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The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Scris de Diane Setterfield
Povestit de Bianca Amato și Jill Tanner
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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 beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.
Disinterring the life she meant to bury for good, Vida mesmerizes Margaret with the power of her storytelling. Hers is a tale of gothic strangeness, featuring the Angelfield family -- including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline -- a ghost, a governess, and a devastating fire. Struck by a curious parallel between their stories, Margaret demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them.
The Thirteenth Tale is a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and 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.
All children mythologize their birth. . . . So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.
Disinterring the life she meant to bury for good, Vida mesmerizes Margaret with the power of her storytelling. Hers is a tale of gothic strangeness, featuring the Angelfield family -- including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline -- a ghost, a governess, and a devastating fire. Struck by a curious parallel between their stories, Margaret demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them.
The Thirteenth Tale is a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and 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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Începeți să ascultațiInformații despre carte
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Scris de Diane Setterfield
Povestit de Bianca Amato și Jill Tanner
Descriere
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 beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.
Disinterring the life she meant to bury for good, Vida mesmerizes Margaret with the power of her storytelling. Hers is a tale of gothic strangeness, featuring the Angelfield family -- including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline -- a ghost, a governess, and a devastating fire. Struck by a curious parallel between their stories, Margaret demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them.
The Thirteenth Tale is a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and 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.
All children mythologize their birth. . . . So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.
Disinterring the life she meant to bury for good, Vida mesmerizes Margaret with the power of her storytelling. Hers is a tale of gothic strangeness, featuring the Angelfield family -- including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline -- a ghost, a governess, and a devastating fire. Struck by a curious parallel between their stories, Margaret demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them.
The Thirteenth Tale is a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and 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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What a totally weird & twisted story....... It is a miracle I even finished this for first I hated it, I found it to be overly written and boring; then it really picked up and held my interest however, by then I really began to dislike the characters (sisters) with a passion, even when they grew into adults and one was telling her story.
Miss Winter (Adeline Angelfield March) was a twin, her sister (Emmeline Angelfield March) supposedly dead the family mansion in ruin & burnt to be razed. Many people have sought out Miss Winter to learn the "truth" of the tragedy that was her life, but she has ALWAYS Lied or omitted the truth.
She calls upon a woman, Miss Lea, to come & write her memoirs and the truth of her life...... How fanciful and disgusting....... In order to understand the story she is being told and verify the "truth", Miss Lea hires a detective to investigate people from Miss Winter's past and it seems as if Miss Lea as well is just another dupe in another of the twisted schemes in Miss Winter's life.
I did not like the characters, not even the woman who was transcribing Miss Winter's biography.
Rating: 3Miss Winter (Adeline Angelfield March) was a twin, her sister (Emmeline Angelfield March) supposedly dead the family mansion in ruin & burnt to be razed. Many people have sought out Miss Winter to learn the "truth" of the tragedy that was her life, but she has ALWAYS Lied or omitted the truth.
She calls upon a woman, Miss Lea, to come & write her memoirs and the truth of her life...... How fanciful and disgusting....... In order to understand the story she is being told and verify the "truth", Miss Lea hires a detective to investigate people from Miss Winter's past and it seems as if Miss Lea as well is just another dupe in another of the twisted schemes in Miss Winter's life.
I did not like the characters, not even the woman who was transcribing Miss Winter's biography.
I was completely absorbed in this book. When I finished, I went back and re-read parts here and there, because I wanted to savor it. I recognize that it is a gothic tale, and I haven't read enough of them to know whether there are a lot of tropes here for the gothic genre, but the storyline totally held my attention -- kind of a big deal for me these days. The characters were compelling (even though most were not the type I would feel comfortable hanging out with!). I am definitely seeking out Diane Setterfield's other work(s).
Rating: 5Loved this story: creepy, intriguing, mysterious, heartwarming and hard to put down.
Rating: 4I completely connected to this narrator and got totally sucked in. It was FANTASTIC.
Rating: 4I had read this book when it first came out and loved it, but having a very short memory when it comes to book plots, when I started this reread it was like reading it for the first time. I don't know if that's a good thing, or a VERY scary thing :)
I enjoyed this book so much, the ghost story, the mystery and the strangeness of it all. I hope that the BBC tv movie will be available in the states very soon!
