The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Thirteenth Tale is a lovely, intoxicating novel. The writing is beautiful and elegant, and the story itself is magical and spellbinding. The characters are superbly written, flawed and vulnerable, and it is their flaws that give them breath. I was captivated from page one and had difficulty putting the book down. I stayed up reading into the night, and only set it aside when I could hold my eyes open no longer. It's been a while since I've read anything that touched me as this book did. I would've expected a slower pace, but I flew through the story, the excitement building page after page. Now, as I have had time to digest the material, I find myself wanting to go back to the beginning and start over again, with the knowledge I have gained. This book has earned a special place on my 'favorites' shelf.