"You might like...."

[kampanaryo_spy]

HUH?!!! BUT THE APPLE WAS PART OF THE PACKAGE!

thank you for the TKR lowdown. i was about to ask you for some updates because the original worldwide release was set in November.

[kampanaryo_spy]

abb,

i'm loving every page of "The Thirteenth Tale."
I'm now at the point where Margaret assures Vida Winter
that she (Margaret) would come back.

but first tell me: why do i get this feeling that
Margaret is another Clarice and
Vida, Hannibal?

i'll finish this book by weekend and my SSPSC lecture can go hang!

[Alibangbang]

K-Spy,

I'm glad. You're now scratching the surface. Few more pages and you're in for a good ride.

Hahahaha sociopathic head doctor and FBI trainee? (Thomas Harris' babies) no genius psychopath antihero that sheds light to madness here --- or is there? I think no one gets cooked and eaten --- or is there???

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

K-Spy/Insom, call me stupid, crazy and heartless but this is the one and only romantic scene I found in the book:

"What will you do for meat? Do you know how to kill a chicken at least?"

I shook my head.

"Come on."

He jerked his head in the direction of the pen, and I followed him.

"Don't waste any time," he instructed me. "Clean and quick is the way. No second thoughts."

He swooped on one of the copper-feather birds pecking about our feet and held its body firmly. He mimed the action that would break its neck. "See?"

I nodded.

"Go on then."

He released the bird and it flurried to the ground where its round back was soon indistinguishable from its neighbors.

"Now?"

"What else are you going to eat tonight?"

I cried and I cried for at least 5 minutes. Tell me if you agree.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Will start Steve Berry’s “The Venetian Betrayal” on the 20th. Why the 20th you might ask? Sa airport.

Savour “The 13th” and good luck sa SSPSC lecture.

[Alibangbang]

I certainly join Margaret having a cup of cocoa (for me tea) at his dad's book shop.
[/b][/color]

Insom,

Hain nakaw dapit?

[Insomada]

Abbs,

I've already finished the book and relished the entirety of the story. But the ending put me down in the dumps. There were lots of twists. Marvellous!

We'll save the rest for Kamps.




Kamps,

Ay, ay kapaspasi mo matapos na sa kaw dayon. No matter how I tried to finish it in an instant but situation forbid.

I'm now starting Kane and Abel per your recommendation. Love it Kamps love it very much.

[Alibangbang]

Abbs,

But the ending put me down in the dumps.

Insom,

Oh.... I'm so sorry......

Sege dakan Insom total Diane Setterfield and Jeffrey Archer have one thing in common. They're British storytellers.

==============
Insom, pagkatapos ta raba mag basa nan "Kane and Abel" dili kay kita mahilona kon yauno na si Florentyna after she was bequeathed with everything.

Whatever happen to Florentyna? Check out Archer's "The Prodigal Daughter" .

When we're done with "Kane and Abel" and "The Prodigal Daughter" amodan kowang pa gihapon. So mo balik kita sa iya earlier book titled "Shall We Tell the President?" Kon tapos na kita nan inin tulo pag basa amopa kita kapanghupaw kay kompleto na gayod an estorya. That Archer sali sa baliha!!!

=============
Thank you GOD for creating these wonderful authors.

[Insomada]

Amo ba Abbs. Yadi raba ako "Should we tell the President". Ganidon ko na isab baya inin kan Archer. Sabagay as I said I like Kane & Abel so there's no reason I wouldn't like his other books.

About the ending of The Thirteent Tale, I guess it was more of melancholic for me. Pagamingawi lang ako nan ending ug nan kaagi nan twins na pagkagrabe. Much more intawon si Aurelius who was deprived of..... pero at the end at least...... Pero the story is sooooo great. Koman tuloy parang ganahan na ako nan ini na mga story rather than the usual crime, murder, thriller, romance stories.

Thanks for opening my senses.

[Alibangbang]

Amo ba Abbs. Yadi raba ako "Should we tell the President".

Pagamingawi lang ako nan ending ug nan kaagi nan twins na pagkagrabe. Much more intawon si Aurelius who was deprived of.....

Insom,

Uno na version yaon imo "Shall We Tell The President?" Kay an original plot paga rewrite kay niya para mahimo na natural ending nan trilogy. If you can, do "The Prodigal Daughter" first then "Shall We Tell The President?".

===============
Daan tapos na anhi si K-Spy kay paspasi iton mo basa. Puydi na seguro nato ini hisgotan...

Amo lagi Insom. Hapit raba intawon siya ma letchon de leche na perte ka "SPECIAL" nan lungog diba? Insayangan gayod ako nan paga gamit na lungog. Ikaw unoy feeling mo?

Lahi san ila pangisip which is justifiable based on the circumstances na sila inpanganak so I doubt kon capable sila mo feel nan LASTING "emotional pain and suffering" like us. Truth be told, I sort of envy them kay oblivious sila sa ila surrounding.

