The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
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.
I have had a copy of this book sitting on my Kindle unread since April 2013. Before buying the digital copy, I had a print copy in the house for years that I have since donated. I have no idea why I haven’t already read this book. Most of my friends on Goodreads loved this book and it sounds like something I would really enjoy. Maybe I can get it worked it sometime soon!
‘);
I loved The Thirteenth Tale! It is such a good story and I could relate to the main character. I hope you love it when you read it, Carole.
I have heard so many good things about this. I have no idea why I haven't actually read it yet.
This is new to me! I love the book's cover. If you end up reading this one, I hope you enjoy it!
Have a lovely day. =)
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
It is a beautiful cover!
I hope you can read this soon. I've seen it around a lot but never read it.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
It has been around for quite a while and a lot of people seem to love it.
This is a new one to me, but it sounds like it will be a good read.
It does sound great!
oh wow! I wonder if my library has it, looks like it's going to be a tearjerker
Crossing my fingers you can get this one from your library.
It definitely looks like one you'd read and love. I had my eye on it when it first released and never got around to it. Hopefully, you can pick it up soon.
It seems that the longer it sits on my shelf the easier it is to ignore.
I have this on my Kindle or maybe on my old Nook
I am glad that I am not alone 🙂
Oh this one is completely new to me
It was all over the place when it first came out.
I've got this one too! A coworker gave it to me a long, long time ago. I do want to read it, but haven't found the time yet…
If only I had the time to get to all of my books 🙂
I think this was a dnf for me
Oh no!
I've never heard of this one.
I think it looks really good!
I haven't read (or heard of it) but it does sound interesting.
Doesn't it?!
I hope you enjoy it, and get to read it soon! I love that cover, so warm and inviting.
The cover is gorgeous!
I like that cover with the old book pile!
It is a beautiful book!
This is actually new to me but sounds interesting!
A lot of readers seem to love this one, Grace.
I've always been interested in reading this one. Hope you enjoy it when you do get to it.
I need to clear off all of my review books so I can make time for all of these gems.
I hadn't heard of this one before but it sounds great. Looking forward to your review (in time) 🙂
I hope to get around to it at some point 🙂
I had forgotten about this one! I have it on my library list (which doesn't count because it's not on my shelf right?) but haven't read it yet. I need to try it!
I have had this book for so long that I kind of forgot about it. I was a bit surprised to see it when I was looking through my Kindle archive. I think you could count any book that is part of your backlog whether you own it or not!