The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
by Diane Setterfield
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Book Reviews of The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
Diane Setterfield's novel is based on the story Vida Winter, a well-renowned author in England. Her dark and tormented past led her to finally divulge her story to Margaret Lea, a quiet, passionate librarian. Even though both women seem to be complete opposites, the readers discover that they both suffer from separation from family and the death of a twin which gives them more in common than they expected.
The Thirteenth Tale is a story about a dysfunctional family, where the birth of a girl named Isabelle led to incestuous feelings from a brother, and the birth of two twin girls; Adeline and Emmeline. However, the readers find out that there are more secrets in the house than just the strange twins. There is a presence of a ghost that drives away the mistress, Hester, and the strange transformation of the radical Adeline into a smart, sensible mistress of the mansion. During Winter's recollection, the readers discover her true identity and the mystery of the twin is resolved.
As for Margaret, she has her own set of troubles to deal with. Her mother's coldness towards her existence and her father's indifference was something she had to endure all her life. The readers discover a hidden passion within Margaret, despite her bland introduction, and as the story progresses, she begins to take charge of her situation and actively solves the mystery behind Winter's life. During her work, she encounters a man named Aurelius, who is connected to the family and towards the end of the novel, they both find a family in each other.
The book was an enjoyable read, and even though the content matter seemed too dramatic at first, Setterfield's use of subtlety left the readers wondering in the end. A plot based on an average family is marvelously unraveled as secrets begin to pour out and I believe the readers will find something to relate to in this book, especially those who are twins or are close to their siblings.
Book Review: Irresistible! Hooked me from page one!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have only read one other book that has grabbed me so completely after just reading a few sentences. The Thirteenth Tale was gorgeously-written, rich with vivid detail and suspense. I think this book will appeal to a wide audience. Those that love books, history, literature, and mystery novels. The Thirteenth Tale has it all.
I'll sum up the plot a little without giving away any spoilers. So if you haven't read it yet, feel free to keep reading. The story begins when Margaret Lea, a biographer receives a letter from one of England's most renown authors, the elusive Vida Winters. Mrs Winters has given nineteen different versions of her life. Margaret, who only writes biographies on long forgotten historical figures has qualms about writing a biography on a living person. However, Margaret agrees to meet Mrs Winters at her home.
The woman that Margaret meets, however, is as elusive as her writing. The author admits that every detail of her life that she has given to biographers has been a lie to protect her past. "Do you believe in ghosts?" Vida asks. Margaret decides she can proceed no further. As she is walking away from the author and her offer, Vida Winters touches on a subject that is so personal and secret to Margaret that she freezes. She stays and Vida Winters begins telling Margaret the tragic story of two unfortunate twins, Emmeline and Adeline.
Upon reading this book, I had a few preconceived notions. As I started reading, I thought I knew the direction the story was taking. At times I thought I had figured out all the mysteries. I was wrong every time. This book is original in every way.
The Thirteenth Tale will be one of those books I will read and reread through the years. I envy those that will soon read it for the first time. I read this novel in one day. Take your time with it and enjoy it. Savor every sentence because books like this don't come around every day
Book Review: "The soothing, rocking safety of a lie."
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Thirteenth Tale" centers on the life of Vida Winter, a renowned writer who has fed journalists with fabrications of her roots. Nearing the end of her life, she commissions Margaret Lea, a bookish amateur biographer, to write her story, and vows to tell the truth this time. This story, we learn early on, is the thirteenth tale Vida has withheld from her book "Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation." The story Vida relates is one of extreme dysfunction within the Angelfield family that spans three generations. Prominent in her tale are the twins Emmeline and Adeline March, and the bizarre events that visited their lives and the lives of those around them.
A novel about a book lover's search for truths, this strange story is awash in gothic elements and abundant references to 19th-century gothic masters, most notably the two Brontes and Collins, as well as the more contemporary du Maurier. Any stranger and it would have had to reference Stoker. For someone like me who eschews romance, gothic or otherwise, and prefers the extremely dark fiction that deals with the more sensational subject of mental aberrations, "The Thirteenth Tale" faithfully delivers on its promises.
Having decided to stamp her first novel as gothic fiction, Ms. Setterfield goes at it with gusto, employing all the tried-and-true tropes of its genre. It has no pretensions to being grand literature. Rather, it's a genuine effort at old-fashioned storytelling, complete with "ghosts," a decrepit manor, certifiable lunatics and things that go bump in the night. It is archaic, anachronistic, archetypal, and downright entertaining. It didn't promise to be anymore than that. The writing is artistic, the plot is implausibly weird but oddly fascinating, and the characters are intriguing in their wretchedness. It lures with its beginning, mystifies with its middle, and satisfies with its end.
Book Review: Things Are Seldom What They Seem
Summary: 4 Stars
Where was it that I read some publisher or the other averring that mystery readers were the most intelligent readers, in the sense that they read the books as if they were playing a game of chess with the narrator? One false move, one miniature fault line in the plot, and dozens of letters would pour in pointing it out. This indeed is how a good mystery should be read. And this particular mystery has two narrators: the first, notoriously unreliable and on narcotics the entire time she spins her yarn, and the second a scholarly but naïve young woman. And yet all these reviews seem to trust them, to go so far as to complain that the book ends with all loose ends tied up in a pretty box with a ribbon on top. Does it really?
Let me agree though that the book does well with the Bronte atmospherics, which I fail to see how any reader could fail to enjoy. But it also immolates some High Victorian conventions. It has often been noted that the one thing missing from Victorian paintings are the chamber pots, not to mention High Victorian literature. This convention is trashed when John throws open the door to where Charlie has been hiding out, the mad man in the attic, one might say.---Flies, feces, the lot. The book also has its droll moments, as when Dr. Clifton writes out a prescription for Margaret to read Sherlock Holmes to rid her of her Jane Eyrism, and when someone (I know you readers, judging by the reviews, think you know that it is Vida. But can you be so sure?) replaces Hester's book with The Turn of The Screw.
As everyone says here, this book is a very good read. It has the soothing, rocking safety of...a lie, to quote Ms. Winter. For those (apparently the majority of readers) who think that they, along with Margaret, have this all figured out, answer me one question:
How did that treasure box find its way out of the fire?
Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale
Summary: 2 Stars
Pros: Setterfield's character Miss Winter refers to herself as a subplot in her own story. I think this is accomplished both thematically and through clever story telling. Miss Winter is a writer who twists fairy tales making them more bizarre or gruesome than the original. In a similar parallel, Thirteenth Tale follows a like thematic format with hints of various well known fairy tales woven with familiar classics such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights which evoke a relation between scenic imagery and the psychology of the characters. Although not directly referred to, I also thought the story mirrored another great classic, 'Great Expectations,' and found this interesting. However, I do not think the reader has to be acquainted with these classics to enjoy the story, but it is a bonus.
Cons: There is so much going on in this novel, with subplots, thematic references and characters lives that I think it loses some of its strength. The author intends for the reader to be keep in the dark, but at times I felt wrongfully mislead in deceptive directions and got lost or found myself asking 'so what?' Also, there is a lot of retelling that occurs, which is especially annoying in the introduction of Hester's diary. Towards the end, more attention is given to Shadow the cat than to Charlie who we later find out is a lead character in creating this horrid tale of circumstance. The ending quickens, which is a relief from the lull in the middle, but I got the feeling the author did not want or know how to end with the natural conclusion. Instead, we are given a few more chapters of after thought. We are told this is done because readers often wonder what happened in the not so happily ever after. However, it's too neatly wrapped up and I think discredits all the effort the author originally made and the journey we went on in the first place. It felt more like a summary than an ending.