After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:09 AM

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Margaret Lea works in her father's antiquarian bookshop where her fascination for the biographies of the long-dead has led her to write them herself. She gets a letter from one of the most famous authors of the day, the mysterious Vida Winter, whose popularity as a writer has been in no way diminished by her reclusiveness. Until now, Vida has toyed with journalists who interview her, creating outlandish life histories for herself - all of them invention. Now she is old and ailing, and at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to Margaret is a summons.

Somewhat anxiously, the equally reclusive Margaret travels to Yorkshire to meet her subject - and Vida starts to recount her tale. It is one of gothic strangeness featuring the March family; the fascinating, devious and wilful Isabelle and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline.
Margaret is captivated by the power of Vida's storytelling. But as a biographer she deals in fact not fiction, and she doesn't entirely trust Vida's account. She goes to check up on the family, visiting their old home and piecing together their story in her own way. What she discovers on her journey to the truth is for Margaret a chilling and transforming experience.

Another adult book, and another I snagged from the library book sale :) This was a fun, fun read, and I totally recommend it. There's a reason it's been so popular. It totally follows in the same vein as the older gothic stories, and reads a lot like some of the Victorian English writers. Now, I'll admit, I've read a lot of older novels, and sometimes I have a very hard time getting into them. The language and setting just isn't relatable to me and I have to really work to get into them. This book, while maintaining the older style, is still "modern" enough to engage me easily. The main character is very identifiable, and I really liked her. The story she records is captivating and kept me up late. Seriously--check this out!