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The Thirteenth Tale
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The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield - Start Date August 2, 2014 (August Anything Goes BOM)
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Kelly said, "The twin, in the garden, with the gardening shears... oh wait."lol I couldn't keep myself from making the clue reference either. It is a bit like playing a game and seeing if you can come up with the proper sequence of things by the end.
Yzabel wrote: "37) Why did Roland (Emmeline & Adeline's father) March's family never inquire about the girls. This is very puzzling.In light of what is kind of confirmed later:
[spoilers removed]"
That's possible.
Questions and Comments for August 6th Mrs. Love Turns A Heel - Fossilized Tears
26) Gah! I was wondering if Adeline and Emmeline were switching off in the storytelling, but after Margaret encounters Emmeline with her burns, I don't think that's possible. Unless my Flowers in the Attic sibling to Adeline pans out, which I think is highly unlikely, I'm at a loss. Any thoughts?
I think the storytelling has been all Miss Winter.
27) Likewise, Aurelius Love seems unlikely to be the boy in the garden, but I still feel he is somehow connected to all this. Could one of the sister's have had a child? Yes, I'm grasping at straws. Anyone else have any ideas?
I was thinking Aurelius might be the child of the garden boy and Adeline.
28) I found it interesting that Adeline was less affected by the Missus' passing than John's. Do you think someone tampered with the safety latch or that John forgot to latch it?
I think he was murdered but it seems Miss Winter is saying it wasn't her sister. I thought maybe Emmaline is getting jealous of their relationship, like when Adeline seemed to be taking an interest in topiary art making. I think John is the closest thing Adeline has had to a father and she grew to realize she loved him for his caring of her growing up, I don't think she bonded in the same way with the Missus, also by the time the Missus died she had already been slipping away for years. When John died they were depening their relationship.
29) I wonder how much more time until the fire we keep hearing about happens? How old are the girls now? I think they said at one point that the fire happened when Adeline was 16.
30) Speaking of fires, what is up with the continuously mentioning of the book Jane Eyre? Is it a clue to something? Any theories?
Well - there is a fire.
31) The rule of three--I liked the three messed up socks story that lead to death, death, then a life. If Adeline had been the one to tell this story, I'd have believed she embellished it to sound more mysterious. Any thoughts on who would have left Aurelius on Ms. Love's doorstep? I couldn't help but wonder if she was the same old lady that Adeline watched knitting after she found her uncle dead?
That is possible - and maybe that is why Adeline thought to leave her son on that doorstep - that is my theory right now anyway.
32) Telling the story in the proper order---At first I thought Vida was over simplifying how to write a good story. Now, I'm wondering if what she meant was more complicated. Could she have meant knowing when to hold on to certain information and when to reveal it in it's proper order to keep the reader spellbound or, perhaps more appropriately, book bound? What do you think? Everything seems like an elaborate puzzle that we've got a lot of the pieces to, but not a good understanding of how they fit together.
33) Why do you think they banned Margaret for those three days? Was it just Vida's health or something else?
I think her health.
Questions and Comments for August 8th Hestor's Diary II - End
41) Did you get anywhere near the "true" story? What part of the ending surprised you the most? What surprised you the least?
I got some of it right. I kindof suspected the third child but rejected it so was wrong on that aspect. I guessed parent's correctly. I was somewhat suspecting that Adeline and Emmeline had changed places somehow to account for the personality switch which I suppose is partially accurate.
42) What did you like most about the ending? What did you like least (if you disliked anything)?
I think they did a very nice job laying it out. Some books don't explain things as well. Plus I like that she got the cat :) I think it would have been nice to have one more segment on Vida's wolf though. It seemed like such an important aspect that was never explored. It didn't tie into anything else as far as I could tell.
43) Was there anything that you wanted revealed that wasn't? I, personally, kept wondering if they sent a sane Isabelle to the asylum? She wasn't the violin culprit after all. How tragic it would be if she was mentally stable. I guess since this was Vida's tale and no one else's Isabelle's state of mind wasn't a priority.