Rating: 5I enjoyed this book so much, the ghost story, the mystery and the strangeness of it all. I hope that the BBC tv movie will be available in the states very soon!
Wow, just wow.
Rating: 5Loved this book!
Rating: 4A delicious read.
Rating: 5A thrilling book.
Rating: 5The thirteenth taleYou know a story's good when you start again at the beginning as soon as you've read the ending.I discovered Diane Setterfield's 'The Thirteenth Tale' at my local Lounge bar book swap one afternoon and was immediately hooked. Why? Look:Opening quotation:'All children mythologise their birth. It is a universal trait. You want to know someone? Heart, mind and soul? Ask him to tell you about when he was born. What you get won't be the truth: it will be a story. And nothing is more telling than a story.'After that seriously engaging opening I was delighted to realise that this is a story in which books and reading and storytelling and truth are inextricably bound up in the narrative.This sustained me as the narrative-within-a-narrative moved on to focus on a pair of almost mythically awful characters: violent Charlie and manipulative Isabelle.What's it about?Storytelling. Twins. Loneliness.Extremely successful author Vida Winter is dying. Having spent many years spinning various tales to the hacks sent to get her life story, Vida has finally sent for a biographer to tell the truth about her early life.Margaret Lea is astounded to be summoned and dubious about Miss Winter's ability to tell the truth, but the secrets of her own birth cause her to become spellbound by the older woman's story, and she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Angelfield House, formerly home to the March family, and Miss Winter.What secrets are Angelfield and Miss Winter hiding? Margaret is ready to find out.What's it like?Quietly compelling. Atmospheric. Occasionally confusing.Setterfield perfectly conveys Margaret's complete absorption in Miss Winter's story of the very odd twins, Emmeline and Adeline, and encourages our own absorption.Throughout I wondered: how on earth does the uncontrollable Adeline become the girl seen in the mist? Certain incidents confuse; they make no sense in the context of our knowledge, and it is not until Miss Winter finally reveals the complete truth about the fire at Angelfield that the reader can comprehend a story which initially seems insoluble without recourse to ghosts.There's a real Victorian / Edwardian feel about this story, though no dates are specified. Governesses, a full staff dwindling to almost nothing, an unworldly heroine and extensive grounds in a decaying house all evoke a time long past. I'm sure this helps to explain why I enjoyed this so much!Characters are presented in ways that fully reveal them to readers, while they remain oblivious to their true selves. I loved the descriptions of the interactions between the deeply patronising Doctor Maudsley and Hester, the scientifically-minded governess:'She was quite right, of course. He had no idea what book she had got it out of, but she must have read it closely, for she elaborated on the idea very sensibly.'And this:'She had an amusing habit of expressing views of her own with the same measured command as when she was explaining a theory by some authority she had read.'Setterfield perfectly conveys the inbuilt arrogance and superiority of a medical man dealing with a female he perceives as a subordinate...and the governess's tactful and self-effacing manipulation of this "superior" male!Typical quotes:'The separation of twins is no ordinary separation. Imagine surviving an earthquake. When you come to, you find the world unrecognisable. The horizon is in a different place. The sun has changed colour. Nothing remains of the terrain you know. As for you, you are alive. But it's not the same as living.''Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes - characters even - caught in the fibres of your clothes, and when you open the new book they are still with you.'Final thoughtsThis is a cleverly constructed tale about the power of story telling and the mystical nature of twinship. I enjoyed reading it, though I was increasingly dubious about the pending solution of the various mystifying elements: I don't believe in ghosts and am not really a fan of ghost stories, so I was worried about the direction this was taking. Suffice it to say, I needn't have been. The final solution makes perfect sense - and reminds us once again that Hester is not infallible!Full of twists, turns, shocks and, erm, illegitimate children, this is compelling storytelling, including what is, quite possibly, the best doctor diagnosis and prescription ever.Recommended.
Rating: 5I loved this story.
Rating: 5A good book. It came into my possession somehow, and once I started reading it, I couldn't stop until I read it through to the end. I've read reviews that say it is 19th century in feel, and I suppose it is a little Bronte-esque. I hope its author writes another someday.
