The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Margaret Lea leads a solitary life surrounded by books which hold her friendships and tales she has yet to discover. Working alongside her father in their bookshop, Margaret loves nothing better than diving into the pages of a book to discover hidden treasures while also researching historical people for biographies.

With a few articles published, Margaret is happy to remain among her books un-noticed by the world, but when she receives a letter from best-selling author Vida Winter asking her to visit and write her life story, she is strangely intrigued. With no interest in reading modern fiction, Margaret hasn’t read any of her books, but she is aware of a copy of one they have in the shop.

Kept in a locked cupboard along with rare books, The Thirteen Tales of Desperation and Change by Vida Winter sits never read and only to be handled with gloves and delicacy for reasons Margaret is not aware of, but when she asks her father he informs her that the exact copy they own is rare as there is no Thirteenth Tale and future copies of the books have been released under a different title.

Intrigued by the book and keen to get to know the woman she will be working for, Margaret devours the book in one night before purchasing further books by Ms Winter the next day and reading them through with anticipation and greed to gain knowledge.

As Margaret prepares to travel to Yorkshire to meet Ms Winter, she has no idea of what lies ahead. Having read past interviews which reveal next to no information, Margaret is keen to know the real Ms Winter and above all why she was picked over other writers who no doubt would love to get their hands on the secrets and life of Ms Winter.

Met at the front door of a daunting house by the housekeeper Judith, Margaret is both nervous and excited to learn about her host and when she is informed to meet Ms Winter in the library at a certain time that evening, she has no idea that by agreeing to write Ms Winter’s story, she is to enter a world which will not only reveal unknown secrets about Ms Winter, but also those of her own.

As a debut novel, Diane Setterfield has set the bar very high for her next offering.

I’d read several reviews of this novel which contradicted each other to the point where I knew I had to read it to learn for myself and I’m glad I did. Filled with sub-plots and trips into history which all link into the present, this novel kept me hooked and unable to put it down on many occasions.  

If you love a book you can lose yourself in and become part of the story, this is one for you. Although I have only just finished reading this thoroughly enjoyable book, I will no doubt in the near future be picking it up again.