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A review by poeticsinglemama
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
First part: 4 - 4.5
Ending: 2
I really enjoyed the first 80% of the book and then it took a turn and I almost didn't want to keep reading it. It became confusing and I'm still not completely sure what happened. It had a really good pace and then they suddenly threw in this twist and tried to explain it in a really rushed way.
<SPOILER> Suddenly Miss Winter isn't really Adeline but this third little girl, bastard child of Charlie, that looks like the twins, but that few people knew about and is referred to as a ghost...but obviously she's not a ghost or she wouldn't be alive and aging and dying. She was never really given a name and just assumed the identity of Adeline after the fire that killed one of the twins.
They also say Margaret works through her own past and secrets, but not really. Sounds like she was a conjoined twin and when they were separated her sister died, not much unraveling there. She misses a sister she didn't know.
</SPOILER>
Ending: 2
I really enjoyed the first 80% of the book and then it took a turn and I almost didn't want to keep reading it. It became confusing and I'm still not completely sure what happened. It had a really good pace and then they suddenly threw in this twist and tried to explain it in a really rushed way.
<SPOILER> Suddenly Miss Winter isn't really Adeline but this third little girl, bastard child of Charlie, that looks like the twins, but that few people knew about and is referred to as a ghost...but obviously she's not a ghost or she wouldn't be alive and aging and dying. She was never really given a name and just assumed the identity of Adeline after the fire that killed one of the twins.
They also say Margaret works through her own past and secrets, but not really. Sounds like she was a conjoined twin and when they were separated her sister died, not much unraveling there. She misses a sister she didn't know.
</SPOILER>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest