The Thirteenth Tale (original 2006; edition 2006)

Loved this - fascinating story, tight plot, great characters. Dark, gothic. Got so lost in her initial description about spending time in her father's bookstore growing up that I was almost disoriented when I looked up from the book. ( )

The book "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield is about a girl named Margaret Lea and she works in her father’s antiquarian book shop. One day she receives a letter from England’s best known and loved author, Vida Winter. The famous author asks Margaret to come and interview her and write a biography about Vida. Margaret is amazed by this request and although she is an biographer, with few published essays, she doesn't feel ready. However, she decides to take Vida Winter's offer and there the story begins. Vida Winter is near the end of her life and wants to tell her story. Margaret asks only one thing: that she tell the truth and goes to extremes to assure that the truth is told. ( )

In the Thirteenth Tale, Vida Winter is a famous novelist in England who has written a series of twelve best selling novels, but never had the thirteenth one published. No one really knows the real Vida Winter and she feels it is time to tell the world her story after avoiding telling the truth to reporters and biographers for 50 years. She decides to tell an amateur biographer Margaret Lea her tragic story. I thought it was interesting how the author weaved parts of scenes from Jane Eyre into the novel. Jane Eyre provides a link between all of the characters. The Thirteenth Tale is a booklovers novel, it has great descriptions of the old bookshop Margaret works in, of Vida’s library, and the style is written in a way that reminds me of the great gothic novels. There are a lot of twists and turns, I found it hard to put the book down. I was totally off about how the book would end.

“What better way to get to know someone than through her choice and treatment of books?”
~Margaret Lea

“The hours between eight in the evening and one or two in the morning have always been my magic hours. Against the blue candlewick bedspread the white pages of my open book, illuminated by a circle of lamplight, were the gateway to another world.” ~Margaret Lea ( )

PR6119.E86
Recluses as authors --Fiction.
Women authors --Fiction.
Female friendship --Fiction.

Loved this book! Prose is excellent. Highly recommend! ( )

What a book, I just could not put it down after the first two chapters. This book is for those who like a real suspense, drama, thriller story and do not want to know how the story end until they have gotten to the end of the book. ( )

the loneliest number: Two minus one equals zero. Two plus one equals two. This is the arithmetic of twins according to Diane Setterfield's [[ASIN:0743298020 The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel]].

This novel is an homage to [[ASIN:0451526554 Jane Eyre (Signet Classics)]]. Three characters (the tutor, the author, and the biographer) take turns playing the role of the literate, lovelorn heroine. And as in Bronte's masterpiece, the climax of the novel is a fire that destroys an extranumerary family presence.

This is a very low-key Gothic novel, with uniformly shallow characterizations, a cozy ghost-scape, and a very mild sense of foreboding. Setterfield adds a superficial exploration of the psychology of twin-ness. It seems that if you take away one (or add another) the remainder is always two - or noone at all.

The Thirteenth Tale is a story within a story: dying author Vida Winter relates the story of her childhood to bookshop owner and amateur biographer Margaret Lea. This narrative frame facilitates the build-up of mystery and suspense as the reader receives Miss Winter’s tale in fits and starts as she relates the tale to Margaret in installments for as long as her strength to withstand the pain of her illness will allow. Miss Winter’s narrative is also fiercely chronological, resisting all temptation to look ahead to later on in her life and reveal more than she should. Consequently, the reader finds out details as Margaret does and it just as tantalised by the snippets of information and speculation which she manages to garner elsewhere. I also enjoyed the fact that the story refuses to be contained, but spills over into the frame narrative, Margaret’s own life and emotions connecting with those she is recording.

Miss Winter’s story is delightfully gothic, encompassing such topics as death, insanity, mental illness, incest, domestic violence and self-harm. Emmeline and Adeline are eerie and chilling in their childish lack of remorse or morality, something which is established well by Diane Setterfield showing the twins through the eyes of various characters who try to influence them: the governess, the doctor, the housekeeper, the gardener and more. The reader is kept firmly outside their insular, interior world and so they always appear strange and uncanny, and Diane Setterfield’s very precise use of pronouns and perspective help to accentuate this. That their twisted family history is full of possible excuses to explain their behaviour sets them apart even more rather than offering an opportunity to sympathise with them. Angelfield itself provides the perfect, typical decaying stately home setting, beloved of gothic novels and the setting for the frame narrative is equally atmospheric, the damp and chill of the Yorkshire Moors permeating the story.

