The Thirteenth Tale

A Novel

By: Diane Setterfield

Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Jill Tanner

Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

All children mythologize their birth... So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.

Disinterring the life she meant to bury for good, Vida mesmerizes Margaret with the power of her storytelling. Hers is a tale of gothic strangeness, featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, and a devastating fire. Struck by a curious parallel between their stories, Margaret demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them.

The Thirteenth Tale is a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter, and in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.

©2006 Diane Setterfield (P)2007 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Literary Fiction, 2007

"Bianca Amato is stunning as Margaret....[her] respect for the power of story and the written word is heard in every utterance. Jill Tanner accomplishes a tour de force as the enigmatic and mysterious Vida. In conversation her voice has the hesitancy and fragility of an elderly woman, but her voice takes on the strength and power of a master storyteller as she weaves her spellbinding life story." (AudioFile)
"Readers will be mesmerized by this story-within-a-story tinged with the eeriness of Rebecca and the willfulness of Jane Eyre. The author skillfully keeps the plot moving by unfurling a new twist in each chapter and leaves no strand untucked at the surprising and satisfying conclusion. A wholly original work told in the vein of all the best gothic classics. Lovers of books about book lovers will be enthralled." (Booklist)

Amazing!

This book was amazing. The reading was excellent, the writing engaging. This is one of those, Let me drive around the blook a few more times before I get home so I can listen some more, type of audio books! I LOVED IT.

Great Story!

I reallly enjoyed listening to this book. The story is great and so are the narrators.

I never wanted it to end

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended this book to all of my "books on tape" friends who enjoy a good tale. The writing is fantastic, the story or I should say stories within the story are expertly told, and the narrators fantastic. The complex characters are wonderfully and believably developed, and the locations, a dim and crowded,antiquarian book shop in London ,and rambliing old manor houses in the North of England, are vividly brought to life. I found the story full of interesting plot surprises,not predictable at all, thank heavens. All very believable, though, and true to the time period.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Thirteenth Tale?

I'd like to go back and listen again because now some of the early events will have so much more meaning. I love the image of Margaret climbing around in the old ruin of the Angelfield manor house and of her exploring the old, overgrown gardens. And then there's the image of the twins stealing the perambulator with the baby inside and Adeline sailing off down the hill!

Have you listened to any of Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have only listened to short clips of Bianca Amato reading from the White Queen. She is really a pleasure to listen to. I've not listened to Jill Tanner in anything else. She was wonderful here, simply fantastic as Vida Winter. She WAS Vida Winter!

If you could take any character from The Thirteenth Tale out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It would be Vida Winter's doctor years after the events in the story. He would have so much background information about Miss Winter's later life and household, and he might feel freer to tell me all about it after years have passed. Or I might go have a pint with John the Dig, simply because he was such a very good and honest man who knew his way around a garden.

Any additional comments?

If you like an excellent story, you will not regret buying The Thirteenth Tale.

Totally absorbing, sad and beautiful

I am hard to please. A straight-up 5 star review is very rare for me.

The story is imaginative, complex, intelligent and superbly read. It is wonderfully long, which I love, when every minute is riveting. I listened addictively; the tale was on my mind when I couldn’t listen.

Now I must go find another Diane Setterfield story.

The Perfect Book

Would you listen to The Thirteenth Tale again? Why?

Uh, already have...
Why? Well it's so full of really lovely stories, situations, and phrases I wanted to snack on it all a little more. Have gone through it a few times now and it is time to move on but I imagine it is a title I will return to again now and then.

Which character – as performed by Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner – was your favorite?

Vida Winter simply because it is always slightly arrogant of an artist to feign the greatest artist in their field - like here where the writer (Diane Setterfield) writes up famous living legend and best selling English writer Vida Winter. And I feel she gets away with it. The way Winter talks and writes is so appealing and delicious I could well imagine reading some of her books - if only they existed :(
There is a handful of very appealing characters in the book fighting for this spot but Winter takes the price this time.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely love this book.
I think both readers are great, reading it just the right way. The text and the readers work perfectly together making the sum greater than it's parts here.
The book has a magical quality to it. I just wanted it to continue for ever.
I don't know if the plot twists were truly surprising but being carried out this deliciously I didn't really need them to be.
I do like the first half of the book slightly better but I am happy to say it didn't let me down at any point.
I highly recommend it.

Every audio book should be this good.

This is a well crafted story, constant and engrossing. Narrated very smoothly without the slightest bit of interference on the writing. I enjoyed this book so much and have recommended to several others who have enjoyed it equally. With out a doubt this is one of my favorites in my audio library!

Came out of nowhere to be one of the best.

Normally I only purchase the classics, but found the idea of this book to be too interesting to pass up. I was thrilled to be ensconced with the story from the very beginning. The narrations are excellent, the book was superbly written and the plot twists ever so slightly (less than a mystery, but more than a drama). I was terribly disappointed when the story was done. Diane Setterfield has done an amazing job at story telling. I would highly recommend this book, even if you don't think it is your normal style or genre.

The Best!

I read this book many years ago, and loved it. When I saw that Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner were the readers for the audio version, I had to listen. The story came alive, and didn't want it to end. Beautifully written, I was immersed in to the lives of each character. It will be difficult to find a subsequent book to compare to the joy I found in this edition. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is ready to be transported to another time and place in the company of compelling and fascinating characters.

Great storytelling.

I really enjoyed this book. Interesting story with plenty of little turns. Great narration as well (although I do tend to listen at 1.25 speed). Hated to see it end.

Wonderful duet paired with a captivating story

Would you consider the audio edition of The Thirteenth Tale to be better than the print version?

Yes, simply because the way the narrative itself is set up. The setting of the story is a dying woman telling the story of her life to a biographer audibly. Since the story is constantly in this setting the audio version feels very natural within this the books particular context. Also there are two narrators which significantly enhanced the listening because you were able transition smoothly with the story. In reflection I don't think I would have preserved to the end if I was reading it while listening to it made it a totally different experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a hard question, but I would defiantly have to say Vida Winter. I appreciated her development throughout the book more than any other character. I don't want to give away spoilers so I'll try to be as vague as possible. She cleverly intertwines clues to the ending through out the beginning which makes that last two hours of the story that much more satisfying.

Have you listened to any of Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to their performances before but I thought they were marvelous. Specifically Bianca, did a great job and choosing specific voices for characters that were distinct without being cheesy. While Ms. Tanner did a wonderful job personifying Vida Winter's elderly frankness without loosing the character development along the way.

If you could take any character from The Thirteenth Tale out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Aurelius; Hopefully he would have made the meal, but he would be my first choice simply because of his natural warm demeanor. While I'm sure I would have a polite meal with Margaret, I feel like there would be a lot of awkward silences. Vida Winter would be my second choice because I would just ask her to tell me stories. Never the less Aurelius is my guy because we all need a little jollity don't we?

Any additional comments?

For my first audiobook, I thought this was a marvelous experience. I was originally intending to just try this for the free book then cancel. Unsuspectedly though it has really changed my commute in the morning to be significantly more enjoyable and less stressful. I really loved it and will continue with audible because of this recording.