The Thirteenth Tale

I just finished reading Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. It was last night at about midnight, that I wrapped it up what has been about a three month long affair, and I have to say I'm at a loss as to how I feel about the book, exactly. It could have something to do with the fact that I read it over such a long amount of time, but I came away from the ending unsatisfied and a little disappointed.

First of all, let me just say that Setterfield's writing tone and style are beautiful, and that was what kept me reading through the very weird beginning of the book. The middle was very interesting and also a bit strange, but the end...well, the end just kind of fell flat for me. I suppose the fact that the novel is compared to two of my most favorite books, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, so my expectations were rather high, but it just seemed like there were three endings, and each one seemed that much more desperate than the next. This is a #1 New York Time's Bestseller, so I'm probably off my rocker here, but I just didn't come away feeling as satisfied as I hoped I would.

Give it a shot and see what you think. Several people have told me that they liked it, and I've told people how much I was liking it, but this was before I'd read the end. It all just seemed like a bit of a streach for me; like there were holes and there shouldn't have been. I might have to go back and read it again with more realistic expectations, but I probably won't, so there it is. I'm most likely the only person in the world who didn't like this book. It actually doesn't happen very often that I don't like a book. Sorry to all of you that I've recommended it to. It's still a good read, guys, just not as good as I was hoping for.