Brenna M's Book Blog

The Thirteenth Tale

Diane Setterfield

Paperback, 432 Pages

Published 9th October 2007 by Washington Square Press

Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale is a novel I would definitely pick up and reread. The story is of a famous author, with no "verifiable past" because she has lied to keep it private, and a biographer, who has a story of her own, but is curious when the recluse author asks Margaret to write her biography.
It took me a little bit to really like Margaret who was living in her own little world of antique books and of secrets in her own family. It wasn't until she started to do her research and interact with other characters in the book that Margaret really came alive as a character. I enjoyed how Setterfield included books such as Jane Eyre into Margaret and Vida's lives. There is a slowness about the beginning of the book, but once Margaret and Vida's lives come together, the storyline moves quickly.