Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Add to your reading list

Do it, now!

All week I have been devouring The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I have been reading each night until I can't keep my eyes open anymore, reading while I brush my teeth, reading on the treadmill at the gym. It's so good! It's so good, that I was sad when I finally finished last night - I wanted more.

It's hard to explain what it's about without giving too much away. A quiet biographer, Margaret, is asked to write the history of the world's most famous living writer, Vida Winter. Miss Winter's sordid past reads like a ghost story inside an insane asylum. Today, Miss Winter's mother, sisters, uncle, father - everyone - would be prime Jerry Springer fodder.

The plot just sucks you in. It unfolds slowly and subtly, making you wonder if there's something that you're missing. There is. There's an amazing twist at the end (which I'm proud to say, I caught onto a few pages before it happened).

Most of all, the writing is absolutely beautiful. The description is rich and imaginative, the language just flows. It makes you want to have a love affair with words.

If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you pick it up. Enjoy!

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