The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0743298020 Global Overview for this book
Registered by dancing-dog of Cordova, Tennessee USA on 12/7/2007
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3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by dancing-dog from Cordova, Tennessee USA on Friday, December 7, 2007
from amazon.com:
There are 2 heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, & Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers 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 19 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 & 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.

Margaret has a story of her own: she was one of conjoined twins & her sister died so that Margaret could live. She feels an otherworldly aura sometimes or a yearning for a part of her that is forever missing. Vida's story involves 2 wild girls - feral twins (is she one of them?). Their mother & uncle, involved in things too unsavory to contemplate, combine to neglect them woefully. There's also a governess, a Doctor, a kindly housekeeper, a gardener, & another presence - a very strange presence - which Margaret perceives as a ghost at first. Making obeisance to other great ghost stories, there is a deadly fire, a beautiful old house gone to ruin, & always that presence....
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Good reading although a little too gothic and dramatic for my taste. Parts of the ending seemed a bit far-fetched to me also.

Taking to the Dec Meet-Up - I'm sure it's on someone's wishlist :D

Journal Entry 2 by ariesgirl29 on Saturday, December 8, 2007
Caught at Christmas Meet-up - was a good time! Thanks for sharing! And this was even on my wishlist so it was an extra good bonus!

Journal Entry 3 by ariesgirl29 on Monday, February 18, 2008
Going in Top 100 bookbox - title is #9

Journal Entry 4 by ivylibra224 from Kimberling City, Missouri USA on Saturday, March 1, 2008
Taken from jenptcfan's Top 100 book box. I've been toying around with the idea of reading this one; now I have the chance!

Journal Entry 5 by ivylibra224 from Kimberling City, Missouri USA on Thursday, February 5, 2009
I finally read this wonderful book! I was enthralled by the story, captivated by the characters, and completely surprised by the turn of events! I loved this one!

Unfortunately my dogs ate the original copy I received, so I replaced it with a new copy and put the same BCID # as well as dancing-dog's info. So sorry about this!

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