This is one of the books that "spoke" to me. There was something I couldn't explain, some silent communication that occurred between the book and I when I was browsing it on the Top Rates shelf. It compelled me to read it, I sat there staring at the interesting cover and clicked on it, read the summary, the reviews, and I knew I had to read it, immediately. It helped a lot that my friend has a copy, and since she's a good friend, she let me borrow it even though she hasn't read it yet.

After reading the first few pages, I needed to read more. This book really is for book lovers, and those who just doesn't like to collect books, but read them and treasure them. There are a lot of stories in here, there are stories within a story and the first person point of view was used effectively.

Diane Setterfield painted pictures with words, the imagery was excellent and with words she made me feel, made me think, and made me wonder. The reviews proved true when after a feel-good ending, with all the lose ends tied, I still found myself wondering about what would happen.

This book was filled with questions, short stories, angst, eccentricity, and a whole lot of familial love. I only gave this a four because I didn't like the main story told, it's not something I would read again, but I enjoyed reading it because of Setterfield's play of words. The characters were unpredictable and the mysteries sprung forth after every chapter. You'll know all the answers to those eventually. ( )

Synopsis: The world's most popular fiction author Vida Winter has fallen sick, and knowing she is nearing her death she hires Magaret Lea, a booklover who had never once read anything by her, to write her biography.
It isn't easy for Vida Winter to tell the truth about her past, as she is used to the fictional world. But slowly, she begins to tell the story of Angelfield House, hidden for centuries.
Magaret Lea tries to discover Vida Winter's connection with the house, unravelling many deep secrets.
My Opinion: The mysterious plot confused, and sometimes even bored me for the first half of the book. It isn't until the main secret is revealed that everything starts to make more sense and create a more easy-to-read and enjoyable story, but this doesn't happen until near the end. ( )

To describe The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield would require a string of adjectives more witty, but similar to spooky, complicated, mysterious, multilayered, and cozy. It’s reads like a car starting on a cold day, but once the engine warms up it’s a comfortable and enjoyable journey.Anyone who says they understood all of the subplots and minor mysterious is a smarter person than me, because I got lost several times over during the tale, but if it wasn’t complicated I would be complaining that it was too elementary.The character development is very thorough. In fact, the characters are so complex and self aware it’s easy to get lost in the pages of the character’s self reflection, since the novel jumps to different first person views very often.Overall, I enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to a reader that is looking for an engrossing read. It is not a shallow nightstand reader, because it requires too much concentration and reflection for a reader that might be drifting off to sleep as you turn the pages to the very long chapters. I recommend the book, but stay alert or you might get lost in the details. ( )

I know this book gets very good reviews, but I did not enjoy it. At best, it was OK. I read it about 6 months ago, I recall it was well written, but the story just didn't grab me. ( )

Wow! I couldn't put this one down! Absolutely loved it!! It was full of surprises til the very end!! ( )