LIMITED TIME OFFER. Get 3 months for $0.99 a month. Get this deal.
The Secret History cover art

The Secret History

A Novel

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.
Amazon Prime member exclusive: get any 2 titles with your free trial. Terms apply.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Secret History

Written by: Donna Tartt
Narrated by: Donna Tartt
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offers ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $35.14

Buy Now for $35.14

About this listen

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A contemporary literary classic and "an accomplished psychological thriller ... absolutely chilling" (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Goldfinch.

Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality.

“A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment.... Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled.” —The New York Times

©2023 Penguin Random House Audio (P)2023 Random House Audio Coming of Age Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Classics

What the critics say

"A beautifully written story, well-told, funny, sad, scary, and impossible to leave alone until I finished. . . . What a debut!"—John Grisham

"Powerful . . . Enthralling . . . A ferociously well-paced entertainment."—The New York Times

"An accomplished psychological thriller . . . Absolutely chilling . . . Tartt has a stunning command of the lyrical."—The Village Voice
All stars
Most relevant
Loved this book. The only improvement for me would be to have Richard’s voice narrated in a male voice. The quality of the book gets the reader past this.

Slow, but Worth It!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I deeply enjoyed this book and was completely pulled in by the story and characters. Tartt has a way of creating the most believable and human characters even in their absurdity. I cannot imagine it narrated by anyone else.

Beautifully written, beautifully narrated

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the constant yearning of the picturesque, the desire to be part of a group, recollection of a better time. all these components form a fantastic story, one of love, fear, and desire 10/10

gorgeous story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Such beautiful story, amazing prose, well-written compelling characters.

Surprised to see other reviews are so low. The narration wasn’t mind blowing by any means, but it was certainly good enough and the fact that the author narrates it is nice. For this reason I felt like the tones of all the dialogue was read the “intended” way.

But seriously this is a must-read story.

Incredible Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
honestly it takes a few chapters to really get into but when you do it'd really a thought provoking and unexpected journey.

wild ride

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book is spectacular but the narration has a California accent and is terrible. You might be able to move past it or you might not

Wish someone else narrated

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve been re-listening to The Secret History, and it’s even better the second time around. This book is all atmosphere; There’s only enough story to be a foundation to Donna Tartt’s ethereal writing.

Because it’s a long book and there’s not a lot of plot, the audiobook really shines. Books without much plot are always better if you can “read” while doing something else.

Additionally, I nearly always hate when authors narrate their own books, but Donna Tartt is magnificent. Her deep understanding of the characters really brings them to life. Plus, the tinny sound-quality (old recording) accents the atmosphere. give it a couple chapters to get used to her voice.

An autumnal classic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Just having a very difficult time getting over the awful (valley girl?) narration. I see just now that the author narrated. I sure wish she had sprung for a professional!
Edit - It only got worse. I have returned the book.

I want to like it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Hours and hours of listening - always hoping something interesting was about to occur. Not worth the time. Skip it.

Plot drags and gets lost often

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Went in with high expectations due to the amount of people recommending it. The first 20 hours could be missing and the plot would be the same. I usually finish long audiobooks in 1 or 2 sittings but this one took me 3 months. Had to force myself to finish it.

Dissapointing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.