My only slight problem with this book is Margaret, the first person narrator relating the story to the reader. I don’t feel that her character is developed sufficiently; although the reader is supplied with numerous details with which to flesh her out, the central issue of her own missing twin and her accompanying bouts of mental instability are haphazard rather than developing consistently to a climax. The climax comes, but out of the blue without any significant build-up. I would have liked Margaret’s issues to feel more real for their own sake rather than as a way of tying her to Miss Winter and her story. Nevertheless, this was a very good read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. ( )

Meh, I didn't love it but it was engaging enough to keep me reading to the end (third time was a charm, finally made it through it). It just didn't even begin to compare with Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Shadow of the Wind for me. The writing was good but not captivating, I missed the Magical Realism of Shadow. I never found myself drawn into the story, I was never on the edge of my seat devouring pages, needing to know what happened next. It certainly had Gothic elements but it's misleading to call it a ghost story. ( )

Anybody who is crazy about books will enjoy the way the author describes Margaret's total addiction to them. Many of us on this site can relate to that. Like the auspicious time starting at 8 pm till 2-3 in the morning when her ordinary world stopped and her magical world of reading was in... Then, of course, there is the other part of the book dealing with her biographical research of a famous but mysterious writer who hires her to write her biography. The style is simple and unadorned but the tale makes you turn the pages with expectation. ( )

This isn't a favorite book of mine, and it's not really a quick read, but it was mostly enjoyable. I enjoyed the part of the story were Margaret talks about books and reading more than the actual story Vida tells her, although that was a suspense story in itself. The way Setterfield expresses phrases and words it wonderful. The twists were unexpected too. The one thing I wish had been focused on more was Margaret's story itself. Don't read if you're looking for a simple easy read, because this one is not. But if you're looking for a good ghost story this is one you should pick up. ( )

I enjoyed this book immensly. I agree with the comment Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Howard made on the cover of this book: 'Anyone picking up this novel will not be able to put it down. Pick it up!'
The book takes place in what I believe to be fairly modern times, but I could hardly shake the Victorian feel that emmanates from Mrs. Winters story. A beautiful and sad ghost story. ( )

Way, way too long, too verbose, too many words. Not that interesting a story. Too dramatic. Repetitive. I listened to the audiobook and couldn't wait for it to end. ( )

This was a great story from the first page to the last. Not sure what other reviewers didn't like about the beginning chapters, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! ( )

As other reviews have mentioned, this book is difficult to get into at the beginning, with the early chapters stretching on for far too long and the narrator not offering too much appeal in her own characterization, but once you get through those chapters and the story turns to Vida Winter's history, the novel really picks up and becomes difficult to tear away from.

Margaret, whose love affair with books has been the defining element of her otherwise lonely life, is called to write the biography of Vida Winter, a famously reclusive English novelist who has spun innumerable (fictitious) tales about her origins to reporters in the past. Though at first hesitant, Margaret is quickly sucked into the tale Miss Winter spins -- the tale of Angelfield. Describing much about Angelfield risks giving too much away, but fans of gothic literature, old British estates or family mysteries will not be disappointed to uncover crumbling houses, twisted family relationships, blazing pyres and perhaps even a ghost or two in the midst.

This is a long book, and given the early drudgery, you may be tempted to put it down. But fans of this type of story and setting should push through those early chapters. It's well worth it. ( )

Above anything else, The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to readers and reading. Its passages about the power of reading for escape and transformation will ring true for any avid reader. It is also an homage to the great gothic novels of the 19th century, particularly Jane Eyre. It cleverly incorporates all the classic gothic elements: a crumbling, decrepit mansion; the stock characters of the housekeeper, governess and orphan baby abandoned on a doorstep; insanity, incest and family secrets; a winter storm; a fire; and even the moors of Wuthering Heights fame.

I read this book with great pleasure, and not just because it is in large part about the power of storytelling and the act of creation, subjects which fascinate me. It was also a ripping good yarn, with wonderful characters, intertwining storylines and a whole lot of suspense. The Thirteenth Tale is a must-read for any book lover. ( )

I truly enjoyed this book. I loved then narrator's mini-story, so real that you could actually feel that you were in a book store...and then add it to the engrossing Vida Winter tale; I just couldn't put this book down. I didn't want it to end either. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I had seen many recommendations for it when a friend surprised me and sent me a copy as a gift.

The book is set in York and that endeared it to me all the more. Margaret Lea is the somewhat lonely and very bookish daughter of the owner of a bookstore. Vida Winters is a contemporary author whose talent for weaving stories has led her to tell differing versions of her life story. This is exactly what brings the two women together.

Suspense abounds and holds the reader mesmerized in an attempt to come to the realization of the truth, hand-in-hand with Margaret. This book of mystery comes together without Setterfield tricking the reader as she unravels a lifetime in order for a true biography to be written.

This selection includes: mystery, love, loss, tragedy, healing, forgiveness. I found it spell-binding. ( )

The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield is a wonderful gothic mystery with interesting characters and descriptive writing. When Margaret Lea is called to the home of reclusive author Vida Winter to write her biography, she has little idea of what to expect. She has never read one of the author's books and only knows that she has given a different account of her life's story to each reporter she has spoken to throughout the years. How will Margaret know if Vida Winter is actually telling her true story this time?