I don't think Isabelle was sane maybe just not quite as insane as they thought. She probably offed her kids father too so....
44) So do you think it was Emmeline or Adeline who in the end got saved?
It seems like it was Adeline since she went crazy after losing her twin. They seemed to indicate that Emmeline handled the separation better.
45) What will you rate the book? Will you read more of Diane Setterfield's books?
I rated it a 4. I'd read others.
Hestor's Diary II - End41) Did you get anywhere near the "true" story? What part of the ending surprised you the most? What surprised you the least?
I did get partly near the true story. I was sure that the twins were Charlie's and that Aurelius was the child of one of the twins and Ambrose, and that the bones found in Angelfield are not Hester. I did get near the third sibling and switched personality, but I don't count this as my personal 'victory' because I just took someone else's theory and developed it further after all of my own didn't make sense anymore. ;-) So, I was still suprised in the end!
42) What did you like most about the ending? What did you like least (if you disliked anything)?
I liked that everyone got an ending, even the side characters like Judith and Maurice and the cat! It often annoys me in novels when the main characters have their ending, but I'll always wonder whatever happened to the others, so I was grateful that all got tied up. And I had to laugh at Margaret's explanation why she has to give all of them an ending because she described exactly how books make me feel in the end!
There isn't anything I really disliked. The visit from Moira was not exactly how I would have liked it to be, but I can't even tell what I would have like better, so .. no big complaints.
43) Was there anything that you wanted revealed that wasn't? I, personally, kept wondering if they sent a sane Isabelle to the asylum? She wasn't the violin culprit after all. How tragic it would be if she was mentally stable. I guess since this was Vida's tale and no one else's Isabelle's state of mind wasn't a priority.
Almost everything I wanted to know got revealed!
I don't think that taking Isabelle to the asylum was unjustified. Even when you take the violin incicent out of the equation, she is still a very disturbed character. She has a history of self-harm, an unhealthy incestious relationship with her brutal and obsessed brother, couldn't care less about her children, house, appearance, and so on .. She might not be insane enough to hurt others, but I think she was far from being mentally stable.
Besided, I'm still suspecting that Isabelle killed her husband. That's something I would have like revealed, but I guess it wasn't important.
44) So do you think it was Emmeline or Adeline who in the end got saved?
I want it to be Emmeline. I really, really want it to be her. But I'm afraid it was Adeline.
45) What will you rate the book? Will you read more of Diane Setterfield's books?
I rated it 5 stars and gushed over how brilliant it is in my review. I'd definitely read more of Setterfield's books!
41) Did you get anywhere near the "true" story? What part of the ending surprised you the most? What surprised you the least?Somehow. I had guessed that Aurelius was Ambrose's child, though whether with Adeline or Emmeline, I wasn't completely sure. The twins' actually Charlie's daughters wasn't such a surprise either, since it was hinted at more than once. (See my anwer to question 37, too.)
A third child, though, now that was more surprising.
42) What did you like most about the ending? What did you like least (if you disliked anything)?
Like Sandra, I liked that everybody got an ending, not only the main characters.
I'm torn about the revelation about a third child and who Adeline really was. It fit the themes of the book, but I felt that there hadn't been enough hints before, so it kind of came as a deus ex machina, in a way. Or perhaps there were enough hints, and I just didn't manage to get them. I don't know. As said, I'm torn about this specific point.
43) Was there anything that you wanted revealed that wasn't? I, personally, kept wondering if they sent a sane Isabelle to the asylum? She wasn't the violin culprit after all. How tragic it would be if she was mentally stable. I guess since this was Vida's tale and no one else's Isabelle's state of mind wasn't a priority.
I'd have liked to see it confirmed whether or not Roland March died of illness, or if Isabelle had an active hand in it (not merely neglecting him and going away after his death, I mean).
Same with the body in the library... but I suppose that to get an answer, it would've involved bone analysis, comparing those bones with Emmeline's and Vida's, and this would have just ruined the story by adding some crude forensics element to it.
I don't think Isabelle was perfectly sane. But then, the whole household was so dysfunctional, I don't know if she was better off at the asylum, or staying home with her weird brother...
