The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
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Book Reviews of The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Book Review: This not a comfy read, but it is exciting
Summary: 5 Stars
Gentle Journey A recommendation and then the fabulous web site for The Thirteenth Tale drew me to read this book. If you are a book-lover who loves to hang out in antique book stores, you will want to keep this on your shelf to reread at intervals throughout your life just to try to figure out how Diane Setterfield has created this moody, magical story within a story that keeps you reading until your eyes burn and finally close of their own volition. I, as a writer, identified with both the main characters: the book dealer's daughter and the secretive author. The macabre secrets which slowly spill out are handled well for the sensitive of stomach. The author glosses over rather than going into detailed descriptions of things that shaped the main character's life; they only made me slightly uncomfortable, and my eyes were racing to see what happened next anyway.Book Review: The Proof Is In The Story And The Story Is Spectacular
Summary: 5 Stars
So, I picked this book up at Borders, just looking around for a couple of good books to read this summer to stow away and finally pulled it off my shelf to read. I started this quaint story about a gal who loves books, la, la, la, and then, Shazam, the story pops off the page. Seems this "bookish" gal has a bit of intriguing family history. What's more, she's hired by a famous author to write a biography. The famous author wants to finally reveal the truth about her life before she passes on.
By visiting and working alongside Vida Winter, famous author, our narrator, Margaret Lea, figures out a thing or two about her own life. Vita's story is amazing, full of twists and turns and surprises, a masterpiece of literary creativity. Margaret's careful handling of Vita's story and her own understanding and acceptance of her family and her history is inspiring. This is truly a book that was a welcome surprise and definitely hard to put down.
Book Review: Stories Within the Story
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful and imaginative book! This is a story for true bibliophiles! All the characters are fully rounded and easy to relate to. Being an expat of England for some twenty odd years now, this book made me homesick and longing to be friends with Margaret Lea (yes, I know, she's a fictional character). Just when you think you've figured out what's what, you get thrown once again! There is a part in the book where Vida Winter asks Margaret Lea to imagine all of her favourite books being put on a conveyor belt leading to a fire. She has a gun in one hand and a choice to spare the man's life who is about to feed the fire with her beloved books, or shoot him to save the books. Which does she choose? I'm not telling, you'll have to read the book.
A voracious reader, I can finish quite a few books within a month. This is one of the best books I've read in years! No exaggeration!
Do yourself a favour and get this book!
Book Review: Literary, gothic, a paean to writing
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
As a writer of non-fiction, I have very little time for fiction reading, though I love it, so I'm very picky about what I read. Most modern critical darlings leave me cold. So, I wasn't expecting too much when I opened this book, but I found myself loving it!
Yes, it has suspense, off-stage violence, and even a ghost -- none of which I usually like, but it also has gorgeous writing, fascinating characters, and a great plot. It was fascinating to my psychologist's mind, and enthralling. It is part Gothic; part fantasy fiction, part suspense novel. I loved the protagonist's love affair with books.
It's the most enjoyable novel I've read since "Possession" -- and, although there's no great romance, it is a love story. I don't know if it will be made into a movie, but it probably should.
Book Review: A Book I Couldn't Put Down
Summary: 5 Stars
I think that's the highest compliment a book can receive. But actually, I listened to the audio version, which was very well done with two narrators. I was caught up in the mystery of who Vida Winter actually was, but she wants her story told in order, without skipping ahead, and Margaret Lea, her biographer, narrates it that way for the most part.
"Tell me the truth" is the haunting line in this story, and sometimes it's best to wait for the right time for the truth to be told. The author doesn't cheat--all the clues were there--but I didn't put them together. All the plot threads were tied up in the end, even some that I hadn't wondered about initially, but probably would have later.
I'm very surprised at the reviewers who criticized the writing. I thought it was wonderful. It's not so easy to write a best seller. If it were, everyone would do it.
Cindy Thomson, Author of Brigid of Ireland