The writing in The Thirteenth Tale captured me from the beginning. The initial setting of a bookshop specializing in old manuscripts and a strange letter for the narrator set the scene for a journey into the past. While the setting soon changes to Vida Winter's residence, much of the story takes place in the library surrounded by classic books as well as those written by the author in the story. Overall this is the perfect book for lovers of mysteries and books. Vida Winter's story is intense and well paced. At times I hated to have this story interrupted with Margaret Lea's observations and her back story. While there were times that Margaret's journeys did add to Vida's story, it felt like they pulled me out of the most interesting parts of the story. The mystery is a complex one but resolved to the reader's satisfaction at the end. While there were a few parts of the story that were confusing and some questions that I didn't find answers to, I fully admit that I function in a state of exhaustion most of the time these days and it is very possible that I missed subtle clues that were given along the way. ( )

The Thirteenth Tale didn't start out well for me. The narrator, Margaret Lea, is dull. One would think a book lover like myself would identify with a woman whose life revolves around books, but Margaret's love of the written word is snobbish. She prefers much older books, to the point where she has never read a contemporary novel. She works in her father's shop and lives above it. She lives the life of a recluse, having absolutely no social interaction beyond her father. As an amateur biographer, she only writes about obscure, long dead people - as live people are messy and she's rather not have to actually deal with them. She's quite the party, Margaret.

Margaret's contacted by Vida Winter, the world's bestselling contemporary writer, asking to write her biography. Vida has been known to lie in all interviews, leaving her personal history completely unknown. Also leading a reclusive lifestyle, I didn't have much hope that Vida would be any more interesting than Margaret.

Margaret travels to Vida's home and hears her very long story. As the reader, we experience both Vida's telling of her past and Margaret's reaction to it. The book initially seems to show the mystery as what is the thirteenth tale that was left out of Vida's most famous work, but the real mystery is Vida herself. Layer by layer, her past is revealed and nothing is as it seems. She becomes a thoroughly interesting character and her story fully engrosses.

I was tempted to put The Thirteenth Tale down many times in the first fifty or so pages. It dragged mercilessly and even in the end, I cared for Margaret and her narration very little. I struggled through trusting others who raved about this book and ended up glad I did. Vida and her mystery are surprising, engaging and completely worth the wait. ( )

Enjoyable gothic mystery, entertainingly written. ( )

I could review this book in one sentence: This is one messed-up family, but its a family that makes for an enchanting story.

This is a book that reads like a fairy tale. Bookshop assistant and minor biographer Margaret Lea is summoned by dying writer Vida Winter to write the latter's life story. Winter has lived and secretive and reclusive life, and Margaret will be the first to get a look at her past. What she finds when she arrived is a story of abuse, abandonment, and twins helplessly devoted to one another. In the course of writing Winter's life story, Margaret will be forced to confront a tragedy in her own past.

I was fully enthralled and engrossed in this book. Once I started I read at every spare moment until I was finished. This is a novel full of gothic atmosphere and mystery. I must say that I found Vida Winter's story far more engaging than Margaret's. Margaret struck me as a fairly annoying individual. Luckily she is mostly a foil for the story of Vida, her family, and her childhood home. ( )

I love books with the bookstore connection, also ones with stories about writers. This one captures both wrapped in a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. ( )

I found this immensely entertaining; a book that gripped me from the first page to last, with no dull passages I was tempted to skim, and one I hated to put down until finished. It didn't make me cry or laugh out loud or make me think, so I guess it doesn't quite deserve top marks, but Setterfield sure knows how to spin a yarn. She knows both how to turn a phrase and how to put more than one twist in her tale. This is a tale in the gothic tradition of Jane Eyre or Turn of the Screw.

One day our narrator Margaret Lea gets a letter from Vida Winter inviting her to write her biography. Vida is "the most famous living writer in the English language," but has managed to remain mysterious about her past, giving various fantastic and obviously made up tales about her background to reporters. Curious, Margaret visits the writer at her home, but is suspicious she'll ever get the truth, and is about to walk away from the opportunity when Vida says "Once upon a time there were twins." Margaret's own twin died soon after birth, and she's been haunted by her absence--she finds she can't walk away from such a story. Or from a storyteller like Vida. Early in the novel Margaret tells of how she got injured as a child because she got too absorbed in a book. As she says, "Reading can be dangerous." Or storytelling in any case can be, and Vida has quite the story to tell of a decrepit haunted manor, a degenerate old family, a governess, a foundling, madness, secrets--and twins.

This was a absorbing mystery, even if I have to agree with a reviewer that the Margaret twin subplot seemed overwrought and Setterfield throws in so many elements of the gothic novel it edges up to parody--though unlike that reviewer I didn't feel it went over the line. Not while I was reading it anyway since I was so too engrossed to care much about the flaws. I suppose in that respect, Setterfield's way with storytelling is dangerous indeed. ( )

This book was absolutely phenomenal! It grabbed me from the start and held me in a choke hold until I finished. It's the kind of book that I could reread over and over and continue enjoying each time. ( )