Good debut novel - happily recommend (The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield)

Member Name: Loopylooploo

Product:	The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
Date:	25/05/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good pace, well-written, enjoyable

Disadvantages: Occasionally can see the inexperience of the author

I had mixed emotions when I picked up this book: there was quite a lot of 'ums and arghs'. I didn't know what to expect. However, I'm glad to say that I actually found the book enjoyable and a surprisingly quick read.

In Setterfield's novel, Vida Winter is England's most famous living author, and whose life has remained a mystery. No newspaper or biographer has ever managed to find out her real story. This novel begins when this author decides that she wants her biography to be written by Margaret Lea, a rather isolated and withdrawn young woman.

The book is written with the story of Margaret Lea intertwined around Vida Winter's tale. What emerges is an almost haunting novel, full of twists and turns, where secrets are unravelled.

It is a very good debut novel and if anyone were to ask whether they should read it, I wouldn't hesitate to say it is worth a go. However, it may not be a book that I would push forward at the top of my recommendations. I cannot help feeling that if the story had been developed by a more established writer, the plotlines may have been more subtle. Sometimes, there were plotlines that were either unnecessary or a little obvious. This is just a minor point, though.

(I originally wrote this review for Amazon.co.uk.)

Summary: The life of a fictional famous author is about to be told.