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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (2006, Hardcover)

Bokonon Books
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US $12.95
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Located in: Richmond, Virginia, United States
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eBay item number:256547301341
Last updated on Jun 21, 2024 13:36:43 PDTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See the ...
ISBN
9780743298025
Book Title
Thirteenth Tale
Publisher
Atria Books
Item Length
9 in
Publication Year
2006
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Item Height
1.3 in
Author
Diane Setterfield
Genre
Fiction
Topic
General, Literary, Historical
Item Weight
20.8 Oz
Item Width
6.1 in
Number of Pages
416 Pages

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Atria Books
ISBN-10
0743298020
ISBN-13
9780743298025
eBay Product ID (ePID)
52616084

Product Key Features

Book Title
Thirteenth Tale
Number of Pages
416 Pages
Language
English
Topic
General, Literary, Historical
Publication Year
2006
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Fiction
Author
Diane Setterfield
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
1.3 in
Item Weight
20.8 Oz
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2006-042906
Dewey Edition
22
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Decimal
813/.6
Synopsis
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, makeyou wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life., 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., 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 Taleis 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., Amateur biographer Margaret Lea receives a letter from reclusive author Vida Winter, summoning her to write Vida's life story. Up to this point, Vida has never given a true account of her life, toying with interviewers by inventing lutlandish life histories of herself. In her old age, she at last wants to tell the truth a bout her extraordinary life. Maragret is captivated by Vida's strange tale of the mysterious March family. But as a biographer she deals in fact not fiction, and she doesn't entirely trust Vida's account. As Margaret pieces together the story on her own, what she discovers is a chilling and transforming experience.
LC Classification Number
PS3619.E86T48 2006

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4.6
45 product ratings
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  • by vibachu
    Oct 13, 2022Top critical review

    A pretty good tale

    It is a decent novel, but not as compelling as some had led me to believe. I think that the author, who can construct a convoluted plot. failed to do her homework about the realities of being/living as a twin. And the plot turns on twins.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale

  • by spitecat
    Jan 02, 2007

    Generations of Dysfunction

    This book is the story of a famous author who has never given a true biographical account, though she gives many different untrue versions every year. Now that she is near the end of her losing battle with cancer she must tell "the truth", and chooses to tell a woman she's never met but whom she believes may have a deep understanding of her special life circumstance. It's about twins and mothers. It's about a fire and books. There are topiary gardens and odd behaviour. It contains grand homes and tiny stone cottages. It's about ghosts, unless you don't believe in ghosts. I thought the twists were a little overly foreshadowed. I'm a pretty lazy reader when it comes to mysteries, so the fact the ending didn't come as a surprise is a good indication that the author's hints, winks, and ...

  • by X2H0c82kRtS@Deleted
    Jan 30, 2007

    A Worthwhile Tale

    If you are a lover of gothic tales, Jane Eyre style, this should be an entertaining read. Diane Setterfield sets a haunted tone in her impressive debut novel. There are many twists and turns throughout and, though the ending wasn’t a complete surprise, it was very satisfying. The protagonist, a self proclaimed amateur biographer, finds herself in the employ of a famous reclusive author. Soon after agreeing to pen the author’s one ‘true’ biography, listening to her tales of mysterious twins, spectral figures and suspicious fires, her own family ghosts are disturbed as well; many other characters remark to her that she looks like she's "seen a ghost". There is a literary feel to this novel (Jane Eyre is invoked several times) that will appeal to classic book lovers. You can almost feel the ...

  • by BgasT8p4R1W@Deleted
    Jan 12, 2007

    "Do you intend to tell me the truth?"

    Vida Winter, England's most famous and reclusive writer, is nearing the end, and before she goes she wants her amazing life story to be recorded for posterity. For this, she engages a lonely young biographer, Margaret Lea, who has a few secrets of her own. When these two forceful women meet, the stage is set for an ever-mounting series of shocking surprises. I've always been a fan of the Gothic style of romantic mystery, and some of my favorite authors are the Brontës, Daphne du Maurier, Mary Stewart, and Robert Goddard. If you share my love of windswept moors, bleak houses and strange families, you're in for a real treat. THE THIRTEENTH TALE is a masterful, deliberately old-fashioned story of secrets, ghosts, sexual obsession, murder, madness--you name it, and it's here. This is a ...

  • by plumshoppe
    Oct 22, 2006

    The Thirteenth Tale - Kept Me on the Edge of My Seat

    There were some strange circumstances surrounding my reading of this book. It was listed in an email ad I received last week and I thought that it sounded interesting. A few days later, someone mentioned it on an email list that I'm on and I became even more interested in reading it. Then I went home and found it sitting on top of a box of books in my living room. I have no idea how it got there, nor does anyone in my family. So you would think that when I read the book it had some deep hidden meaning that I was just meant to read! Well, no. But it was a really, really good book that I would recommend to anyone who love a brooding, gothic-type mystery. And its setting of the main character in the world of antiquarian books was especially interesting for a book lover like me. Margaret Lea ...

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