The Thirteenth Tale
The Thirteenth Tale......... (5th book read for RIP III)
Having completed Peril I (Read Four books of any length, from any sub genre of scary stories that you choose. The Wild Wood, Wizards, Gil's All Fright Diner, In the Company of Ogres) I decided to move on and read yet another book, but not before admitting that I am choosing books that aren't quite as scary as others.
After reading previews of the Thirteenth Tale I thought I would give it a go..
Right off the bat I am giving Diane Setterfield an A+++ for writing a book I couldn't put down!
If you ever read a book, and while reading find yourself asking questions (why? where? how? ) and find yourself not being able to put the book down because once asked you just HAVE TO find out... well, this is one of those books!
It's such a good book that I don't want to spoil a thing for anyone even considering picking it up to read, so reviewing this is hard.
It is Gothic feeling. Her descriptions are outstanding, you really feel like you can see what she (Margaret, one of the main characters) is seeing, but it's not overdone.
Part of Amazon's description goes like this:
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. Now, she says, she is ready to tell her true story.
There are mysteries to be solved and truth's to be discovered. This author captures you with the beginning of every chapter.. keeps you reading.. and captures you all over again with the next!
(small excerpt of a brief moment before Margaret actually meets Miss Winter..)
I selected a copy of Miss Winter's most recent book. On page one and elderly nun arrives at a small house in the back streets of an unnamed town that seems to be in Italy: she is shown into a room where a pompous young man, whom we take to be English or American, greets her in some surprise. ( I turned the page. The first paragraphs had drawn me in, just as I had been drawn in every time I had opened one of her books, and without meaning to, I began to read in earnest.) The young man does not at first appreciate what the reader already understands: that his visitor has come on a grave mission, one that will alter his life in ways he cannot be expected to foresee. She begins her explanation and bears it patiently (I turned the page; I had forgotten the library, forgotten Miss Winter, forgotten myself) when he treats her with the levity of indulged youth...
And then something penetrated through my reading and drew me out of the book. A prickling sensation at the back of the neck.
Someone was watching me.
Time after time you find yourself unable and unwilling to set this book down!
If you are in Carl's Challenge... or even if you are not, but do like to read... this is a book I would highly recommend!!
posted by DesLily | 8:37 AM
12 Comments:
Thanks for the spoiler-free review :) I was going to skip this post since I'm reading this one right now, but it's hard to skip reading your blog, lol!
I read the first 150 pages of this one yesterday and I'm LOVING it so far! It really is an amazing book and you're right, Setterfield does a great job of capturing her audience right away at the beginning of each chapter and keeping them hooked. Can't wait to get back to it.
Chris: Since this is not what I normally read I wondered why I liked it so much.. could be partly because I do read some Biographies now and then..and the rest is all how the author writes! This was a great book!
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down either. I have a hard time believing hype about books. When they're praised that much, I begin to doubt. But this novel is just so amazingly good. :)
Great review. I really want to read this one. Diane Setterfield will be discussing the book and signing copies of it at Waterstone's here in Nottingham in December, so I'm tempted to read it before then so I can attend.
Becky: this one sure wasn't a disappointment! To be honest I didn't hear the hype because it's not the sort of book I normally read... it was a great surprise!
Ohhh, Nymeth.. do read it and get it signed!!!
I love it when I find it difficult to put a book down.
Oh! To be able to write like that...to be able to capture the intense interest of others!
I'm so glad that you loved it as much as I did. It made such a huge impression on me and I am always saddened when others don't like it as much. It's okay, everyone has their own likes, but this book is just so wonderful. I am so glad that you decided to get outside your comfort zone a bit and join this challenge and am even more excited that you have finished. Way to go!
Lee: me too!.. but then I am sad that i read it so fast and it's over! (can't win! lol)
Carl:I liked everything about this book! The setting, the mystery, the creepy.. and of course finding the answers!
So happy to hear you've enjoyed this book - I agree that it is really hard to put this one down. It's positively fabulous! :)
That does sound like an interesting book! I'll have to add it to my list.
cjh
Great selection! I enjoyed this one as well. :)
I've read some great books for this challenge and "Thirteenth Tale" is on the list, but I'm thinking I will save it for next year's challenge. Then I know I will be reading at least one really good book.
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