The Thirteenth Tale — Diane Setterfield
Vida Winter is a famous, bestselling author with a background as mysterious as any novel she’s ever written. Many have tried to get her story, but all have come away with different versions, and none of them the truth. But Vida is dying, and she’s decided the last story she’ll tell is the story of her life before she was famous. She summons an unknown hobby biographer named Margaret Lea to come stay with her as she tells the story of her youth. It’s a story of mystery and violence — shocking and hard to believe. Margaret has to wonder as she listens — is Vida Winter telling the truth, or just telling one last great story?
I loved this book. The language is amazing and beautiful. What I like about Setterfield’s storytelling is that it’s not complicated, but it’s complex. She doesn’t use big words, but her words have big meaning. This story is smart, and I enjoyed every page.
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