Monday, October 8, 2007

The Thirteenth Tale






Quickie recap: Margaret is at best an amateur biographer, so when she is contacted by the greatest living author to tell her worldly secrets, her surprise is great - but will soon be eclipsed by the the life that this woman painfully admits to.


Quickie review: A story within a story within a story - at no point boring, at no point anything less than enthralling. It sparkles as a novel (though the sparkle dulled somewhat when the narrator knows things that, from her limited point of view, she had no way of knowing) and despite some flaws, it felt a little magical.


Quickie recommendation: Mais oui.
**Check it out at the Book Lounge!

7 comments:

World without end said...

I found your blog entirely by accident, and I must say that i like it very much!
We seem to like most of the same stuff, bookswise.
Can I link you on my blog, Jay?

B said...

loved this book!

many from my book club said it was confusing???

Steve said...

Hey Jay, I just started "Labyinths" a collection of Jorge Luis Borges...was wondering if you've read his stuff...it's pretty cool. Also, did you hear, the religious right got it's claws on "The Golden Compass" movie... and got them to "water it down" so it doesn't come off as picking on the church. Bummer...but figured it would happne.

Jay said...

Absolutely, Scarab. Thanks for the visit - can't wait to check out yours!

Jay said...

Of course it's picking on the church, that's the whole point!!!


I have read some Borges, I love getting lost in his stories, but haven't read yours. Should I?

Steve said...

"Labyrinths" is a collection, but I just picked up another one called "Collected Fictions" whihc has more stories. Ths "collected..." one has "The Aleph" and other short ones.

Lorna said...

Yikes! tampering with the Golden Compass? heretical!

I got this book for Christmas last year and couldn't put it down---magical works for me.