mark monday's Reviews > The Thirteenth Tale

Beautifully composed but unfortunately kind of a pain in the ass to read. This was like a nicely plump pillow with no actual support or a cozy-looking comforter that provides no actual warmth. Except for the mysterious author at the heart of the tale, characterization was flat and unbelievable. Don't get me started on the weirdly morose, insipid protagonist - what a drip. She's miserable and dying inside over missing her dead twin - a twin she only found out about yesterday (basically)? Spare me that bullshit. And good grief, the pat tidiness of that ending. I did enjoy the sequences featuring a Mary Poppins-esque governess and I wish that the entire book had been about her adventures in research. The lovely and evocative prose at first had me turning the pages eagerly. But eventually I was turning the pages as quickly as possible to get the damn experience over with. Still, it has to be said that stylistically and technically, the writing was lovely and accomplished - no complaints about Setterfield's skills as a wordsmith. This wasn't an objectionable experience, it was merely mediocre. In other words, a perfect #1 New York Times Bestseller, as the cover proudly acclaims.