Customer Reviews
Tantalising Twins - By: bebegee, 21 Jul 2008 
A story about two sets of twins tantalising brought together in different circumstances in this gothic novel in which books & those who write & care for them provide the pivot to the story. Beautifully written in places with some originality of syntax & metaphor. My only reservation was at the end, I found the plot a little drawn out & repetitive in the effort to create an additional layer of suspense & intrigue, where there was none.
Unbelievably brilliant. - By: Joanne Schofield, 30 Jun 2008 
Wow, what a book. I'm not sure I can do it enough justice as it's hard to express exactly how brilliant I thought it was.
The Thirteenth Tale is a magical & haunting story. (There have been so many reviews detailing the plot that it seems unnecessary to mention it again here). Setterfield has a unique writing style & her prose & imagery are astounding as they transport the reader into a different time.... The descriptions of the decaying Angelfield were so unbelievably evocative that I could almost see the house crumbling before my eyes. Oh & to top alll that of she's also created the most exciting & carefully crafted plot I've read in ages.
The main character in the book mentions that the sign of a special book is one that you still think about even when you've finished reading it, which is exactly what I'm doing with this one. I can't recommend it highly enough. I just hope the author produces something as good for her second book - no pressure or anything...
disappointing - By: M. Hayes, 30 Jun 2008 
As other reviewers have said, this is 'Gothic lite'; & I would put the emhasis on lite. Nothing about the book reallly satisfies. The convoluted plot is unconvincing & the highly contrived 'twist' at the end is limp. The characters are two-dimensional & unsympathetic... as for the improbably named 'Aureleus Love'... well. There are far better reads out there.
A Wonderful Experience - By: Jacquie Reaville, 31 May 2008 I started reading & immediately liked Margaret Lea the narrator. There was something in her quiet manner that reached out through the pages of the book, took my hand & gently lead me through the history of Angelfield House & the story of Vida Winter.
Vida is an author coming to the end of her life & wishes to have her biography written. She wants to "tell the truth" as she puts it. Margaret is her biographer. As the tale unfolds you are drawn into the dark places & secrets of Vida's childhood & consequent to those revelations, you are entrusted with Margaret's own secrets & fears.
The prose was magical to me, quite beautiful, & put me in mind of a modern day Jane Austen. Descriptions & characters were so well written that I can still see them now.
My opinion - A ghost story. A mystery. A love story. Whatever you choose to calll it, this was a book that was recommended to me by quite a few people, well they were alll dead right. A great story & a wonderful experience.
A novel to praise highly - By: P. DATTA, 30 Apr 2008 The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a beautifully & elegantly written novel, that is filled with suspense & excitement. It truly deserves high praise as it offers fresh enjoyment to the reader. The novel is a reader's delight as it consist of a well defined plot, a rich historical setting & sharp characterisation. It is presented in a distinguish style & manner. Due to the writing style, you are enticed to the story for prolonged periods. It is paralllel written as it shifts between the present to the gothic period of the 20th century. That writing style by no means the easiest to master as requires specific skills & a solid imaginative mind.
The plot to the story initiallly starts in a vintage books shop which specializes in old books of perished authors. The publication of a living author The Thirteenth Tale attracts the attention of the book shop daughter's, Margaret Levy, who's on a mission to track down the mysterious author Ms Winter. The ageing author has a fascinating & intriguing story to unravel. This story forms a huge bulk of the novel & it keeps the reader on the knife edge. That is the general gist of the story.
The Thirteen Tale demonstrates the creativeness of writing of novel, that can offer originality & fresh enjoyment to the reader. The front cover paints a picture of what to expect in the novel. It features a picture of twins. That straight away attracts the reader's attention if you know what I mean. That on it own is a great selling point. The desired features of any great novel though take greater importance. Those features are clearly achieved with flying colours. The Thirteenth Tale is a perfect model of writing a novel that will remain a strong favourite with readers.