44) So do you think it was Emmeline or Adeline who in the end got saved?
I think it was Adeline. I wish it had been Emmeline, but Vida's way of telling about it sowed so much doubt that the identity of the body in the library was heavily implied. The other characters' attitude confirmed that.
45) What will you rate the book? Will you read more of Diane Setterfield's books?
I rated it 3, hesitated towards a 4. Mostly, though, because I really didn't like Margaret. She seemed like a plot device more than a person, and I only felt invested in the investigations she led, not in her as a character. Her obsession with her own sister and her reflection was weird, too. It would have been more logical if she had been, say, 15-20 and going through a lot of the usual identity turmoil younger people experience, but as an adult woman (how old was she? 30? 35?), I wondered why she hadn't come to terms with that yet. She never knew that sister, never got to live with her, even for the first few months of her life, and it seemed just... too much? Artificial? Since the real pain had been her parents', who lost a baby daughter. But then, maybe I'm just callous like that.
(As said in a previous post, I had a stillborn brother. I never knew him, and if I were to cry with my mother about him when she remembers him, if I were to act as if it touched me like it touched her, I'd feel like a hypocrite, "stealing" some of her pain to make it my own. I understand it, but it's not mine to claim.)
I read another book by this author, "Bellman & Black", and quite liked it. So yes, I'd give a try at a third novel by her any time.
Yzabel wrote: "It fit the themes of the book, but I felt that there hadn't been enough hints before, so it kind of came as a deus ex machina, in a way."I have a feeling that there are much more hints in the book than we all realized, probably just small subtle things! Or at least that's what I expect from the author now.
I might go through the book again, now that I know how it ends, and look for all the clues that lead to the revelation, just ouf of curiosity. Well. not right now, but maybe in a few months when I'm bored or on vacation.
I'll probably do the same. It didn't help that I was mostly reading past 11 pm every evening, so I'm positive I missed some hints.
I'll be checking back in to read everyone's comments and respond, but I just wanted to make sure I said Thanks for reading the book with me. I loved reading everyone's answers and thoughts as the book progressed. This is definitely a book that is more fun to read with others. 
Lisarenee wrote: "This is definitely a book that is more fun to read with others.thank you photo: Thank You ththanks_4.gif "
Totally agree with this! Having the opportunity to compage and discuss plot theories really added to the fun of the book.
41) Did you get anywhere near the "true" story? What part of the ending surprised you the most? What surprised you the least?No, Vida Winter being the third girl rather than one among the twins was so very unexpected for me. Never ever would I have thought of such a possibility. And of course that was the most shocking part for me. Aurelius ending up as Karen's brother was the least surprising part for me.
42) What did you like most about the ending? What did you like least (if you disliked anything)?
All through the book,Margaret was fighting with demon of survivor guilt,not able to come to terms with the fact that she can live without her sister. But at the end,Moira comes to visit her and Finally Margaret decides to move on with her life and join her sister when time comes. So along with Margaret,even I felt at peace after that. So yeah,that is my favourite part about the ending
The fact that writer cleared up everything by tying all the loose ends was also the other thing which I really liked until Dr.Clifton mentioned his doubt about how Emmeline's silver box escaped the fire. Now that is something that'll keep on nagging me. So I kinda feel irritated towards that part. But that was the writer's intentions I guess,to keep us wondering.
43) Was there anything that you wanted revealed that wasn't? I, personally, kept wondering if they sent a sane Isabelle to the asylum? She wasn't the violin culprit after all. How tragic it would be if she was mentally stable. I guess since this was Vida's tale and no one else's Isabelle's state of mind wasn't a priority.
The thing I wanted to be really revealed was how that silver box escaped the fire. But that really is supposed to be a mystery I guess. About Isabelle,maybe she wasn't insane but there was really something wrong with her. She had changed a great deal from the girl she used to be before her marriage. She didn't care about her babies or her house or anything else for that matter. Something certainly was wrong with her.
44) So do you think it was Emmeline or Adeline who in the end got saved?