Pero Insom sa pag tuo mo kanin-o sa gayod yadto bukog an ya deskobre nan mga construction workers sa library?

Kadumduman ko si K-Spy kay diba lamii siya mo luto nan cake? Just like the "cakeman"?

An ending... damo sa na ending ---actually "closure" I think is a better word An ako ganahan an open ending na paga hatag kanato nan author kay kita say motapos. This is how I would like the open ending to end. Shadow will bring those two lovely people together, they'll marry and live happily ever after. Ikaw?

How did you like the ghost, the girl in the mist?

[kampanaryo_spy]

abb and insoms,

i'm done with the book. yahuli ako ngadi sa bday ni neal, bro ni japan, kay paga tapos ko pati interview kan diane. mindalikyat lang ako pagtabi sa lamisa kay mupatik ako nganhi.

the book is good, no doubt about it. but i dunno, i was kinda disappointed toward the last 100 pages. i have problems with books that are very "neat," with all loose ends tied up.

but i love her sentences. short and very succinct!

get back to you guys soon. mubalik naa ako kay gapangamay an chocolate cake astan garden salad ni japan.

ciao.

[Alibangbang]

K-Spy,

I’m happy you said what you said. This is what makes healthy brainstorming of nuances. How would you have wanted it to end?

Last pages, true. For one thing, she (Diane) told more than I care to know about Hester. I think it was unnecessary to bring her back. For me, her character was over when she left. The diary was important but Hester’s maiden name and details about her union with Dr. Maudsley in the US are irrelevant. The experiment they did on the Angelfield twin failed which is what matter in the story. Then again, Diane is the writer, I’m the reader so I have to read grin and bear it.

K-Spy, as you said, "NEAT, with all loose ends tied up".
The appearance of Moira at the end, how did you perceive it?
In her --- Margaret that is --- trance state of mind? Dream? Imagination? I can't reconcile it. And, who did you think the bones belongs to?


Insom,

Please let me know your opinion on olive post above. Thanks.

[Insomada]

Abbs & Kamps

Sigi maghanap ako nan Prodigal daughter para amoy ako unahon before the "Shall we Tell the President". Karaan yadin ako version Abbs kay sa flea market ko ini hikit-e.

Amo insayangan isab ako nan lungog and looye ako gayod kan Aurelius.

Kamingawi nan ila kinabuhi but as you said it's justifiable. Sapi-an agaw sila but then again wala silang pakialam sa mundo thus made them tolerant to emotional pain and suffering.

The bones discovered in the rubbles of the library - at first I thought they were Hester's as she was just gone in an instant. Gauna an isip ko knowing the weirdness of their lives na basin impapatay ni Vida Winter si Hester. But then later Hester's story reappeared that she went to America with the Doctor. My conjecture was the bones belong to the twin's mum, Isabelle. Sakto ba or mali? What do you think?

So bali Abbs, the thirteenth tale would be for Aurelius to write/tell. Isn't it?

Ending/closure --- yes, I like the two protagonists come together and for sure they will marry and have a happy life. But before this would even happen, I felt the sadness knowing that Vida Winter was dying and died eventually. And I felt deeply for Aurelius who was deprived for a long time of knowing his real mum. Only to know na yaon iya baya nanay yaon sa mala mansion gahuya pero may tililing. Pati lugar si Vida Winter wara niya kilahi na iya Auntie. He has definitely a lot of catching up as far as life is concerned.

I'm hazy on the ghost story. Thought it wasn't a ghost at all but the silhouette of Emmeline, kay paga tago tago sa lagi para dili hibaw-an.

Though I'm just new into this kind of book my critique of the story is: the book is superb. And the writer herself. Sali pa ako usahay malibog if what I was reading was still part of the story telling of Vida Winter or it was already the present happening in the house. Labi pa kay utod utod an ako pagbasa.

[kampanaryo_spy]

abb&insoms,

bisihin linya, party nganhi, party ngadto. wa ko pa ngani ma post inin pix namo kabii ni cordaps sa bday party nan anak ni calachuchi. *bows down to apologize to bonsal*

wa ko pa gayud matagik an ako "disappointments" about the book. and there are aspects of dianne's writerly traits that i don't like. here's hoping you won't hate me for this nyahahahahaha

this afternoon though *crosses fingers* i wll post my thoughts here......pwamis.

now if you'll excuse me, i have to be back to our planning and assessment. tonight we'll have our office's xmas party.

till then.

