The Thirteenth Tale | Diane Setterfield | "When one is nothing, one invents. It fills a void"

The Thirteenth Tale | Diane Setterfield | Beautiful book

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The Thirteenth Tale

	The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield Orion Publishing Group, 2007 - 480 pages average customer review:based on 585 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"When one is nothing, one invents. It fills a void"

Early on in Diane Setterfield's 'The Thirteenth Tale', the (fictional) author of the aforementioned 'tale' utters the line I have quoted in the title of this review, "When one is nothing, one invents. It fills a void."
Upon reaching the end of this novel, this one line holds greater meaning than initially suspected.

With so many reviews of this book, I am hesitant to provide a plot synopsis (amongst the many), and will focus on what I consider to be the book's strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths: Where to begin? This is a wonderfully atmospheric, well plotted, literary tale with so many parallels to classic literature tales that it's hard for any lover of classic fiction to NOT like....others have called this simply a 'ghost' story, and in ways it is, but it's that and so much more. Setterfield has crafted such a wonderful premise and tale to support it, with so many subplots, that virtually every character mentioned in this novel is of great interest, and has a 'place' in the story that unfolds.

Weaknesses: I only have one criticism of this novel, for which I have not deducted any 'stars' in this review. One thing that typically 'irritates' me as a reader is when someone is recounting a story, giving a narrative, and somehow has details to relate of conversations that they were not privy to, and do not explain how they learned the details. Granted, in this instance, the details were vital to the story, yet I still loathe the 'leap' one must take in order to simply accept that the person narrating the story 'somehow' found out what they are telling of. Whereas Ms. Winter's narrative of her life story is supposed to be the truth, I hesitate to think that she simply invented filler details....perhaps it was an embellishment of what little she DID know to be fact, but it still leaves me feeling a bit 'flat' in reading such things.

That said, this is a wonderful story....a perfect read for crisp fall afternoons when the shadows seem a bit longer and appear sooner in the day. A tale of death and rebirth, being freed by the truth, and the unburdening of the soul, I plan to recommend this novel to fellow readers over and over and over again.

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Beautiful book

Wonderful book. Definitely one of the best I've read in a while.

It's the story of two women. Vida Winters - the most beloved living novelist in the British Isles, now 80 years old. And Margaret Lea - a 30ish, introverted antiquarian bookseller and amateur biographer.

Vida Winters past has always been a mystery, fuelled by the hundreds of `fake' life histories that she has fed to various reporters and curiosity seekers. But now she is dying and she wants Margaret to listen to her tale and write her biography.

At first Margaret wants nothing to do with the project as everything Mrs. Winters has told in the past has been a lie. But slowly she is drawn in (as is the reader) to the story. A tale of wealth & poverty, birth & decay, family & familial indifference, love & loss & twins all set around a dreary and moldering English mansion. As Mrs. Winters story unfolds, so does Margaret's own. The two women are not as dissimilar, as they first appear.

Although beautifully written, this isn't a fast paced novel. It is dark in both setting and story. Think of the cold moors & of Wuthering Heights, the cruelty in the early part of Jane Eyre. It took me a while to get into the story, but by halfway through I was not only hooked, I couldn't put it down.

But what truly made it wonderful was the ending. The stage was set perfectly for the big reveal on Vida Winters. All the clues were in line. I should have seen it coming and yet I didn't. It is not the stereotypical ending to a book. The author did a masterful job, and I love being surprised like that.

And then I spent the rest of the book crying as everything came into focus. I'd highly recommend the experience.

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A Modern Gothic Romance

If I were to attempt a plot summary here, my guess is that many readers would be (not unjustifiably) put off by what seems to be a sensationalist, V.C. Andrews-ish, melodramatic series of coincidences, assumed identities, secret twins, incest, ghosts, and murder. I don't know if there's any way that a mere summary can do this book justice. Diane Setterfield's genius is that when you're reading "The Thirteenth Tale," you become so wholly engrossed with the characters and the stories they tell that improbable events - which would make you laugh scornfully in the hands of any other author - instead seem to make perfect sense. Each new lurid detail only pulls you deeper into the story, eliciting very real sympathy for the characters living out this tragedy.

The framing device is rather straightforward - a famous author, whose life story has until now remained a mystery, has chosen on her deathbed to assign her biography to an amateur author, the daughter of a bookshop owner. We learn about Vida Winter's life as young Margaret Lea does - beginning, then middle, then end, we're informed firmly. As an unrepentant page-flipper who always peeks ahead to the end, this was enormously frustrating - but ultimately rewarding. Setterfield knows how to drop just enough clues and hints to keep us hooked, making the plot twist both a complete surprise and - upon reflection - perfectly obvious.

The pace does lag a bit about 2/3 of the way through. A subplot involving an orphan abandoned 60 years ago who befriends Margaret isn't fleshed out quite fully enough; I never cared about Aurelius quite as much as I did the other characters. All minor quibbles in the face of a book that grabbed me fully, leaving me bereft and adrift when I was done. What to read next that can possibly compare? I will eagerly await future writings from Diane Setterfield.

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Excellent

This is an excellent book. It started off a bit slow but really picked up speed. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.

The Thirteenth Tale

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.

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