Emmeline never ever attacked Adeline. And from what Vida saw the girl she thought as Emmeline was hurting her sister which makes me wonder that maybe Emmeline found out that her baby is missing and was going out to search for him and Adeline started punching her to stop her from leaving. And also she didn't seem to care much when Vida said she had saved the baby. And Margaret saw Emmeline digging in the garden. Maybe it was really Adeline,who felt bad about what she did to Emmeline and was trying to search for her. So I think Vida did make a mistake when it came to recognizing Emmeline and she saved Adeline instead.
45) What will you rate the book? Will you read more of Diane Setterfield's books?
This book is one of the best. It's beautiful and at the same time has a haunting feeling to it. It made me feel uneasy and sad. But it also showed me that all books needn't have a happy ending or love story to make it beautiful. So yeah,definitely I'll give the book 4-stars. And of course I'd read more of Diane Setterfield's book. She is simply a good writer.
THE ENDINGI have to say I got a little confused with trying to weed out Adeline from Vida once it was revealed there were three children. So I am guessing when Vida switched to "I" in the story it was her and she came into the house to take over the Misus duties and she had a closer relationship with John and it was her who had cigarettes with and was talking to the garden boy.
...But her beginning is just a little too fantastical. So she is the product of rape by Charlie and somebody and then is found as this wild child running around the garden being self sufficient on berries and a bed of magazines in the shed, really? So there is this gap, somebody - her mother maybe - had to keep her alive as a baby. And how did she come to be running around the garden surviving??
I would love to see this as a movie - and I did still really enjoy this book and am looking more forward now to reading The Woman in White.
Sarah wrote: "I would love to see this as a movie - and I did still really enjoy this book and am looking more forward now to reading The Woman in White."According to Wikipedia, there is a BBC television movie adaption of the novel! Not sure if it is available online or on DVD, though.
Sandra wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I would love to see this as a movie - and I did still really enjoy this book and am looking more forward now to reading The Woman in White."According to Wikipedia, there is a BBC te..."
I believe that is where the trailer I posted at the top of the group is from.
This was a beautiful book! I didn't really love it - like Yzabel, I didn't have a real connection to the characters, since all the Angelfields were "odd", and I found it off-putting how literally every character with a sibling was completely obsessed with their sibling. It took a powerful story and made it a little 2-dimensional to me.But it was a beautiful book, and the story and the mystery were fascinating, and I teared up a bit at the end. It was a good read. I gave it 3 stars.
I wasn't playing along as we read because this was my first book with NBRC and I thought I wasn't supposed to come into this topic until I was done... :) I'll play along for the next one! (Fangirl, since I can't find Clean Sweep anywhere.)
Kim wrote: "This was a beautiful book! I didn't really love it - like Yzabel, I didn't have a real connection to the characters, since all the Angelfields were "odd", and I found it off-putting how literally e..."Glad to have you joining us. Always more fun with more people. I couldn't find Clean Sweep anywhere to borrow either so I ended up buying that one. It looks like it's lendable on the kindle so you could check to see if anyone has it on one of the kindle lendable lists. There's another thread for that somewhere.
Kim wrote: "This was a beautiful book! I didn't really love it - like Yzabel, I didn't have a real connection to the characters, since all the Angelfields were "odd", and I found it off-putting how literally e..."We'd love to have you join in.
Kim wrote: "This was a beautiful book! I didn't really love it - like Yzabel, I didn't have a real connection to the characters, since all the Angelfields were "odd", and I found it off-putting how literally e..."For a moment, I thought you meant the book Ysabel and I was very confused. XD
But compared to the actual book, I think what sets Ysabel and The Swan Thieves apart from this book is their sustained quality. When I was answering question 1, I compared this book to The Swan Thieves, and the "single lupine exhalation" and "indigo and gunpowder" were such powerful descriptions. Unfortunately, this was not sustained. That night when Margaret was in the garden, right before she met Emmaline, (or actually Adeline? I'm leaning towards Adeline because Emmaline put the baby first (thus the jealousy on Adeline's part) and the person who was rescued put her twin first.) there were so many missed chances for more poetic descriptions. Instead, it was all very cliche, silver branches and the moon reflected in the fountain. I liked this book fine, something like a 3.6 or a 3.7/5? But it didn't dazzle me.
