The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This is my reading group's October reading selection.  It is nice to already have a copy on hand.  Roy had given me this novel sometime this year.  It was selected based on some other book I had read and enjoyed.

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it.  Mostly because time to read it before the reading group meeting was catching up to me.  When I feel rushed, it starts to become an assignment, and then my heart isn't in it anymore.  However, after a few slow first pages, I was captured.

I really enjoyed the plot, it was rich with mystery.  The characters had a wide spectrum of humanness, cruelty, loyalty, intelligence, interest, heart-break, cunning... Though none of the characters would be my best friend, I found reading about their trials fascinating.

This novel is a kindred soul to Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Turn of the Screw.  The Thirteenth Tale is about family and all the secrets they have.  It is about telling the truth and finally being at peace with the past while discovering yourself along the way.