Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

19 reviews

monicalaurette's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

“People disappear when they die.”

This book was somewhat of a wild ride, and I don’t know how much I truly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the mystery part of this book, finding out the truth of Vida Winters and her personal backstory, and was pleasantly surprised with the actual reveal of it. I won’t spoil it so

I honestly thought it was that the twin was alive, not that there was a third child - cousin - who is our Vida Winters

.

At first the narrator, Margaret, to mee seemed a little stuffy and full of herself, but she was a different type of person compared to me so perhaps that’s why. However as time went on I grew to at least be neutral about her, and the fact that we’re both twins was fun, as well as the Angelfield twins that were such a large part of the story. I loved how that was a small surprise for me while I was reading.

“The separation of twins is no ordinary separation.”

One thing I wanted to put in this review and not just in the content warnings/spoilers: there’s like possible incest in this book. It’s not specifically stated between the brother & sister character, but to me it was HEAVILY implied that there was some. Also the brother is a rapist so if that’s not something you want I’d suggest steering clear of this book, or at least the big reveal twist reveal because that’s when it’s mentioned. Besides those things, really it was a fine book.

“Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you?”

This book didn’t really have this feeling for me. I finished this and told myself I would sit on it before writing my review, and then promptly forgot all about it until I opened up my reading notes. So while the above quote I 100% agree with and have had that feeling, this book didn’t do it for me. The story only really picked up towards the end (which happens) but I wish it had hooked me deeper sooner.

For this book, because of the items that just didn’t sit nicely with me I mentioned above, along with not feeling like this book really stayed with me long, I am giving it 3.25 stars. I loved the concept and at the end thinking I had the answer and then getting shocked, so glad that I did read it to get that small enjoyment.

I liked the Missus & John-the-Dig’s relationship as like two friends having to come together to raise some kids

HOW DID HESTER NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE THIRD CHILD WHY DID MISSUS & JOHN SAY NOTHING ABOUT THEM?

I should have realized there was someone else in the story since it was all in the third person while Vida was recounting it to Margaret.

Honestly said that Margaret & Aurelius didn’t like….at least keep in touch or stay together at the end. I liked when they interacted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bre88's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It’s not for everyone and a book I would need to read a couple times to catch everything. You have to power through the first couple of chapters but the book does become immersive and I don’t regret reading it. There’s multiple layers of stories and you feel yourself chasing to keep up like the protagonist.  I can’t say it was the best thing I’ve ever read; however, I can’t stop thinking about the story and characters. It was interesting and challenging and the kind of book you need to discuss with a friend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty

meg_elyse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Incest, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

khbenedik's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I generally enjoyed this book - it was beautifully written and narrated by the two narrators in the audiobook, had a suspenseful Gothic feel, and is layered with interact details that build upon the dark family mysteries. That being said, I had issues with some of the plot points and it felt like the last 25% of the book was anticlimactic and wrapped up too quickly after all the build up.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

emturnspages's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Incest, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

t_higgsreviews's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.43

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Self harm, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, Vomit, and Medical content

lestatsoul's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

laurenleigh's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Is there a more satisfying feeling than finally crossing a book off your TBR? Especially when it’s been there for years?! This deeply atmospheric novel did not disappoint. I only wish I had read it in the winter though. Its slow pace, its setting in the moors, and its numerous mentions of cocoa made me wish I was curled up in wool socks by the fire while reading this somewhat spooky tale. It wasn’t quite in sync with my summer vibes at the moment. If you’re a fan of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or just a true lover of fiction in general, I recommend this one. It’s not just an homage to those classic works of literature, it celebrates that we all have our own stories to tell. Our birth and our life are a tale we’re constantly editing and inevitably mythologizing. We don’t even know ourselves what is “truth” and what is fiction at some moments, but there’s a magic nonetheless in finding special people to whom you can trust your story. The audiobook was lovely, and both narrators had terrific English accents. The ending was completely satisfying, which can ring false for me sometimes, but felt perfectly in keeping with this book’s trajectory.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Rape, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

anni_swanilda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Incest and Forced institutionalization