The Thirteenth Tale

A Novel

By: Diane Setterfield

Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Jill Tanner

Winner of the 2007 Audie Award for Literary Fiction and Finalist for Multi-Voiced Performance

Instant #1 New York Times bestseller

“Readers will feel the magnetic pull of this paean to words, books and the magical power of story.”—People

“Eerie and fascinating.”—USA TODAY

Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny.

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness—featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

Wanting a new Diane Setterfield novel

It has been over a year since I'd read this book, but it remains in my memory as one of the most intriguing mysteries I've read. There is not another book that compares, but the themes are timeless...Cain and Abel...Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde, and believe it or not, V.C. Andrew's Flowers in the Attic, which this reviewer read in the seventh grade, shares the theme of the toxic family. Setterfeld's writing leaves me to wonder when will she give me another jewel?

Perfectly Read

This is a rare book where the narration joins so perfectly with the story that it's hard to imagine one without the other. The two voices, rather than being a distraction, really add to the story itself. I was so pleased to have chosen to listen to this book rather than to read the printed version. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much. Well done. I miss the voices in my ear and the characters in my imagination.

A Masterpiece

I first listened to The Thirteenth Tale last spring. Didn't think much of it till the end. Then I vowed to revisit and so glad I did. This novel is quiet and one must listen carefully.
Storyline is brilliant and narrators excellent. This novel tells of the lives of twins and the unconditional love that is between them. As for development of characters I found it solid and I cared for each one
I highly recommend this book. Thirteenth Tale will haunt me for a very long time.

Kind of dragged on

Despite a good delivery by both readers the story didn't quite make it for me. It was dragged on. When Vida Winter was telling the stories of the Charlie, Isabelle and the twins, it was fairly interesting. But Margaret was just too whiny for me. I got tired of her "poor me, my mother doesn't love me" & "I miss my twin I never knew". It got old and didn't arouse any sympathy from me. Also, the final tale of the twins & the "ghost" seemed a bit contrived.

Great story

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It reminds me of Jane Eyre and Rebecca in its atmosphere and tone. I loved those two books and I now love Thirteenth Tale as well. The author has written a great story within a story, both connected, that grips you and keeps you guessing until (and even past?) the end. The author is very creative and knows how to keep your attention. I was particularly impressed with the way she described a disease eating away at one of the characters as a hungry wolf that was held at bay, temporarily, by pain killing drugs. You could almost see the wolf. The reader of the book does a superb job in all respects. She makes the characters and the stories come alve. I think you will be very pleased with this book and this production.