Rating: 5This novel is a book lover's dream; it's lush, gorgeously written, and the way the author lovingly talks about reading and the power of books makes you want to curl up with this unique novel even more. Margaret Lea, a book lover of the highest order and part time antiquarian book dealer and amateur biographer, finds a mysterious note. It turns out to be from the world's most famous living author, Vida Winter. Margaret is stunned, she has never even read one of Vida's 50+ novels, and how on earth does Vida even know who she is? Vida knows she is reaching the end of her life and she wants to set the record straight. For years, she has spun tales about her life, fearful for people to peer too closely in at her. However, now she is ready to get it off her chest, so she asks Margaret to be her biographer and thus begins a complex tale of deceit, mental health issues, and overall a most peculiar childhood where nothing is as it seems. Once you get started reading this there is no stopping, you have to barrel along to the end where even more surprises wait. A complex, beautiful, and haunting read. I can't wait to discuss this with my book club!
Rating: 4This story has the feel of the books I grew up loving...melodramatic, moody, dark England, thick plot, great characterization.
Rating: 5Really unusual book. Very well written book for the most part. Personally I did have trouble recalling the attributes of the minor characters upon picking the book up. The other issue for me was the fire. (Spoiler alert) While certainly a pivotal part of the story the revelation that there were three rather than two girls in the house. All in all a very satisfying read.
Rating: 4Outstanding from the first page. Similar to The Forgotten Garden, and equally as intriging.
Rating: 4I was originally drawn to this book because of its cover. The story inside was also interesting enough to result in wanting to read the whole day to finish it - not in a desperate Hunger Games way but in a pleasant "I enjoy this story" kind of way. There were plenty of twists and turns, some obvious, some a little less so. Slightly confusing section in the ending but I think that was because I was reading too much into it.
Rating: 5Fun read about reading/books as an obsession. A scandal-filled gothic novel that explores the nature of Truth. Is it always best to know the truth? Probably, but this book makes you wonder.
Rating: 4A lovely and engrossing tale built from family history and a love of words, and told with a sense of mystery, this is a book to sink into and enjoy. Setterfield tells a wonderful story, full of twists and lovely language. There were many points when I wished I felt more connected to the characters (most of whom felt a bit too convenient to the wishes of the story, and not quite believable), but on the whole, the book was a lovely escape. I should note that most of my fascinations with the book, and what kept me reading, were the stories within the story--the subtext and slighter characters and ambiguities--as opposed to the more central characters, who I didn't find all that engaging. But, regardless, I enjoyed the book more and more as I kept going, and ended up finishing it with quite a bit more satisfaction than I'd expected. On the whole? Something I'd recommend, particularly to lovers of the classics.
Rating: 4I really liked this book a lot while I was reading it, but I finished it a week ago, and I seem to forget what I thought about it. The writing was beautiful and it was one of those books that I liked the feel of, I was drawn to the setting, and just the general atmosphere where the action took place.
Rating: 4This is the perfect-stay-at-home-on-a-rainy-day-read. A beautifully written gothic tale set in modern day England is mesmerizing until the very end.The story starts off with Margaret who with her father is the owner of a antique bookstore. She is a novice biographer when she's asked by the famous and reclusive author Vida Winter to write her biography. Ms. Winter never gives interviews so Margaret is both excited and intrigued when she is chosen for this endeavor. Once Margaret meets the solitary author she realizes that although she was invited, her task is nothing but easy. Ms. Winter is a reluctant subject giving up very little and guarding her secrets. It is Margaret's job to dig deeper to discover the truth of this mysterious woman's past.One of my favorite books I've read this year. If you loved Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier then I would recommend this book as it is written in a very similar style. Creepy enough for chills but not over the top. A thoroughly satisfying read.How I acquired this book: Purchased at Book Passage, San FranciscoShelf life: Approximately a year and a half
Rating: 5Read this book suggested by several coworkers from Sturgis Library . I loved it. There was mystery, suspense and it was crazy! Love books with a little crazy.
