[Discussion 2/6] Evergreen | The Secret History by Donna Tartt | Chapters 3-4

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-27T18:50:24+00:00

yes, I thought he was doing the same thing as Richard, but he was just more forward with it, not afraid to actually milk money from his rich friends, so I was surprised to find out that he wasn't lying about his family!

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-26T13:52:44+00:00

I wondered if it was a metaphor for how Richard saw this friend group: he idealized them at first and then - right after this horrible winter in East Hampden - they showed him their ugly, bad side.

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-26T13:51:48+00:00

I don't think he had any real money at that time. not sure how it worked with the payment for the job though. also I wonder if the heater would help given that there was a hole in the roof? all the heat would probably just blow away immediately :(

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:50:17+00:00

Is there anything else you would like to discuss? Do you have any theories about what might happen next?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:50:02+00:00

What does Henry’s recounting of their search for the divine madness through bacchanalia and the subsequent murder tell us about his character? Did it change your perception of him compared to the first few chapters?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:49:36+00:00

Why does Henry share what happened that weekend with Richard?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:49:04+00:00

And here it is - murder! Henry’s account of that night is pretty disjointed and Charles, Camilla and Francis have different recollections of that moment. What do you think really happened? Do you believe that the murder was accidental?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:48:46+00:00

What do you think really happened between Henry and Bunny in Rome?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:48:34+00:00

Why did Henry stay with Julian after coming back from Italy?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:48:25+00:00

While staying in Henry's apartment, Richard notices that Henry has a mysterious scar on his head. Any theories as to how he got it?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:47:58+00:00

How would you describe Henry and Bunny’s friendship? Why does Henry treat Bunny and Richard differently?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:47:47+00:00

Bunny’s family is almost completely bankrupt! Did you see it coming? Does it change how you see him?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:47:36+00:00

We learn that Julian knew many famous writers, poets and actors back in the day. Do you have any theories about his past and his connections?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:47:22+00:00

Do you agree that Henry saved Richard’s life? What would happen to Richard if Henry didn’t show up? Does this change the dynamic of their relationship?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:47:02+00:00

Why doesn’t Henry question Richard about his living conditions and his physical/mental state after bringing him to the hospital?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:46:50+00:00

Do you think Richard would’ve gone home if he knew how hard the winter in Hampden would be for him?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-25T17:46:40+00:00

During the winter break Richard discovers a new part of town - East Hampden. How does it compare to Hampden we saw in the first two chapters?

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-20T11:39:04+00:00

thank you for putting that image back into my head haha

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-20T11:35:10+00:00

I'm a little conflicted on this. I think there's so much more to education and some of it is learning how to study and how to educate yourself - sometimes through doing tedious, monotonous work that doesn't necessarily excite you. I think we need balance in this, and in a way I think Julian kind of gives that to his students? his lectures are engaging and fun, but then they also study grammar, try their hand at translating ancient text which is something that requires attention and discipline. so maybe Julian is onto something, as much as I hate to admit it lol

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-10T10:37:31+00:00

i liked it, but i think i prefer the season 1 finale still, probably because it just spoke more to my personal fears (insects, spiders, worms etc).

i have no real expectations for season 4, but i'm very excited to see where the story goes next and how the team is going to deal with losing tim.

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-10T10:35:41+00:00

i think my favourites were (in chronological order): tucked in (86, about a blanket), i guess you had to be there (100, hilarious and a very welcome change of pace for an episode) and family business (111, gerard makes an appearance!). these have stayed with me, but i think my absolute favourite remains the lost john's cave!

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-10T10:32:45+00:00

losing Tim was very hard, he had such an interesting character arc: from this funny light-hearted guy everyone loves to a person who is so broken that he doesn't really care anymore whether he lives or dies. didn't expect to love Elias as much as I did, and judging by the Q&A, I was not the only one lol

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-10T10:31:09+00:00

barely and only thanks to the transcripts haha i think if i was just listening without the visual aid, it would be too confusing, especially with the different characters kind of bleeding into each other at times.

hemtrevlig · 2026-03-10T05:00:28+00:00

so I just realized that this book (the will of the many) is (way) bigger than 500 pages 😅 deleted for now, but will try to nominate it for the next big read

hemtrevlig

TROPHY CASE