The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This was an enjoyable read. It says on the back cover of the book that it is a love letter to reading, and I whole heartedly agree. The story is simple and its beauty lies in the emotion Setterfield gives her characters for the reader to experience. The story is more felt than simply understood. This novel has gothic elements, which I enjoy very much, and the story keeps you guessing until the very end like a good mystery (minus the cheese). The main character, Margaret Lea, is the quiet and reserved daughter of a bookshop owner. She also has a hobby of writing biographies about select people, preferably deceased. Miss Vida Winter is an internationally loved author on her death bed looking to finally tell her life story to someone worthy and capable of properly recording it. The two characters come together to once and for all go through the true life of Vida Winter, something many people before Margaret had attempted but failed. By mixing the present with the past in a way that makes the reader experience both, this novel is a true example of great storytelling. While I don't personally relate to the experiences of twin life (I may have had I been a twin myself), I do appreciate the way in which Setterfield reflects the good and bad found in all families. She brings to light the fact that every family has skeletons and coming to terms with ones own family secrets allows a person to understand more about themselves. I would love to see a film adaptation of this book and look forward to reading more novels by this Setterfield. A fabulous debut!

Rating 4/5

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

I found this book to be extremely disappointing in the end. I read Mystic River a few years ago and loved it, so I was surprised when I read “Shutter Island” and found it to be the complete opposite. This book was a definite let down. The book was well written, well plotted, and full of guessing and suspense up to the last 50 pages or so. Lehane takes the easy way out and ends on something similar to the old “and then he woke up for that really bad dream and lived happily ever after” which I feel is the ultimate slap in the face to the reader. The worst part was, it wasn’t even that surprising because about halfway through you realize something isn’t right and the back of the book even alludes to it. Even though it was only the ending that did the damage, it reflects poorly on the book as a whole because the reader walks away unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Anyone can create the beginning of a great plot, it’s tying up the ends and delivering the end that is the real trick, and Lehane fails to do this. I know the movie is coming out in the fall and I am hoping it isn’t a let down as well. I would not recommend this book to anyone because there is nothing more disappointing than putting time into reading a book only to realize the author didn’t put that same time into writing it. Thumbs down.

Rating 1/5

The City of Ember (First Book of Ember) by Jeanne DuPrau

The idea of a place like Ember is frightening. From the beginning of the book, the reader is aware of the physical seclusion and isolation of the city of Ember and its citizens. Seclusion from what, however, the reader does not know. The “Builders” of Ember manufactured the city a long time ago, but the reader doesn’t learn why until the end of the book by reading a journal left by one of the first citizens of Ember. The reader also learns immediately about the important instructions the “Builders” have left for when the city expires, that is, the calculated amount of time when Ember’s citizens are supposed to exit the city. This is because of the calculation of when supplies will run out and also how long it will take for the “new world” to be safe. Through the adventures of the books two main characters, Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet, “The City of Ember” is a prelude to something more. It details the discovery of the accidentally lost instructions and how two 12 year olds put the pieces back together to find out how to exit the city and hopefully save the people they know and love, as planned out by their ancestors. This book also addresses issues of conservation, minimalistic living, and is very much about appreciating the abundance that the world we live in has to offer. This book also ended on a great note, leaving the reader wanting answers but not feeling unsatisfied. While the writing and dialogue is simple, it doesn’t lack good storytelling. This book may have been better if written for an older audience, but is entertaining nonetheless.

Rating 4/5

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I loved the first book so much I managed to get my hands on an ARC for Catching Fire. I finished the book in one sitting and it is just as extraordinary as the first. It picks up almost right where the first book leaves off with Katniss and Peeta's return home to District 12. This book focuses less on the Games and more on the unrest that Peeta and Katniss' defiance of the Capitol has created throughout most of the Districts. It is just as gut wrenching and heart breaking as the first. The story is chilling and draws the reader into the harsh yet frighteningly realistic dystopian society of Panem. Collins is a magnificent writer and I can't wait to read the third and final book!

Rating 5/5