The thing I liked the least was how little of what Miss Winters said actually made it into this book. She talked for a few hours a day for several days. The, what, one hundred pages as told by Miss Winters doesn't take that long. And I didn't like the thirteenth tale that much. The problem with a fictional celebrated author is that the real author isn't that celebrated, and when they try to write as the fiction author, it's hard to tell how in the world that fictional author became famous. The thirteenth tale is stark, bitter, very lamp-shaded, very Miss Winters, but not that intriguing or good.
What I liked the most about the book is of course, the plot. Aurelius is the man in the brown suit is the son of Ambrose and Emmaline, and half brother of, what was her name? Katherine? But when he's introduced, he's just a stranger who becomes Margaret's friend. And of course, the fact that there were three of them and they called her "Shadow" which became the name of the cat.
I really wanted to see Margaret have a conversation with her mother. By the end of the book, she came to terms with losing her twin, but nothing else in her life really changed. Does she keep in touch with everybody she met? Is she a little less of a total introvert? I know she's going to visit the doctor with her cat, so that's something.
And a sort of side tangent. I've found that sometimes, I like an author's first book the best? Like, I thought The King of Lies was really good, but when I tried reading a couple of other John Hart books, I just couldn't get into them. They weren't as inventive as his first book. They started with too obvious of a premises. On Mystic Lake was charming. Angel Falls was a complete mess.
Sorry my answers are late. Questions and Comments for August 5th
The Eye In The View - Angelfield Again
18) I don't know if I'd have noticed it without Lisa saying we should keep track of it, but we again switch from first to third person and back. Very odd.
I did too. I thought that I was hearing it incorrectly so I went back and re-read it again. I found it strange and wondered why she did it that way.
19) The second Adeline is very curious. Do you think it was a village child? I can't imagine Emmeline playing with them. Could Isabelle have had another child? Perhaps via her brother? I know, I know it's a terrible thought, but they had such an odd relationship that, yeah, I went there. It would explain the similar appearance.
Yes, I did thought it was a village child but then I thought the same thing that the next question asked. I thought that maybe Isabelle had another child and yes as creepy as it sounds I thought that it was with the brother too. Eww. They were kind of strange together but then I told myself if that was the case why did she leave to marry someone else and then I said but how was there the similar appearance so I kept reading so that I hoped it really wasn't their child together and there was another explanation for the similarities.
20) There is mention of Hester noticing a young boy in the garden. Could it have been a young Aurelius Love? Could that be why John-the-dig didn't like outsiders on the premise? Could he have been hiding him? Since I already went there, could he be Isabelle and Charlie's son or could he be John-the-dig's? Do we know either the Missus' surname or John's?
I thought it was Aurelius Love in the garden. Maybe that was why John-the-dig didn't like outsiders on the premises but also maybe because he wanted to protect the family from all that was going on there too. John-the-dig might have been hiding him because he must have thought that it belonged to one of the twins because I do remember Aurelius saying something about his clothes smelling of smoke.
21) I don't know about anyone else, but I did not see the Hester and doctor incident coming. Anyone not surprised? I wonder if he'd done something like that before? His wife definitely wasn't surprised.
I don't know about that be the doctor seemed kind of eager to do whatever Hester wanted. Let's just say it didn't shock me when it happened. I guess it was bond to happen but when the wife didn't seem surprised, you knew that it wasn't the first time it's happened.
22) I love all the tracking Margaret has to do to verify Vida's story. It looks like the one document verifies that Vida is indeed Adeline. I think all the research is necessary considering her track record of lying. What's your opinion?
I agree. It was good that Margaret researched all that was told to her so that she made sure that it wasn't a lie.
23) What did you think of the Doctor's and Hester's twin experiment? Without Adeline's commentary, would you have thought it a good idea?
I think that could have did it in a better way than the way they went about it. I think they did more harm than good.
