The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Thirteenth Tale
by Diane Setterfield
Atria Books, 2006
406 pages
source: library

Book Description (from amazon):
Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of Gothic strangeness -- featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess,a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

My thoughts:
Part mystery, part family saga, and part ghost story, The Thirteenth Tale  is  a true story-telling marvel.

But what an unusual reading experience... with its lyrical prose and Gothic atmosphere, I instantly liked the book. Images of Rebecca  flashed through my mind and the many bookish references were great fun. However, about a third of the way through, I became bored and wasn't sure whether I wanted to continue. What could all the fuss be about? Since it was a book club selection, I kept reading and soon began to enjoy it again. And then I COULD NOT put it down... I mean the "forget about dinner, do I really need to pick my daughter, don't even bother talking to me" kind of can't put it down. At the end, I was speechless. And in the mood for a quick reread of Jane Eyre.

The Thirteenth Tale  has been around for since 2006. I can't believe it's taken so long to finally read it, but maybe that's a good thing. The wait for her new novel will be a short one.

A few favorite quotes:

There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic. p. 8-9 

His face settled into passive neutrality, a sign that, in the way of all storytellers, he was disappearing to make way for the voice of the story itself." p. 223 

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? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes - characters even - caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you. p.289-290

My rating:

Bottom line:
If you haven't read The Thirteenth Tale, what are you waiting for?

Wrapping Up Pym Reading Week with a Giveaway

It's been a wonderful week for Barbara Pym fans! I've decided to end Barbara Pym Reading Week by giving away my gently read copy of Some Tame Gazelle.

Please leave a comment by 12 noon EDT Wednesday June 12 if you'd like to enter. Be sure to include an email address. I will ship anywhere.

Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym

Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
254 pages
first published in 1950
source: personal copy

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
It was odd that Harriet should always have been so fond of curates. They were so immature and always made the same kind of conversation. Now the Archdeacon was altogether different . . . ' Together yet alone, the Misses Bede occupy the central crossroads of parish life. Harriet, plump, elegant and jolly, likes nothing better than to make a fuss of new curates, secure in the knowledge that elderly Italian Count Ricardo Bianco will propose to her yet again this year. Belinda, meanwhile has harboured sober feelings of devotion towards Archdeacon Hochleve for thirty years. Then into their quiet, comfortable lives comes a famous librarian, Nathaniel Mold, and a bishop from Africa, Theodore Grote - who each take to calling on the sisters for rather more unsettling reasons.

My thoughts:
Barbara Pym's first published novel sets the stage for most of her later work. Her world is filled with middle-aged spinsters, church life, English villages, and the clergy. Pym is a keen observer of everyday life and presents it with quiet humor and dry wit.

As usual, she drew me in for the opening paragraph:

The new curate seemed quite a nice young man, but what a pity it was that his combinations showed, tucked carelessly into his socks, when he sat down. Belinda had noticed it when they had met him for the first time at the vicarage last week and had felt quite embarrassed. Perhaps Harriet could say something to him about it. Her blunt jolly manner could carry off these little awkwardnesses much better than Belinda's timidity. Of course he might think it none of their business, as indeed it was not, but Belinda rather doubted whether he thought at all, if one were to judge by the quality of his first sermon.

Pym always seems to include a few thoughts on fashion:

'Besides, high heels are definitely the fashion now.'
'Yes, I suppose they are,' agreed Belinda, for Harriet always knew things like that. And yet, she thought, at our age, surely all that was necessary was to dress suitably and if possible in good taste, without really thinking of fashion? With the years one ought to have grown beyond such thoughts but somehow one never did, and Belinda set out for the afternoon conscious that she was wearing dowdy shoes. (p.26)

And reflection on life in general:

Belinda put down her knitting and sat dreaming. Of course there was a certain pleasure in not doing something; it was impossible that one's high expectations should be disappointed by the reality. (p.84) 

'It's no use being sentimental about things,' said Harriet. 'You shouldn't keep a clutter of clothes you never wear just because you once liked them.'
Belinda made no comment on this, for she was thinking that Harriet's words might be applied to more serious things than clothes. If only one could clear out one's mind and heart as ruthlessly as one did one's wardrobe... (p. 221)

Food often takes center stage in Pym's world. Curates are invited to dinner, churches hold teas and bazaars, and menus require a good deal of discussion. In fact, there is even a Barbara Pym Cookbook.

Some Tame Gazelle  will forever stand out in my mind as the novel with the "cauliflower cheese incident".  In honor of Barbara Pym Reading Week, I experimented with my own version of a cauliflower cheese, but it turned out to be more of a baked cauliflower casserole. Probably not what the Misses Bede served to their seamstress...

I always enjoy time spent with Barbara Pym's novels. They have become my ideal comfort read, especially when served with a cup of tea.

Some tame gazelle, or some gentle dove:

Something to love, oh, something to love!

Wordless Wednesday: June 5

Chelsea Market, New York City - May 2013

Tuesday Intro: A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym

On the Sunday after Easter - Low Sunday, Emma believed it was called - the villagers were permitted to walk in the park and woods surrounding the manor. She had not been sure whether to come on the walk or not. It was her first weekend in the village , and she had been planning to observe the inhabitants in the time-honoured manner from behind the shadow of her curtains. But seeing the party assembling outside the pub, wearing tweeds and sensible shoes and some carrying walking-sticks, she had been unable to resist the temptation of joining in.

A Few Green Leaves
by Barbara Pym

It's Pym Reading Week, co-hosted by Thomas and Amanda, and I have just begun A Few Green Leaves, Pym's last novel. I hadn't planned on reading another Pym so soon, but this first paragraph seems irresistible to me. What do you think?

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

It's Pym Week, What are You Reading?

I will be starting A Few Green Leaves (Pym's last novel), as well as A Lot to Ask: A Life of Barbara Pym by Hazel Holt. What are you planning to read this week?

Pym Reading Week is co-hosted by Thomas and Amanda. Be sure to visit their blogs for the all latest info and links.

Pin It and Do It: It's a Wrap

Another round of Trish's Pin It and Do It Challenge has come to an end. I tried three new recipes early in the month, but then slowed down a bit. Over the long Memorial Day weekend, we enjoyed one more Pinterest success when I made a Chocolate-Raspberry Tart from Martha Stewart (my original pin). The recipe was simple and the final product was stunning. The tart is very rich, so small slices were in order... there wasn't a crumb left over.

My goal at the beginning of the month was to complete at least one non-food pin. It almost seems like cheating, but I purchased and read And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. It went from the Books on my Wish List board, to Current Reading, and has now earned a spot on my Recommended Reading board. A review will be posted sometime in June.

Finally, in an effort to get back into knitting, I purchased yarn to make a scarf. As I feared, my rusty knitting skills translated into sub-optimal results. I have ripped out the beginning twice (so far), but will see if my mother can help later this week. I think a knitting skills refresher course is on order.

Thanks again, Trish. Pin It and Do It is always fun!

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has a food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up over the weekend