When Margaret Lea opened the door to the past, what she confronted was her destiny. All children mythologize their birth…So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter’s collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist. The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating … various outlandish life histories for herself — all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter’s story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission. As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida’s storytelling but remains suspicious of the author’s sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.
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Stylistically lush and gorgeous, wonderfully atmospheric. We can almost smell the mold and hear the ghost creeping along the passageway. Sometimes digressive and the plot feels contrived, with its multiple instances of twinness. But we don’t read Gothics for the plot, do we?
A couple of examples of Setterfield’s decorative style: “Where blotting …
One of my favorite books of all time.
The question of the week this week wants rainy day reads – to me, a rainy day book needs to be totally absorbing, something you get sucked into and don’t want to put down. This one fits the bill in spades for me – there are secrets galore, deliciously eccentric and complex characters, and a twist that I didn’t see coming (and that I all but forgot …
The Thirteenth Tale might be my all-time favorite summer read. I picked it up–quite literally–at my local pool club one August day on the “stop and swap” book rack. In among the paperbacks and children’s books was this perfect hardback edition, with a gorgeous cover that featured a stack of antique books. But what was inside the cover was even …
If you are in the mood for a really atmospheric Gothic mystery, look no further. This book was creepy, fascinating, and engrossing. The plot twist was truly shocking, I actually re-read the entire book so I could catch all the clues I didn’t see before. One of my all time favorites!
While I enjoyed the whole story, my inner bibliophile adored that this was, in part, a book about books. I loved that so much of the story took place in an antique book store and a home library. I loved all of the snippets of thoughts & conversation regarding words and stories and books and authors.
“There is something about words. In expert …
One of my all time favorite books. The writing and the story are so original and the language/voice of the author has a lushness to it that I found captivating. Even though I read The Thirteenth Tale almost ten years ago, it still stands out as a favorite because I lost myself so completely in the story. That doesn’t happen often for me, so it was …
I so loved this. I need to read it again. Escape into it again, I should say. I took it on a camping trip and all I wanted to do was sit in that camp chair and READ. I was sorry when I came to the end. I wanted it to go on and on!
The Thirteenth Tale is a modern gothic narrated by a woman who has been commissioned to write the biography of a renowned author with a guarded past. I loved this dark and twisty story and especially loved the way the story unfolded.
A brilliant surprise reading!
The Thirteenth Tale turned out to be a most engrossing tale. What I expected to be a ‘nice’ book to occupy my mind, this book surpased all expectations. I was unable to put this book down! When it was necessary to do so the characters were walking around me and we were sharing experiences together! Perhaps not …
The Thirteenth Tale is the second book I’ve read by Diane Setterfield. I love everything about this Gothic Literary Novel and the mystery to be deciphered from distinct stories entwined with a common thread and told seamlessly by one of the main characters, VIDA WINTERS. Ms. Setterfield does an incredible job of WORLD-BUILDING. Each character is …
Dreamy, original, and just an all around wonderful book to escape into.
I really liked this novel. It may not be for everyone, but I loved it. It isn’t a fast paced book. It’s still a page-turner. Beautifully written! I think this would fall into the Gothic Thriller category.
It was a very good story. I read it a few years ago, but it still stays with me. It is one of the books that will stay in my collection.
Tried reading this first and had to put it down because I just could not get into it. Picked up the audio version months later and was able to get through it. Didn’t really resonate with me, but perhaps I am just not into gothic fiction.
The prose is so precise and flows so easily that I kept going back to re-read passages just for the pleasure of the cadence. There was a mystery in the tale that compelled me to re-read it immediately to appreciate how little clues were sprinkled throughout the narrative. First rate.
such a great book with a wonderful mystery that I couldn’t figure out.
I wish for a better ending!
Started this book but quit- if I can’t get interested after 2-3 chapters I won’t read
Good mystery