The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel

ugh...could not get through it.

The Thirteenth Tale is AMAZING! It has horror, adventure, romance, and most of all mystery! I love the way everything comes together in the end. It's one of those stories you will NEVER guess the secret to, but then once you figure it out, you'll smack yourself in the face because there are SO many clues that seem obvious, looking back. Finding out about Vida Winter's real life, and following...more

The Thirteenth Tale is AMAZING! It has horror, adventure, romance, and most of all mystery! I love the way everything comes together in the end. It's one of those stories you will NEVER guess the secret to, but then once you figure it out, you'll smack yourself in the face because there are SO many clues that seem obvious, looking back. Finding out about Vida Winter's real life, and following Margaret through her research were both really interesting, and I just couldn't put the book down! I have to admit though, the secret of the "Thirteenth Tale" itself is a bit of a letdown. Everything else ties together nicely, though, and the book as a whole is enthralling and delightfully disturbing.   hide

Intricate and surprising. Very very good.

The Thirteenth Tale is a book about books, as well as a book about stories. Diane Setterfield wrote penned this novel about an aging British author (Vida Winters) who has evaded all attempts to find out her background and her past. Facing death she has invited a young amateur biographer to hear the truth of her life tale. Intrigued, said biographer (Margaret), comes to know Ms. Winters very...more

The Thirteenth Tale is a book about books, as well as a book about stories. Diane Setterfield wrote penned this novel about an aging British author (Vida Winters) who has evaded all attempts to find out her background and her past. Facing death she has invited a young amateur biographer to hear the truth of her life tale. Intrigued, said biographer (Margaret), comes to know Ms. Winters very well, guessing at the secrets in her past. I read this book relatively quickly, as these things go recently. I took me two half days, made easier by having the large print version. It was also a quick read, in and of itself — not too mired down in its own seriousness, full of just enough intrigue to keep you turning the page. **Minor Spoilers below ** The resolution of Ms. Winter’s story was relatively surprising on two levels, her own identity, which I did not guess outright until it was stated (though I had certainly caught the foreshadowing and hints) as well as the reality behind Emmeline. That, I never would have guessed at. Indeed I’m not even sure why it was included, as that twist seemed entirely unnecessary. Indeed there were a few plot twists that seemed unnecessary — Margaret’s twinness, for one. Setterfield, it seems, wanted to mash as many twists and turns into this story as she could. She handles most of it well, even some of the stories that seem unnecessary keep you wanting to know more (see: Aurielius). But there are a lot of intertwining of relationships that are in the book just to have one more twist. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. On the contrary, I enjoyed it immensely. I was surprised. Part of what drew me in were the descriptions from both Margaret and Vida about books, stories and reading. They felt very real, obviously written by someone who has enjoyed reading immensely. This particular bit rings the most true for me, and it is when I knew I would forgive the book all its faults based solely on the fact that Setterfield (via Margaret) expressed something I have felt for a long time: I have read at every stage of my life, and there has never been a time when it was not my greatest joy. And yet I cannot pretend that the reading I have done in my adult years matches in its impact on my soul the reading I did as a child. I still believe in stories. I still forget myself when I am in the middle of a good book. Yet it is not the same. Books are, for me, it must be said, the most important thing; what I cannot forget is that there was a time when they were at once more banal and more essential than that. When I was a child books were everything. And so there is in me, always, a nostalgic yearning for the lost pleasure of books. It is not a yearning one ever expects to be fulfilled. In the end it feels like The Thirteenth Tale is just a well-written VC Andrews tale — instead of being told in the present it is a long-done history.   hide

I guess I was underwhelmed by this novel. It started out very slow, and took too long to build the conflict. The voice of the "author" (it's written in the first person) was really too bland and ambiguous. The reader could barely tell if the sex, age, emotions, basically just the overall character of the person telling the story. The Thirteenth Tale is your regular, run of the mill gothic...more

I guess I was underwhelmed by this novel. It started out very slow, and took too long to build the conflict. The voice of the "author" (it's written in the first person) was really too bland and ambiguous. The reader could barely tell if the sex, age, emotions, basically just the overall character of the person telling the story. The Thirteenth Tale is your regular, run of the mill gothic type novel. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed finding yet another gothic. However, there was nothing mind-blowing about the book; It's a good beach read, but that's about it.   hide

I had a little difficulty catching up speed at the beginning, for like a mist it went slow and unyielding. The first spark of interest arouse when Miss Winter exclaimed the word,"twins." The very word that not only made Margaret stay, but me as well, for I am a twin myself. Miss Winter's story went on quite exotically, and some how I was really annoyed with the grotesque relationships between the...more

I had a little difficulty catching up speed at the beginning, for like a mist it went slow and unyielding. The first spark of interest arouse when Miss Winter exclaimed the word,"twins." The very word that not only made Margaret stay, but me as well, for I am a twin myself. Miss Winter's story went on quite exotically, and some how I was really annoyed with the grotesque relationships between the characters. The only thing that kept me turning pages, was an resonant echo in my heart,"Tell me the truth!" And the more the mysteries, the more the creepiness and eagerness to break through the mist. When suddenly the routine story-telling and pencil recording veered into a striking situation, bit by bit things began to surface. And how striking the truth was! How "ghostly" it had been all the time, and it finally dawned upon me what the change of the narrated pronouns meant, and other haunting questions that were seamlessly answered in the end. The author really has a good hand of words, and has wrapped this story well, the characters vivid and impressive, the emotions convincing. Most noticeable was how the relationship between Miss Winter and Margaret mellowed through the passing of time. Their first encounter had been a mutual distrust, disguising feelings from each other: one was as unaffectionate as steel, while the other having all the reasons of skepticism, kept herself behind a veil of defense. In the end, the emotion for each other's story was overwhelming and all the compelling. "Everyone has a story." It is that unique story that pulls people together and builds up relationships that can withstand the passing of time, like a remarkable story does. This one, surely, is remarkable.   hide

When was the last time I picked up a novel? I could not remember. It is non-fiction that I read these days. Yet, I was drawn to this book even before I saw it. My first impression of the book was its book cover appearing on those lists that the local branch of Kinokuniya, where I was a member sent out. Then the title caught my eye "The Thirteenth Tale"; there was an aura of mystery that could not...more

When was the last time I picked up a novel? I could not remember. It is non-fiction that I read these days. Yet, I was drawn to this book even before I saw it. My first impression of the book was its book cover appearing on those lists that the local branch of Kinokuniya, where I was a member sent out. Then the title caught my eye "The Thirteenth Tale"; there was an aura of mystery that could not be denied. Thus, when I heard that my friend was at the bookshop two days later, I asked him to help me purchase the book. I was not disappointed. It was not the usual love story, no horror, no 'real' ghosts, no supposedly big messages to send... it was simply... a story. A story of people, probably fictional characters that seemed real. In fine prose, the book drew me into another world, one that I was unfamiliar with, and yet one that gripped me. The book touched me and set me thinking about myself. I will not say too much about the story here, as I do not wish to spoil it for you. It is worth your time, and I would say, best read in peace with tea or wine, as your desires take you.   hide

listened in audio and I think that made it better as you had the two distinct voices of the two main characters. Had me in suspense all the way and I didn't guess the ending. That is the mark of a good story, I think.

Overrated.