ELISA ENGLISH's Blog 英語園地

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

When I read the first few lines, I was immediately drawn by the riveting story, captivated by the spellbound storytelling, and intrigued by the vivid characters.  This is a book full of suspense, a story within a story, unfolding themselves into other stories, filled with plots of twists, weaving between past and present, and intertwining stories between Vida Winter and Margaret Lea.  There are secrets, lies, ghosts, violence, betrayal and love.   So rich is the story, by which I was totally swept away.  Compelled, I spent 7 hours reading from 10pm to 5am the next morning.  I had no regrets showing up at work with dark circles under my eyes.  The sense of accomplishment made me feel complete.

As a working mom, I do not have the luxury for leisure reading.  Most of the books I read were children’s book for my kids.  How I stumbled upon this book I cannot recall.  I am glad that I stayed up late reading this book, as words such as follows make me tremble with excitement.  “There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce you skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”

The resemblance of the characters with Wuthering Heights brought back the memory of my first literature reading at age 11.  This experience, though, is incomparable with how I felt when reading “ Wuthering Heights ”.  Though I would not say that it is a classic as novels written by Austin , Bronte and the like, Thirteenth Tale does present itself a nice and unforgettable read.  The part I like the most is about truth itself, where the story begins.      

I do not intend to summarize the story to spoil your appetite.  I would, however, recommend reading this book if you like suspense and mystery and want some light reading outside of classic literature.

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