Book Review 10: The Thirteenth Tale

Mysterious is the word that can be most aptly applied to the debut novel of Diane Setterfield. It's written in a sort of classic style, quite similar to the works of Henry James, except with a little more modern wording.

The Thirteenth Tale is truly a novel for people who are avid readers. The main character is that of a somewhat shy woman, who lives a quiet life helping to run her parent's bookstore. Reading and writing are her passions in life, so when she gets the chance to interview a reclusive and mysterious author named Vida Winter, she jumps at the chance.

As she travels to the author's mansion, our main character finds out, that the author Vida Winter is dying and she is being hired to write Ms. Winter's biography. As the story unfolds our main character becomes fascinated, almost obsessed with the life story of the mysterious and unpredictable author she is interviewing.

This book will keep you turning the pages to learn the secrets of the past and the answers to the mysteries that keep presenting themselves as the novel comes along. With exciting plot twists and constant surprises, this thrilling mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat. Not only is it extremely exciting, but its very well written; the type of novel where the words create the perfect imagery and you can see everything happening almost as if you were watching a movie.

I bought this book because it was part of our Barnes & Noble recommends program. Each month our company picks a book that was enjoyed and voted on by booksellers, and it becomes our company recommendation. Usually I ignore these books for two reasons: 1) They usually aren't the type of thing that catches my interest and 2) I'm not usually one for jumping on a bandwagon and reading a book because everyone else is. This time though, everything about the book caught my eye: the title, the cover, the summary. I'm glad it did, because this is a great novel.

Recommended Reading: The Eight

This novel by Katherine Neville is somewhat similar in style of writing, even though it has a different plot altogether. Its about the quest for an ancient chess board, believed to hold magical powers and sought after by some of the most powerful people in history. Like The Thirteenth Tale, though, it is an exciting edge of your seat novel. A historical fiction, full of plot twists and surprises that will keep you reading to discover it's secrets.