24) Charlie's death and depression were terrible. I'm still kind of baffled by Isabelle's rapid decline. How did she go from somewhat normal to crazy enough to require hospitalization? What happened? Was it her father's death? I wonder if we'll ever know?
Charlie's death is still bugging me. I'm not too sure if he died but then again he might be. As for Isabelle, I thought maybe that Charlie finally raped her and that is what made her crazy or maybe her father's death put her over the edge. I guess we'll never know the truth about that.
25) What did you think of Hestor's girl in the veil theory? I still can't unify the Adeline Hestor speaks of with the one we've met. Anyone else having trouble?
I was having trouble with that too.
Weird Observation: So I've been toggling between the hardcover book and the audio. Listening to the audio, the chapter titled, "The Eye in the Yew" sounded much more interesting. It sounded like the I in the You. I had to look it up just to verify how it was spelled. It's probably nothing, but I thought it interesting.
I did the same thing with the audio and book and yes that was interesting.
Questions and Comments for August 6th
Mrs. Love Turns A Heel - Fossilized Tears
26) Gah! I was wondering if Adeline and Emmeline were switching off in the storytelling, but after Margaret encounters Emmeline with her burns, I don't think that's possible. Unless my Flowers in the Attic sibling to Adeline pans out, which I think is highly unlikely, I'm at a loss. Any thoughts?
I was wondering that too but when I was listening to the audio it didn't seem like the person changed in any way so I wondered maybe there was something wrong with the other twin and that's why the sudden mood change.
27) Likewise, Aurelius Love seems unlikely to be the boy in the garden, but I still feel he is somehow connected to all this. Could one of the sister's have had a child? Yes, I'm grasping at straws. Anyone else have any ideas?
I was thinking the same thing. He is somehow connected.
28) I found it interesting that Adeline was less affected by the Missus' passing than John's. Do you think someone tampered with the safety latch or that John forgot to latch it?
I think someone tampered with it. Strange things are happening in this story, so why not?
29) I wonder how much more time until the fire we keep hearing about happens? How old are the girls now? I think they said at one point that the fire happened when Adeline was 16.
I was wondering that too.
30) Speaking of fires, what is up with the continuously mentioning of the book Jane Eyre? Is it a clue to something? Any theories?
I thought maybe she was just trying to make a connection with her story or something like that. Not sure.
31) The rule of three--I liked the three messed up socks story that lead to death, death, then a life. If Adeline had been the one to tell this story, I'd have believed she embellished it to sound more mysterious. Any thoughts on who would have left Aurelius on Ms. Love's doorstep? I couldn't help but wonder if she was the same old lady that Adeline watched knitting after she found her uncle dead?
Not sure who left him there but I thought that Ms. Love was the same old lady that Adeline saw.
32) Telling the story in the proper order---At first I thought Vida was over simplifying how to write a good story. Now, I'm wondering if what she meant was more complicated. Could she have meant knowing when to hold on to certain information and when to reveal it in it's proper order to keep the reader spellbound or, perhaps more appropriately, book bound? What do you think? Everything seems like an elaborate puzzle that we've got a lot of the pieces to, but not a good understanding of how they fit together.
I thought more spellbound to keep Margaret's interest and the readers too. It's like she wanted everyone to put the puzzle together on their own.
33) Why do you think they banned Margaret for those three days? Was it just Vida's health or something else?
I think it was a mix between Vida's health and maybe she wanted Margaret to think through all that she was telling her so that she can come up with more information on her own or figure out what was really going on.
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Questions and Comments for August 7thUnderwater Cryptography - Demolishing The Past
34) So we're starting to get a clearer picture and the pieces are starting to fit together... We now have some idea how Aurelius is connected with all this. He's the young man in the brown suit asking for the truth. The bag he was found in was Thomas Proctor's. The spoon from Angelfield House. We know Hestor never left the house, or so we assume, but have no clue why. Where was she? Is she truly the person whose's body they found? Could this be a red herring? We also know it was because of Emmeline (now confirmed) being ill that Margaret's was banished. I have a new question, Why did Miss Winters insist on Margaret writing the story? Is she somehow connected to all of this also?
