictures she'd seen of the Orient - of China, of Japan" and "This isn't real, he told himself, not real, no it's just a dream, and indeed, for many years to come – well into adulthood – his dreams would drop him back sharply into this malodorous dark, among the hissing treasure-chests of nightmare" are examples. A brilliant read.

On Feb 13 2015, a reader said:
Now that I have completed all three of Tartt's books, it's going to be difficult waiting another ten years for her to publish another one.

"The Little Friend" was very enjoyable to me. Having lived in Mississippi for quite a while myself, I could literally FEEL and completely understand every bit of the atmosphere that Tartt was expressing and she does it to a frightening perfection. The people, the weather, the way of life, the sounds... they all radiate right out of the pages.

I adored Harriet. I could relate to Harriet; her curious, serious nature despite being so young. The childhood nostalgia of this book was welcoming as well, even in the most frightening moments when the evil adult world clashes with the innocence of youth. Tartt did a remarkable job portraying the feel of the transition from innocent childhood into awkward adolescence-- not realizing it's happening until it's too late and you're looking back at a sealed door.

There's mystery, sadness, wonder and terror laced through-out the entire novel. I could feel it in my bones.

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

You’re rating the book as a work, not the seller or the specific copy you purchased!

Details

Bookseller
Nothing Like A Good Book US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
1000450
Title
The Little Friend
Author
Tartt, Donna
Format/Binding
Paperback
Book Condition
Used - Near Fine
Edition
Uncorrected Bound Proof
ISBN 10
0679439382
ISBN 13
9780679439387
Publisher
Knopf
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
2002
Keywords
FICTION HISTORICAL BROTHERS SISTERS MISSISSIPPI
Bookseller catalogs
Proofs/Arcs; Author T;

Terms of Sale

Nothing Like A Good Book

TERMS OF SALE: We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, PayPal, American Express, checks drawn on a U.S. bank in USD, Money Orders and Traveler Checks. Please make checks payable to: Charles Spataro SHIPPING: I will ship orders paid by cashiers check/money order within 48 hours. Orders paid with PayPal shipped within 48 hours of receipt of confirmatim. Orders paid with personal check will be held for 10 days before shipping. Within the USA the shipping and handling charge is $4.00 for media rate (old book rate) or $7.75 for priority mail for first book and $2.00 per additional book. International buyers pay $37.45 except Ca3nada customers ($26.90). Insurance available at cost. RETURNS: Books returnable within 10 days with prior approval and in same condition as received. ALL BOOKS ARE PACKED CAREFULLY FOR SHIPMENT. ALL DUST JACKETS WRAPPED IN BRODART PROTECTIVE MYLAR COVER.

About the Seller

Nothing Like A Good Book

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2003
Miller Place, New York

About Nothing Like A Good Book

We are an internet only store and specialize in signed and unsigned modern first editions of mystery, literature, science fiction, and horror.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Wrappers
The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...

This Book’s Categories

tracking-