I really want to love this book more than I do right now. I initially DNF-ed it over the summer because the first half was really rough to get through, but I found out that reading this in fall/winter was the perfect time to do so. It's easier to feel the imagery that Donna Tartt was trying to portray when it's cold out. The book was beautifully written and was honestly tragic, as most campus novels are. I flip flop back and forth over caring about the characters and ended up doing that. It's sad how life ended for most of them, how they have to live with what they've done, and how much they've lost in the process. There's definitely a bit of a pacing issue in some places but it really picks up towards the second half of the book. While I didn't enjoy it to its full extent, I can see how other people would love it and even enjoy the cult community that grew from this book.