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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 813.6 EAN: 9781585478927 Format: Large Print ISBN: 158547892X Label: Center Point Large Print Manufacturer: Center Point Large Print Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 509 Publication Date: 2007-01 Publisher: Center Point Large Print Studio: Center Point Large Print Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly. There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins: "You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone." She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller." "I am a biographer, I work with facts." The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan. The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told. --Valerie Ryan Product Description: 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 collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist. The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission. As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that 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. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - a great story ABOUT storytellingIt's hard to categorize this book. Is it a mystery? Yes, in a way it's a mystery. The Thirteenth Tale is ALSO a ghost story. But not a ghost story about ghouls and goblins and specters. It's a story about ghosts of the past, loss, regrets and tales left unfinished. Margaret Lea, a lover of books and somewhat of a writer herself is asked to write the true life story of one of England's most beloved and reclusive writers, Vida Winter. People adore her books but know little about ... Read More Rating:  - A good mysteryMargaret is a biographer who works in her father's bookshop. She loves all things books and reads constantly. But she isn't one for popular fiction. However, when she is contacted by a famous author who wants Margaret to write her biography, Margaret is intrigued. The author, Vida Winter, is one of the most popular fiction writers of her time and Margaret has never read any of her work. She settles down to read Ms. Winter's collection of short stories which is supposed to consist of 13 tales. ... Read More Rating: - The Thirteenth TaleDiane 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 ... Read More Rating: - ExcellentThis 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. Rating: - A Modern Gothic RomanceIf 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 ... Read More |