Rating: 5When I first started reading this book, I half thought about giving up before I got 50 pages in. It wasn't for lack of plot - it already was getting quite compelling - but yet... It would be grossly unfair to say I thought the book was going to be no good, but it all felt a little bit cliched, like Setterfield had immersed herself in the great English classic thrillers, had attended a number of creative writing courses, and then had done her best to include all the usual elements of a great mystery. Crumbling old country house - tick. Antiquarian bookshop - tick. Mysterious figures - tick. Mad family member - tick. Evil child - tick.But having stuck with it, I feel that in thinking like that I was doing Diane Setterfield a huge disservice. Yes, she does borrow heavily from [The Turn of the Screw], [Jane Eyre] and [Rebecca], to name but a few, but she doesn't hide from the fact, and in fact refers to them in her novel. It is so stereotypical in places as to be a little bit cringe-making, but mostly it's just an absolute page-turning rollicking great read. The plot was brilliant - a classic mystery puzzle that only fully unfolded towards the last few pages. Despite being fairly lengthy (456 pages), not once did Setterfield lose her grip on me as a reader, and had circumstances allowed I would have quite happily devoured it in sittings of 8 or 9 hours at a time.4 stars - not original, and not my usual kind of book, but a highly entertaining read nonetheless.
Rating: 4My feelings about this book are mixed. On the one hand, I found it to be an engrossing read, and I enjoyed the immersion in Setterfield's melancholy world of strange characters, suspended in an indeterminate time. The novel gave plenty of fodder for the imagination, and the prose was vivid without overdescribing. The plot itself fulfilled the promise of a rich "tale" with mysterious events and surprising twists.On the other hand, you will not find realism here. As you read the book, you have to give yourself over to the strange poetry of the story, even if it has little in common with how real people think or behave. For example, one of the first statements penned by the famed author Vida Winter is, "All children mythologize their birth." This is not true in the real world, but in the peculiar world of this book, it is. You must suspend disbelief as you read about strangely passive, resigned, or disturbed characters who live in a half-dreamy state, surrounded by odd goings-on.The author clearly loves books, and much of the action revolves around libraries, bookshops, and classic novels like Jane Eyre. Well-written though it is, The Thirteenth Tale is no Jane Eyre - it won't teach you anything about human nature or give new insights into social issues; it is simply a good story that will entertain.
Rating: 4Fun Goth-Lit with lots of nods to Austen, Bronte, etc... Redgrave does a nice job along with her counterpart on the audio (forgot her name, sorry).
Rating: 3After reading Bellman & Black I was quite fascinated by Dian Setterfield's mystic and gothic stories. I like how she draws out the characters. I like the unpredictable story line. Great suspense novel. Need to see if there is more.
Rating: 4Interesting tale, if a bit long-winded. Not at all what I was expecting, but the twist at the end managed to genuinely surprise me. The story would really appeal to those who are twins or who have complex relationships with their siblings.
Rating: 4I had to keep reading this book once I had started it. I thought it was exquisitely written, all sorts of details were included, some of them a bit nasty. I felt it had a flavour of 'Jane Eyre' about it, although the book is not about the life story of the bookish narrator, but rather her investigation into the writer of the 'Thirteen Tales', Vida Winter. It includes a big old house, creepy twins and many secrets. It is suitably dark and gothic, I enjoyed it very much.
Rating: 5I will always love a story that can bring me to tears!
Rating: 4This was an AMAZING book! I got it as a birthday gift yesterday. I started reading it around noon today and finished at 6:30pm with only brief breaks for food. The language is wonderfully poetic and yet utterly compelling and readable. (Some prose is in love with itself, but Dane Setterfield knows how to indulge in the natural beauty of language without overdoing it.) It contains a wonderful mystery that is slowly unraveled by a young woman name Margaret, an amateur biographer who works in her father's antiquarian bookstore. Her life gets complicated when she is asked by an eminent but deeply private author to record a final story: the author Vida Winter's biography. Margaret is a bibliophile with a special love for "Jane Austen," which also happens to be one of my favorite books, and the passages were she describes reading books is so spot on...I couldn't put it better myself. If you haven't read "The Thirteenth Tale," put it on your list. You won't regret it.And now I'm off to find more books by Diane Setterfield!
Rating: 5