I thought she might have died too but then I thought maybe the body was Charlie's since he disappeared. It wouldn't surprise me of either because it seems like everyone dies eventually. Miss Winters might have knew that Margaret was a twin.
35) Did anyone else think it odd that Margaret would, without asking, bring Aurelius into the Winter household? The whole scene was odd. What happened to Aurelius later? Was he truly making cake deliveries or did something happen to him?
No, because she might have thought that he was connected with the family or she figured he was already inside the house so why not. I know I would never do that but she was all over the place mentally so I guess she wasn't thinking about it when she did it. I hope nothing happened to Aurelius later on and he was making cake deliveries.
36) We still don't know who disliked John enough to wreck the garden and undo the safety latch. Any ideas? Are the two incidents related? Is Miss Winters lying about anything? Did the twins truly demolish John's garden? Could John be the twins real father?
I think one of the twins might have done it and Miss Winter may be lying about something but I don't know what yet. As for fathering the twins, I don't think he was the father.
37) Why did Roland (Emmeline & Adeline's father) March's family never inquire about the girls. This is very puzzling.
I thought maybe because he knew that the girls weren't his and told them and that's why they didn't inquire.
38) Could Isabelle not have died in the asylum? Could she be the person Hester saw playing with Emmeline? Again, I'm grasping as straws.
That could be a possibility but they said that Isabelle wasn't the motherly type but then again her craziness might have brought her there thinking she was a child again. I did not know.
39) Could Aurelius be Hestor's? If so, by who? The doctor? Charlie? John? Thomas?
He might be and with the doctor.
40) Okay, make your prediction (if you haven't read ahead) with the spoiler tags like so:
Example---This:
(view spoiler)
Sorry read ahead :)
Questions and Comments for August 8th
Hestor's Diary II - End
41) Did you get anywhere near the "true" story? What part of the ending surprised you the most? What surprised you the least?
Well when I was nearing the end I wasn't surprised that Hester and the doctor getting together but what did surprise me was the third child.
42) What did you like most about the ending? What did you like least (if you disliked anything)?
I liked that everyone had their ending.
43) Was there anything that you wanted revealed that wasn't? I, personally, kept wondering if they sent a sane Isabelle to the asylum? She wasn't the violin culprit after all. How tragic it would be if she was mentally stable. I guess since this was Vida's tale and no one else's Isabelle's state of mind wasn't a priority.
I wondered the same thing. It was just so off and didn't make sense but then again I thought that she went nuts because of the kids and brother.
44) So do you think it was Emmeline or Adeline who in the end got saved?
I thought that it was Adeline who got saved in the end.
45) What will you rate the book? Will you read more of Diane Setterfield's books?
I rate the book 4 stars and yes I will read more of her books. I was exciting reading this book. It was like you were the investigator and you had to look deeper into the story to find the true story. I'm even considering re-reading this book to see if I've missed anything during my reading that I didn't see before.
FYI, this was the author's first book. Wow!
This was a great book for a first one.
Kim wrote: "This was a beautiful book! I didn't really love it - like Yzabel, I didn't have a real connection to the characters, since all the Angelfields were "odd", and I found it off-putting how literally e..."I look forward to discussing Fangirl with you.
I'm sorry I missed this one. I have it on my list for the upcoming Tower Teams and I hope some of you still want to discuss it with me!
If you do not read it soon, I may join you. I have it in my TBR, but I "overbooked" for November. So i am not going to crack it open before mid-December.
Oh, me too! Let's plan on mid-December together.
I just recently read this....missed the discussion....is it still on?
Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The King of Lies (other topics)Ysabel (other topics)
The Swan Thieves (other topics)
On Mystic Lake (other topics)
Angel Falls (other topics)
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In light of what is kind of confirmed later:
(view spoiler)[Maybe because they suspected the twins weren't Roland's, but Charles's? So they didn't really care about the whimsical widow and kids who weren't their grandkids? (hide spoiler)]