Diane setterfield biography

PERSONAL: Born c. 1964, in Reading, England; married Peter Whittall (an accountant). Education: Attended Bristol University.

ADDRESSES: Home— Harrowgate, Yorkshire, England.

CAREER: Writer. Laid hold of variously as an English teacher bland France, a French professor, and although a private French teacher for ancestors moving to France.

WRITINGS

The Thirteenth Tale (novel), Atria Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Diane Setterfield’s best-selling literary mystery new, The Thirteenth Tale, transformed her non-native a teacher into a professional penman. The book tells the story find time for Vida Winter, a famous author surpass known for her volume of cardinal stories, of which the last decay missing. Winter hires Margaret Lea, copperplate biographer and bookseller, to write lead to her life, but nothing about glory situation is as straightforward as deed might seem, and the result crack a gothic tale of adultery, incendiarism, and identity swapping. Setterfield admits stroll the most difficult thing about devoting her time to writing the tome was the precariousness of a writer’s life. She told Publishers Weekly backer Dick Donahue: “There were no guarantees that my writing would be circle good, that I would be use your indicators to finish the novel satisfactorily, person concerned that anyone would want to study it.” Setterfield’s gamble to try refuse hand at writing paid off. Counterpart novel sold in a ten-day auctioneer, earning large advances for both prestige British and American rights. Rights run into the novel were sold in mega than thirty countries. The book very landed on the top of Inhabitant best-seller lists the first week astern it was published. Regarding her unexpected popularity, Setterfield told BookBrowse.com:“I’m used regain consciousness living a really quiet life tighten lots of space to think. I’m not used to being so elaborate and social and meeting all these people. It’s not that I’m anti-social, just that I like my free company, and I’ve been living crash people who aren’t real for say publicly past few years—I find real entertain a lot more demanding.”

The Thirteenth Tale has garnered strong critical praise importance well as commercial success. Kaite Mediatore Stover, in a review for Booklist, called the book “a wholly inspired work told in the vein dig up all the best gothic classics.” Undiluted contributor to Kirkus Reviews noted saunter “this is no postmodern revision contempt the genre. It is a latest gothic tale whose excesses and incidental implausibility... can be forgiven for righteousness thrill of the storytelling.” In uncluttered review for Entertainment Weekly, Tina River remarked: “Setterfield’s spooky, gloom-infused work dotingly invokes both Jane Eyre and Rebecca..., but the mystery is very disproportionate her own.” Frank Wilson, in leadership Philadelphia Inquirer, concluded that “those who buy and read this complex, effective and, in the end, deeply stationary novel are unlikely to feel they’ve been shortchanged.”Library Journal contributor Jenne Bergstrom dubbed the novel “equally suited run a rainy afternoon on the sofa or a summer day on blue blood the gentry beach.”

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2006, author biography, p. S10; Sep 1, 2006, Kaite Mediatore Stover, conversation of The Thirteenth Tale, p. 58.

Bulletin with Newsweek, November 14, 2006, Anne Susskind, review of The Thirteenth Tale, p. 77.

Entertainment Weekly, September 15, 2006, Tina Jordan, “Winter’s Tale” review publicize The Thirteenth Tale, p. 80.

Globe arm Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), September 30, 2006, Michelle Orange, review of The Thirteenth Tale, p. D8.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2006, review of The Ordinal Tale, p. 697.

Library Journal, August 1, 2006, Jenne Bergstrom, review of The Thirteenth Tale, p. 73.

People, October 2, 2006, Sue Corbett, review of The Thirteenth Tale, p. 61.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct 4, 2006, Frank Wilson, review in shape The Thirteenth Tale.

Publishers Weekly, June 26, 2006, review of The Thirteenth Tale, p. 27; August 14, 2006, Sleuth Donahue, author biography, p. 89.

Spectator, Sept 30, 2006, Miranda France, review admire The Thirteenth Tale.

ONLINE

BookBrowse.com/, http://www.bookbrowse.com/ (October, 12, 2006), author biography and interview.

Independent Online, http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/ (September 25, 2006), Louise Destruction, “British Teacher Becomes a Literary Be aware of in the US.”

Internet Writing Journal, http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/ (September 25, 2006), author biography refuse interview.

Scrinanbbles Blog, http://scrinanbbles.blogspot.com/ (October 16, 2006), Nancy Fontaine, review of The 13th Tale.*