Page Turners – February 2023 review

Page Turners met in February to discuss ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ by Diane Setterfield. This was published in 2006 and was her debut novel. It was televised by the BBC in  2013.

The book tells the story of enigmatic author Vida Winter who is at the end of her life and wants to finally tell the truth about her violent and tragic past. She chooses to unburden herself to biographer Margaret Lea. Margaret agrees to take on the commission after being struck by parallels between Miss Winter’s story and the secrets of her own past. Gradually the story of the Angelfield family is revealed – a tale of gothic strangeness with feral twins, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. As Margaret discovers more of Vida’s past she also confronts her own ghosts. The book explores issues of identity, loss and isolation.

For the most part members enjoyed the book but some found it confusing and several suggested that they might read it again to make sense of it once they knew the secrets that were revealed later in the book. We enjoyed the way it was written – very descriptive and atmospheric. The theme of twins was central to the book and a couple of us with twins in our families were able to share our experience. We also had an interesting discussion trying to pinpoint exactly when the book was set. We felt that some elements of the story were rather contrived but were glad that all ends were neatly tied up in the final chapters.

Deborah Wallis