The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
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Book Reviews of The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Book Review: This is a wonderful and unusual story in a Gothic Tradition
Summary: 5 Stars
Diane Setterfield has produced a book that is exciting, mysterious, haunting, and sad. I loved the well-drawn characters, her artful prose throughout and the mysteries she puts forth which intertwine all of the characters throughout the story. I absolutely was drawn into it from the very first. It is a long book, and now and then you might find something that seems odd, but the people are odd in so many ways. If you are reading it, it will take some time, and you have to pay attention or you will "miss" something. I did not "read" this book; I listened to it. The narration was positively captivating and spoken with English narrators. I did not want to miss a word. There were clues about some happenings in the story, but I missed them until a new discovery appeared and then remembered that the clue had been there for quite a while. The one flaw I did find, and that might have been caused by the narration, was that just when I thought the book was finished, there was more! That might be off-putting for some readers. However, I give it a 5+! It's original, keeps you on your toes,keeps you wanting more and is beautifully written!
Book Review: Raising the bar
Summary: 5 Stars
Every once in a while, I'll read a book that raises the bar for me and inspires me to want to be a better writer, either because of the prose or the premise. Books that come to mind are Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Robert Cormier's Fade, Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist, Jodi Picoult's Second Glance, and now, Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale.
This contemporary gothic novel alternates narrators between the reliable Margaret Lea and the unreliable Vida Winter. As Vida, a novelist at the end of her life, tells the story of her life to Margaret, a biographer, the reader is led on a series of twists and turns through a gravyard, the shell of a burned-out mansion and a childhood peopled with cooks, gardeners and other staff at the Angelfield manor.
Even more haunting is the audio version of the book, narrated by Bianca Amato as Margaret and Jill Tanner as Vida. It's the perfect book to transport you to a completely different time and place. Best read on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea.
Book Review: A tall tale of truth
Summary: 5 Stars
Both Margaret and Vida have lived through books; Margaret the books she has read and Vida, the ones she has written. Margaret discovers that truth is stranger than fiction as she endeavors to write Vida's biography accurately.
The Thirteenth Tale is like an overgrown English garden where both beauty and rot are discovered as you make your way through bramble-covered pathways. Setterfield does an amazing job of story-telling, keeping you guessing to the end.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy books like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, The Kitchen House: A Novel, The Forgotten Garden: A Novelor The Help
Book Review: A book-lover's book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing book. "The Thirteenth Tale" isn't a mystery, horror, a romance; it's beyond genre. Setterfield combines a richness of detail and a precision of language that echo classic 19th century literature without seeming affected or derivative. "The Thirteenth Tale" isn't an imitation of Charlotte Bronte, but there are ghosts and governesses and dangerous lunatics, along with a well-sustained mystery so intricate that you can't possibly guess the ending before you read it. Setterfield acknowledges her literary inspirations ("Jane Eyre" and "The Turn of the Screw" appear several times in the narrative), but what she's written is a contemporary story framing a classic gothic tale. It's a book about reading, about why we create stories and why we crave them, about all of the ways in which words can both illuminate and obscure meaning (and, surely not coincidentally, it's also a book about women). "The Thirteenth Tale" is a feast for those of us who devour books. I couldn't put it down.Book Review: A true gift for the lover of language and the craft of writing
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an avid reader, yet I find myself frequently disappointed with the quality of writing that dominates the popular market now. I have to say, this book is flawless. I was mesmerized and completely drawn in not just by the characters and the plot, which are riveting on their own, but also with the beauty of Setterfield's language and her willingness to create a three-dimensional world of detail for her characters and her reader. This is a novel for those who love literature and are not afraid of a story of depth. To me, Setterfield has accomplished an amazing feat: she has crafted a riveting tale as absorptive as any of the most popular page-turner bestsellers with an uncompromising commitment to the art of the novel. I stumbled across this novel in the library and had no prior knowledge beyond the book jacket. I feel as though I have inadvertently discovered a treasure of immeasurable wealth. I finished it two days ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.