I'm still sort of trying to process the excellence of this novel. Diane Setterfield has crafted a fairy tale for the ages. It's evident through her writing that Setterfield loves the telling of stories, the people who tell stories, and of course, the stories themselves.
I loved reading about so many disparate things in this novel that then came together at the end: pigs' kindness and ability to connect, changelings, rivers' sensibilities and the hardships of childbearing. I felt echoes of CANTERBURY TALES, Yeats' poems, and JANE EYRE, but this novel is very much its own animal.
Having enjoyed THE THIRTEENTH TALE, I feel lucky to have gotten in an early read of this beautiful book, and will definitely be recommending it to friends and family.
I loved reading about so many disparate things in this novel that then came together at the end: pigs' kindness and ability to connect, changelings, rivers' sensibilities and the hardships of childbearing. I felt echoes of CANTERBURY TALES, Yeats' poems, and JANE EYRE, but this novel is very much its own animal.
Having enjoyed THE THIRTEENTH TALE, I feel lucky to have gotten in an early read of this beautiful book, and will definitely be recommending it to friends and family.