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The Thirteenth Tale
 
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The Thirteenth Tale (Paperback)

by Diane Setterfield (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.05 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Thirteenth Tale + The Book Thief
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  • This item: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

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Product details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Orion; New Ed edition (1 Nov 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0752881671
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752881676
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Catherine Shoard, Evening Standard
"A fireside mystery with all the grisly trimmings"

Review
"A fireside mystery with all the grisly trimmings" (Catherine Shoard Evening Standard )

"This surprise bestseller is an enjoyably windswept story of incest, unnatural love and northern nastiness" (Emma Hagestadt INDEPENDENT )

"highly accomplished...intriguing twists galore" (Katie Owen Daily Telegraph )

"a captivating read" (FIRST )

"A firesdie mystery with all the grisly trimmings" (LONDON LITE )

"An involving and engrossing tale full of twists and turns...hard to put down!" (My Weekly )

"riveting from start to finish" (THE LADY )

"The Thirteenth Tale has all the ingredients of a gripping thriller with twists, turns and false leads to keep you guessing...a beautifully written and absorbing mystery" (WOMAN & HOME )

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Thirteenth Tale
91% buy the item featured on this page:
The Thirteenth Tale 4.3 out of 5 stars (130)
£5.05
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Customer Reviews

130 Reviews
5 star:
 (84)
4 star:
 (25)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (130 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
77 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Tale, 6 Aug 2006
By Elaine Simpson-long (Colchester, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Thirteenth Tale (Hardcover)
This is, quite simply, a rattling good yarn and that is not meant to sound derogatory in any way. One of those unputdownable books that take the reader over from the first page and leave you feeling bereft at the end. The story has everything, twins, a governess, house on a remote moor, a governess, warring siblings, abandoned baby, a fire - from this, it is clear to see that the author loves Jane Eyre (in fact quotes and references to this book abound) and, in the general decay and characteristics of its inmates, we are forcibly reminded of Wuthering Heights. There is a sneaky reference to Henry James The Turn of the Screw that sets your thoughts off at another tangent, and, in case you think this sounds all too gloomy and gothic, there are descriptions of the grounds and the gardener that make you think of The Secret Garden.

So, a terrific read and I defy anybody buying this book not to be plunged into its world and to love it as much as I have done. It is going to be HUGE
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Gothic tale, 10 Dec 2006
By kehs (Hertfordshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Thirteenth Tale (Hardcover)
An amazing book about books. I loved all the characters and the story drew me in from the very first page. It's about Margaret whose father owns a bookshop. She is writing a biography for Vida winter, who is a reclusive author and has one final secret she needs to tell. As Margaret learns more about Vida's life she finds herself confronting the ghosts from her own past.

Dianne Settlefield's writing style was so masterful it was as if she was reading aloud to me . I kept feeling as if I knew where the story was heading but then it would take another turn and I would realise I wasn't quite right. I loved the twist towards the end of the book and the last few pages were unexpectedly moving. This is a captivating gothic tale that I just could not put down and I know I will re-read it time and again.
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant debut, 14 Oct 2006
By Mark Wakely (Lombard, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Thirteenth Tale (Hardcover)

When a first novel is immediately (and enthusiastically) compared to the works of such literary luminaries as the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, a large dose of skepticism is in order. I read this book with a jaundiced eye, expecting to eventually uncover at least one unconvincing character, a plot twist that failed to surprise, or a passage less than vivid, unworthy of the masters.

I did not.

Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale carries the reader along like a turbulent river, with unexpected eddies and undertows you can't escape. The characters are absolutely true to the worlds of Dickens and Austen, but they're originals, not derivatives. They grieve and you do, they rejoice and you do, they die and you do- almost. The whole atmosphere of the book is powerful and sweeping, in the manner of Henry James or even Joseph Conrad. (Well, minus all those ships, of course.) If I had to pick one story that gave the same overall effect as Setterfield's book, I'd pick The Turn of the Screw, since the ghost element in Setterfield's book is equally shocking and unique, although James's classic novella lacks the grand span and scope of The Thirteenth Tale. Then again, Setterfield's characters could just as easily find a home in Dickens' dangerous London squalor or in the halls of a Bronte mansion, the air thick with secrets and heavy with troubled specters anxious to make themselves known.

Intriguing, daring and even downright heart pounding at times, The Thirteenth Tale might well give you nightmares at the end, but they'll be the best- and most original- nightmares you've ever had.

-Mark Wakely, author of An Audience for Einstein
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
In this book the character Vida Winter tells her life story to a young woman, who has an interesting history of her own. Read more
Published 1 day ago by R. Hollingdale

1.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't get past page 110
Unfortunately, I have to add my voice to those who thought this book was dreadful. The writing seemed dull and uninspiring and it was difficult to care what happened to the... Read more
Published 20 days ago by A reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't rate it highly enough
I found this to be a fantastic read, one of those books that you can't put down and are sad to see the end of. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Louise

2.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous Imitation: should have stayed at fiction workshop!
Is this a get-me-outta-here downright horrible book? No. But it's pretty darn bad. So bad, at times, that I cringed under my tiny bedside lamp as I read at night on holiday (only... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. James

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable story within a story
I liked Margaret and felt great empathy with her enjoyment of books. The feelings of being a reader were described beautifully at the beginning of this novel - the thrill of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Janie U

5.0 out of 5 stars Will haunt and follow you like a shadow....
I had always wanted to read this, but never got around to doing it... And now I finally did... It reeled me in from the very first page with it's descriptive, wonderful writing,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Whimsical Witch

5.0 out of 5 stars First book winner
I had read this book before buying three copies for friends. One of the best I've ever read - well written, full of unexpected twists and a lovely story to read at bedtime. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. Elizabeth S. Balding

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read!!!!
I have never read a book of this type of genre before; boy was I in for a treat!!
I must say, at the start of the novel I found it extremely hard going and realized... Read more
Published 3 months ago by V. Cooper

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
I couldn't put it down, I was just guessing the whole time how it all fits together!

The start I found was a little slow, but once you get to the real story you'll... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Karen Meiklejohn

5.0 out of 5 stars Luck for some!
This was brilliant - I read it in a day and a night - couldn't put it down. I didn't dare take it to work to read in my lunch break because I didn't trust myself to keep my hands... Read more
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