The Thirteenth Tale

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Setterfield, Diane	4-week checkout	Due 04-27-2024

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The Thirteenth Tale submitted by halofriendly on July 23, 2011, 9:28pm I'm not usually one to pick up adult fiction and read it. If I'm going to read fiction, I'd rather hop over to the young adult section and read to my heart's content.

But this book was recommended by a friend, so I read it in three days. Not only does Margaret Lea, the main character, love books as much as I do, she perfectly describes the love affair book nerds have with their cherished titles and how passionately we'll defend our book obsession to anyone.

Lea works in her father's antiquarian bookstore, writes biographies on obscure people in her free time, re-reads the classics until they're memorized, and is invited to reclusive author Vida Winter's house to finally get on paper Winter's autobiography, which has never been known before. Very captivating storyline and great surprises along the way.

For book lovers submitted by marielle on July 5, 2012, 7:43pm Miss Winter is a famous author. She's also the heiress to an estate and a terrible, dark past. She's never told anyone her story, until now- to a young, green autobiographer with a secret of her own.

I really liked this book. I suppose all books are written by book lovers, but it's especially transparent in Diane. And you can tell Diane loves Jane Eyre. Throughout the book there are frequent references to Jane Eyre, and besides the explicit references to the book- the 50 copies of it, for instance, in Miss Winter's library, the pages of the book found with an abandoned child- there are plenty of references to the book in the story Miss Winter tells. There are dark family secrets, governesses and children, an estate, and of course, an estate fire.

I really liked this book, and you will too, especially if you like 19th century British novels written by women.

What a wonderful book! submitted by ssmyth on August 16, 2012, 6:08pm We just read this book for book club and we fell in love with it! Great writing that you don't find very often anymore. Absolutely recommended for all readers! Our book club members daughters are all picking it up and falling in love with it too. Give it a try - you will be hooked!

Page turner submitted by mowjac on May 7, 2013, 6:13pm This was a fantastic gothic mystery about books. What could be better? Entertaining and tantiliizing, lots of fun. Great for fans of Kate Morton. Highly recommended.

13th tale submitted by hcf on July 28, 2014, 4:51pm i thought this was a well written novel

Fun spooky mystery submitted by wendylv on August 10, 2015, 2:38pm This was one of my book club picks that I really enjoyed!

Highly recommended submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on August 19, 2017, 11:44am Wow... no wonder this was a NYTimes bestseller. An utterly gripping book about a reluctant biographer and a cranky old writer who are drawn together to tell a story. The mystery of the writer's past unwinds with care, and I was drawn in entirely. Both the contemporary and historical stories are compelling, and I was never disappointed to move between them.

Highly recommended.