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The Thirteenth Tale

By: Diane Setterfield
Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Jill Tanner
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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)

What listeners say about The Thirteenth Tale

Average customer ratings
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10++ STARS


To say, that this is the greatest book I have read since my childhood won't be an exaggeration. The magic of the language drawn me in,
mesmerized me, made the desire to learn more and yet to hold on to the story, to not let it unfold too quickly. Gothic fiction? The only reason I had not read this book until 2016 is because of its classification as Gothic fiction, which, in my mind, is about ghosts and other scary stuff. But wait, I learned, that Jane Eyre and many other great books are, too... Gothic fiction. I guess, it's my favorite genre then?! :) the story wasn't scary, and in a few places of it being, to say softly, uncomfortable, the language was so beautiful... So masterful... So enchanting... I was lost in its magic.

I have listened to the audio recording and am off to a bookstore to buy a hard copy to start reading all over again. And yes, I have an ebook on my Kindle, too.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Just okay..

Not a bad book but not great either.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

I didn't want it to end! A wonderfully written and narrated novel. You won't be disappointed!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Bookishly Twisted!

A very engaging tale about a book lover for book lovers. It made me want to re-read some of my favorite classics. I didn't want this book to end!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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a mesmerizing tale

i heard this story on an audio recording and loved it so much that i am going to by a hardcopy to add to my personal library!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional narrators!

loved the british pronunciations of common words....ms. winter was intriguing....like the post scripts and how nothing was left untold.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful book and performance!

Instantly engaging this was an entrancing story featuring a gifted reader with a superb voice: completely enjoyable. Bravo!

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a great tale.....

totally engrossed in the story.....I laughed cried and was surprised by the twists and turns it took

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Epic Story, Beautifully Written

Setterfield’s story is incredibly imaginative and beautifully written. The narration is icing on the cake. I will listen to this one a third time as well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting

Rarely have I listened a book and then immediately started to listen a second time. But The Thirteenth Tale is so good, that's exactly what I did. I am the mother of twins, which made it an even more fascinating tale for me. I guaranty you will find yourself sitting in your car, riveted and unable to turn off the engine, or awakened in the night with the urge to slip from bed to listen for just a few more minutes. What a wonderful story. Can't wait to read more of her books.

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