How essential is what we learn from Hester’s diary?ġ2. Does that prove to be true in her story? In the book?ġ1. They come, they go, and when they go they’re gone for good. Miss Winter tells Margaret that “it doesn’t do to get attached to secondary characters. Can you think of examples of when this seems to be true? Which other rooms or homes reflect their inhabitants?ġ0. Angelfield (the house) becomes an external symbol of the family and its changing condition.
Margaret realizes that “plunging deep into Miss Winter’s story was a way of turning my back on my own” (p. Who was saved from the fire? How can we be certain?Ĩ. Were you surprised at Miss Winter’s true identity? What points Margaret (and the reader) to this conclusion?ħ. What do biography and storytelling have in common? How are they different? Would you rather have the truth or a good story?Ħ. Would you call The Thirteenth Tale a ghost story? If so, who are the ghosts? Who is haunted?ĥ. In one interview about her career change from academia to author, Setterfield notes her realization that “whilst books are extraordinary, writers themselves are no more or less special than anyone else.” How might we say this is reflected in the novel?Ĥ.
Why would we (as Margaret) even consider accepting the invitation?ģ. We’re living our quiet bookshop lives, and we receive a letter without real context or satisfactory explanation. Let’s dig in by putting ourselves in Margaret’s place. Given those characterizations, does The Thirteenth Tale resonate more as an old novel or as contemporary writing?Ģ. Her father advocates for contemporary writing, ones “where the message is that there is no end to human suffering, only endurance…endings that are muted, but which echo longer in the memory.” Do you side with Margaret or with her father? Is it that simple? Do you recall why Margaret says she prefers old novels? (see p. 32) Margaret contrasts her reading as a child to her reading as an adult. In many ways, this is a book for book lovers, and there are multiple passages that speak to readers. If reproducing, please credit with the following statement: 2016 Mount Prospect Public Library. The Library is happy to share these original questions for your use. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. When her health begins failing, the mysterious author Vida Winter decides to let Margaret Lea, a biographer, write the truth about her life, but Margaret needs to verify the facts since Vida has a history of telling outlandish tales.
Genre: Gothic Fiction Psychological Suspense
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