BC Consensus: Thirteenth Tale

Would you like to crème de la crème from our book club dicussions this month? You are in luck! In October, we read Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. Here are some of the comments our members made about the book:

“Wow, this story reached out and grabbed me and wouldn't let go, like something that would jump out at me at a haunted house. I liked the mysterious tone of the novel and discovering the story through Vida Winters' narration. I suppose many families have some secrets and a skeleton or two in the closet, but this family had a baker's dozen! I also enjoyed reading this book and plan to reread it in the future. I'm sure it will leave a haunting impression every time.”

“The cover of the book describes this story as "eerie and fascinating". Perfect description. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I enjoyed her [Margaret’s] relationship with her father. They shared a love for books. I tried to picture their little bookshop. How fabulous to grow up among all those stories.” +/-

“I've heard so many good things about this book, and I wasn't disappointed! While I was reading I could tell that there were some things happening behind the scenes that I hadn't quite figured out yet. The suspense and mystery were fun to revel in. I felt like I was trying to solve a mystery. Miss Winter wants Margaret to tell her story and asks her several times what her story is. Margaret always answers that she doesn't have a story. All of our stories (and theirs) are all intertwined with the people around us.”

"I love the character of Vida Winter--someone I could imagine being intimidated by, like our sweet, young Margaret. She jumped off the page, for me. It was as if I could tangibly feel those inescapable, steely green eyes boring into mine as I read. One thing I like about this book is how the title ties in. There’s this expectation build up around the thirteenth tale, and even I found myself wishing I could get my hands on it throughout the story. And then it finally comes out, just when we expect never to be able to know its identity."

The Thirteeth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Genre: Fiction - Mystery
Publisher: Atria, 2006
Other Works: Debut novel
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Premise: Margaret Lea is a self proclaimed bibliophile and a great writer as well. She gets on offer to write the biography of a lifetime--that of Vida Winter, a wildly imaginative and eccentric author whose past is shrouded in mystery.

I read this book for a book group and really didn't have any expections going in. I was pleasantly "wow-ed" by this author!

The book carries a feeling of mystery and ominousness, ghost-story-around-the-campfire style, that I found quite thrilling. Because of this, the dialogue could seem stilted, but instead the author has used the language to create a foreboading tone. This is something I enjoyed all the way through the book to the very last sentence.

A young, nose-in-the-books daughter of a bookshop owner, Margaret Lea, receives a request to become the biographer of a prominent author, Vida Winter, whose life story has been sought after by many. She's a stubborn and harsh woman, whose piercing green eyes Margaret cannot seem to escape. As much as Vida's life story is shrouded in mystery, even more so is one of her books, which was reprinted as having 12 tales, after being published a few times claiming to have 13. And so, the 13th tale was never uncovered. +/-

As Margaret struggles through the research for the biography, she not only discovers the truth about Vida Winter and her tales, but also more about her own history. She gains insight into her own painful and complicated life as she pieces together the twisted past of a pathological liar, otherwise known as a storyteller.

Thrilling until the last moment with no lack of twists, I would recommend this book to just about anyone.

BC About the Author: Diane Setterfield

Diane Setterfield grew up in England, and attended Bristol University where she studied French Literature. She started her career in academia and taught in various universities in England and France, where she lived for several years. Prior to her first novel, The Thirteenth Tale, Setterfield published several academic works about 19th and 20th century French literature, in particular the works of André Gide (a French writer, humanist, and moralist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947).

She left academia in the late '90s. She enjoyed teaching but hated university politics, and after five years was still working to pay off the loan she had taken out to fund her Ph.D. "I gave up my job to write before I knew what I wanted to write about," she says. "It might seem bold or brave, but really it comes down to how much you want to do something. If you want to do something so badly, then you have to make a bold decision." +/-

Setterfield was so tired of academic work after leaving her job as a professor that she decided to pursue other, more physical ventures. So, she began teaching private French lessons on the side and spending most of her time renovating her home. Then one day, the voice of Miss Winter came to her and she set about a first draft, which was completed 18 months later. She had read French literature exclusively for so long, that she found herself wanting to go back to English classics, which she’s loved so much as a teenager. And so, Setterfield decided to write her book, The Thirteenth Tale after the English Gothic tradition, with echoes of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Her debut novel has been an immense success both in the UK and the United States. She is currently working on a second novel. Setterfield’s all-time favorite book is The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, which she called “the most perfect book I can remember reading.” Other favorites include A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry and Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters.

She now lives in Yorkeshire, England, with her husband and four cats.

BC Discussion ?s: The Thirteenth Tale

For the month of October, we read Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. The following are some of the discussion questions we used:

1. Books play a major role in this novel. There are stories within stories, all inextricably intertwined. Discuss the various roles of books, stories, and writing in this novel.

2. Compare and contrast Margaret, Miss Winter, and Aurelius--the three "ghosts" of the novel who are also each haunted by their pasts.

3. What is the significance of Jane Eyre to the story?

4. Do you think it is harder to keep a secret or confess the complete truth? +/-

5. Why do you think Margaret's sister's death affected her so profoundly? If her parents had told her the truth about her twin, would Margaret still be haunted?

6. Much of the novel takes place in two grand estates--Angelfield and then Miss Winter's. How are the houses reflections of their inhabitants?

7. How is the last minute leaving out of “the thirteenth tale” symbolic of the novel? What is the thirteenth tale?