The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
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Book Reviews of The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Book Review: Stunning Tale of Insanity, Deceit, and Horrific Neglect
Summary: 5 Stars
Only a highly skilled author can write a compelling tale about a reclusive family whose world is small and not overly exciting. Yet Diane Setterfield does exactly this in The Thirteenth Tale.
The story centers around the deep emotional and physical bond of identical twins, Adeline and Emmeline Angelfield. This is a story of insanity, death, and the risk that telling the truth about the past imposes on others. It's also about how those proverbial little apples never fall far from their trees.
The novel opens when biographer and bibliophile, Margaret Lea, is hired to write the biography of world-famous fiction author Vida Winter, a woman who's nearing the end of her long life. For Margaret, who's only written the biographies of dead people, the challenge is intriguing and daunting because the famous Ms. Winter is notorious for never telling the same story twice about her life. In fact, she's told nineteen different versions about her past over a two-year period alone. The question becomes, what really happened in Vida's childhood, and is she telling Margaret the truth now or another fanciful story?
The more Margaret learns, the more sympathetic she becomes to the cantankerous Vida. For Vida was a twin. Margaret was also a twin who lost her sister at birth, a loss she's never come to terms with. The Thirteenth Tale is mystifying, heartbreaking, and so beautifully written that you won't forget this story any time soon.
Book Review: Mystery and more
Summary: 5 Stars
Someone gave me this book as a gift about six or eight months ago. It languished unread while I plodded through an already over-stacked pile of night table reading until I finally noticed it. I like a good Gothic novel as well as the next person so -- my curiosity aroused by having looked at some of the reviews here -- I began reading The Thirteenth Tale.
It was indeed compelling as a Gothic tale in the tradition of the classics and also as a mystery. It was a very satisfying read, and the kind of book that lingers with the reader even after it is finished.
The part that I liked best was something I never would have expected: the characters and their development during the course of the story. As one who is fascinated with human nature in all its varieties and is always curious about what motivates others, the characters in this book were a treasure. Each was fully animated and all were as individual as folks are in real life. Each had his/her point of view and purpose yet I never got the feeling (as one so often does) that they were mere plot devices to advance the story. I came to care about each character and his/her part of the complete tale, albeit the main players most of all.
Ms. Setterfield is a very talented writer and The Thirteenth Tale was intelligently and delightfully told. I look forward to more books by Diane Setterfield.
Book Review: Grace, charm and mystery -- an elegant tale
Summary: 5 Stars
British bookshop keeper and amateur biographer of historic figures, Margaret Lea, is contacted, under peculiar circumstances, by a famous and reclusive author, Vida Winter, to pen Vida's bio. Having only written about deceased individuals, Margaret is apprehensive and suspicious about her involvement -- not only for her lack of contemporary narrative skills, but also because Vida is notoriously well-known for providing dishonest, fabricated answers during interviews.
Curiosity and opportunity perhaps getting the best of her, Margaret takes the job, knowing full well it might be a fruitless endeavor, and heads to Vida's British countryside estate to begin work. The life story Vida begins telling, whether authentic or imaginary, is replete with more mystery and intrigue than Margaret suspected, leading Margaret down a long, labyrinthine road to uncover the dark truths of Vida's secret past.
Setterfield's elegant, delicate prose not only brought the characters to life, but allowed the story to unfold at a natural, even pace, keeping me interested from start to finish. Laced with ample twists and turns, I was caught off guard numerous times, but was never at a loss for what was going on -- nor deceived by gimmicky plot devices.
Few novels are written with such grace, these days, so this was a much-welcomed treasure.
Book Review: A Phenomenal MUST READ!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I wish I could give this the ten stars it deserves since it is SUPURB!
Diane Setterfield established herself as a dynamic, captivating, master storyteller in what I can't believe is only her first novel. It seems more likely a work by a writer at the end of her career, as opposed to one at the beginning.
As a reader, you are pulled in from page one when a mysterious letter appears from a world-renown writer who finally wants to "tell the truth" about her life to the one person who may be able to understand. Part fable, part ghost-story (not scary), part mystery, part fantasy, part family saga, this book has it all and truly delivers.
I could not put this book down (if it was possible to read and walk at the same time, I probably would have!), and read it in just two days. However, I was sorry I didnt read it more slowly so I could savor it, although it is one of those stories that will stay with me forever.
Unique, brilliant, captivating, heart-warming, and extraordinary....I can't recommend this book highly enough- it is a MUST READ! This book is ideal for book clubs, as there is so much you'll want to discuss and talk about. I hope Ms. Setterfield continues to write because her gift is truly unparalleled...I'm already a huge fan!
Book Review: Excellent novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent book! It took me a while to get through this book as life got in the way of my reading :) However, this story was unique and beautiful.
This is the story of a character's mysterious biography. There are two narrators; the biographer and the biographee :) The biographee is a writer herself and has never let anyone know the truth of her life's story.
I'm sure others have already given a synopsis of the story, so I'll spare you the repetition. This is a story that keeps the reader guessing at what will happen next. Characters weave in and out of the story in such a way that you never know what is going to happen next. Setterfield has a beautiful way of writing that I can't quite describe what I loved about it. She gives details, but not so many that you get lost in the details and forget the story. The characters are wonderfully written and you can get lost in them and their stories.
I was drawn to this book because of the cover art (I know, I know, but I am a lover of books and can't help myself), the idea of a mysterious biography, the promise of ghosts (which the story isn't nearly as *ghostly* as one would think from the back cover) and reviews by others. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fictional story, especially historical fiction.