Saturday 21 January 2012

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield


I went into this book not entirely sure what to expect.  I knew it was a gothic tale inspired by books such as Jane Eyre, The Woman in White and Wuthering Heights, and I knew that it was partly about loving books, but I didn't know it was going to be a mystery.  Margaret Lea, the reclusive daughter of a bookshop owner, is summoned to write the biography of the nation's favourite writer, Vida Winter.  But Vida's compulsive storytelling makes it hard to separate fact from fiction and Margaret is soon drawn into a world of stormy weather, moors, desperate love, violence and feral children.  Just what is the truth behind the stories?

There was much I enjoyed about The Thirteenth Tale.  I just adored the beginning section describing Margaret's life in the bookshop and her passion for reading (many quotes were copied out of the book) and found Vida Winter to be a fascinating character.  The writing just glides across the page and I found myself trying to read faster and faster in order to find out what would happen next.  I don't read many mysteries and didn't solve the mystery before the reveal, but I loved looking back and thinking about all of the clever clues I had missed, as well as solving what Setterfield had left deliberately obscure.

Being a bibliophile, I also appreciated the references to some of my favourite books, although they could have been a bit more subtle.  I haven't read The Turn of the Screw, but I did catch the homages to Wuthering Heights (wild love), Jane Eyre (madness, governesses) and The Woman in White.  I tend to enjoy books that attempt to write in the style of these classics (The Historian) and this was no exception.  Of course the writing didn't live up to the standard of the original novels, but I thought it a fitting tribute.

There were parts of this novel I didn't like as much.  The constant reference to twins as the central motif grated on me as the book went on.  There's only so many times I wanted to read about Margaret looking at her 'other self' in a mirror or windowpane, especially as it was described in the same way each time.  I felt the middle sections lagged in comparison with the rapid pace of the end of the book, and I wanted more about Margaret's Mum, who could have been a fascinating character if she appeared in the book for a longer period of time.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the gothic classics, or a good mystery, or who likes reading books about books.  I'm going to end this review with my favourite quote from the book;
   " In the background is the hiss of the gas heater; we hear the sound without hearing it for, side by side, together and miles apart, we are deep in our books."

Source: Library 
First Published: 2006
Score: 4 out of 5

28 comments:

  1. Great review! I've been disappointed with some other contemporary books labeled "gothic romance" but I really enjoyed this one!

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    1. Yes, you could tell the author was a big fan of the gothic classics.

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  2. This was such a good book! I read it when it first came out and really, it's what got me started on my quest to catch up on the classics.

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    1. I think it's great if it inspires people to read the classics, I hadn't thought of that. It was a very good book indeed.

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  3. Thanks for the review. This one is going on my list.

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  4. I loved this book as well. Wish I had never given it away now, as I realise 6 years later it was good and I could read it again . A must for all book lovers out there if only or the descriptions.

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    1. I never give any books away in case I want to reread them, a system that has many flaws because I'm left with many books I will never look at again! I'm sure your library will have a copy though?

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  5. I was sort of iffy on this book, maybe a 3 of 5 stars rating. Of course, I read it in a time when I had just barely started looking at modern books, so I was used ot classic language, and the difference between the two was really huge. I'm sure that influenced me.

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    1. Yes, even though it's inspired by the classics, there is a big difference between them. Do you think you would enjoy it more now?

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  6. I liked this one a lot but the twin thing did grate after a while. My favorite bits were the bookish ones. :)

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    1. I wanted more of the bookish stuff, I have to admit.

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  7. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one!! I completely agree with everything you listed above. The repeated references to her twin really was quite unnecessary. And, honestly, it came off reading quite silly in some passages. Other than a few issues, I really did enjoy the mystery and felt that the author did a great job of keeping the story moving.

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    1. I kept thinking 'maybe I don't understand the twin thing because I'm not a twin' but in the end I just thought it was a bit silly. Yes, the story did move very quickly, making it hard to put this book down.

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  8. I so loved this novel. Id' been putting off reading Rebecca for years, and after reading this title, I dove right into it and of course LOVED it. I'm not thrilled about the new cover, though.

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    1. Ooh, I should definitely try Rebecca then? This is the UK paperback cover, I much prefer the US paperback cover.

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  9. This has been on my wish list for a couple of years now. I didn't realize that twins figured into the plot - that reminds he of Her Fearful Symmetry.

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    1. I thought of Her Fearful Symmetry whilst reading this, although I haven't read it yet. I wonder if they are similar?

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  10. One of my all-time favourite novels and one of my rare "keepers". I'm still waiting anxiously for her second novel - I'm not even sure if she's even working on anything.

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    1. I've heard that she is working on something but it's been quite a long time since this was published now...

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  11. I've wondered about this book - the blurb made me unsure whether I'd like it but your review makes it sound more appealing. I think I'd better read Wuthering Heights first- it's one of my challenge books for this year. Then I'll add this to my list too!

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    1. It's a book that is hard to describe but I definitely enjoyed it. I would recommend reading Wuthering Heights first, as the initial section of Vida's story is all a tribute to it.

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  12. I can completely understand why those parts would grate on your nerves since they were my least favorite too. I loved the book though and will always have fond memories of it because it was one of the first I blogged about years ago.

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    1. Overall I did enjoy the book. Books can definitely be special depending on what was going on in our lives whilst we read them.

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  13. It's quite awhile since I read this but I do remember I really liked it. Glad you enjoyed it overall.

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  14. I've heard so many great things about this book but every time I see it at the bookstore I never buy it. One of these days I will!

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  15. I read and posted on this book in 2010-I do like books that talk about the reading habits of people who love to read so I liked 13th Tale-I enjoyed the Gothic aspects also-I enjoyed reliving the book in your excellent post.

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  16. I've wanted to read this book for the longest time, and I had really high expectations for it. Your review, however, taught me to lower my expectations a bit. The book sounds as wonderful as I first though, but it certainly isn't perfect. :)

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