[kampanaryo_spy]

abb&insoms,

here goes:

first off, let me make it clear that i don't like authors who don't trust their readers. sadly for me, dianne setterfield, while a master storyteller, is that kind of author.

setterfield rams everything down her readers' throats and doesn't let go. every detail she will explain to you like you're such a dimwit not to get her well placed clues. take the case of aurelius: aurelius said mrs. love found him inside a satchel along with some pages of Jane Eyre, a spoon, a crumpled piece of paper that contained a blotted out clue to his real name, and a feather (page 234).

on page 332, margaret met karen who turned out to be aurelius's half sister. she showed margaret a picture of ambrose (aurelius's father) carrying the same satchel that mrs. love, years before, found with aurelious in it. now, let's listen to setterfield speaking through karen: "it's a bag. he (referring to ambrose) used to bring the twins a rabbit or a pheasant when they wanted one."

that would have explained it, but no, setterfield doubts her readers' comprehension. and so in the end, setterfield has to spell it out for all of us. speaking this time through margaret, setterfield tells aurelious: "The bag was used for carrying game. THAT EXPLAINS THE FEATHER." (underscoring mine)

UH-OK....i get it, thank you so much, mrs. setterfield!

another thing: mrs. setterfield doesn't want me to write my own Fourteenth Tale involving margaret and aurelius. you see, beyond the back cover of The Thirteenth Tale, I see margaret and aurelius cuddling and soothing their individual wounds under a silver moon, in the middle of a garden where topiaries are shaped like hearts and crowns.

but no, mrs. setterfield doesn't want that and so she makes it clear in the second to the last paragraph that margaret will end up with dr. clifton, and all because of the cat named shadow.

duh!

moira? it's another authorial condescension on setterfield's part. you see, she doubts if the readers get the obvious fact that margaret has already confronted all her personal demons, and so setterfield spells it out again for us mere mortals. it's as if she says: mahirap na, baka wa nila gets.

the lesbianism angle jars me....it's too contrived! and this explains my guess as to who those bones were. by the way, why do gothic novels always have incest and other unconventional relationships in them?

how do i like it to end? honestly i don't know.

still, it's a good read. like you abb, i can't wait for her second book. but ONLY to know if the condescension abates.

one day i'll visit the discussion board of The Thirteenth Tale to see if there are readers who have the same sentiments as mine.

[Alibangbang]

Abbs & Kamps

Amo insayangan isab ako nan lungog and looye ako gayod kan Aurelius.

Kamingawi nan ila kinabuhi but as you said it's justifiable. Sapi-an agaw sila but then again wala silang pakialam sa mundo thus made them tolerant to emotional pain and suffering.

The bones discovered in the rubbles of the library - at first I thought they were Hester's as she was just gone in an instant. Gauna an isip ko knowing the weirdness of their lives na basin impapatay ni Vida Winter si Hester. But then later Hester's story reappeared that she went to America with the Doctor. My conjecture was the bones belong to the twin's mum, Isabelle. Sakto ba or mali? What do you think?

So bali Abbs, the thirteenth tale would be for Aurelius to write/tell. Isn't it?

Ending/closure --- yes, I like the two protagonists come together and for sure they will marry and have a happy life. But before this would even happen, I felt the sadness knowing that Vida Winter was dying and died eventually. And I felt deeply for Aurelius who was deprived for a long time of knowing his real mum. Only to know na yaon iya baya nanay yaon sa mala mansion gahuya pero may tililing. Pati lugar si Vida Winter wara niya kilahi na iya Auntie. He has definitely a lot of catching up as far as life is concerned.

I'm hazy on the ghost story. Thought it wasn't a ghost at all but the silhouette of Emmeline, kay paga tago tago sa lagi para dili hibaw-an.

Though I'm just new into this kind of book my critique of the story is: the book is superb. And the writer herself. Sali pa ako usahay malibog if what I was reading was still part of the story telling of Vida Winter or it was already the present happening in the house. Labi pa kay utod utod an ako pagbasa.

Insom,

The twins unfortunately were product of incest so naturally born retarded.

Being a fool sentimentalist (that I am) I was upset that Adeline used books to fueled the fire.

Insom, it’s not Isabelle’s bones. Remember she died at the Asylum and was buried at the family plot. The bones belong to one of the twin. Remember when “the ghost” or the “girl with no name”, the twins half sister - - - who later became Vida Winter - - - took, ran Aurelius to the safety of Mrs. Love’s door --- when she returned, the house was on fire. She tried to go back to save Emmeline. She saw the twins fighting. The fire was intense and she couldn’t tell which is which but somehow managed to grab one. Alive, but the face was burnt.

The book we were reading is ---The Thirteenth Tale.

The ghost, the girl in the mist is Vida Winter.

She’s the twins' half sister. Vida Winter is product of Charlie’s madness. Vida’s mother was poor and was raped by Charlie. She couldn’t afford to feed her (Vida) so she (mother) dropped her off at the big house, by the garden. John-the-dig and the missus took her in, feed her and hid her. They had no doubt she belong there. She look like the twins. Hester saw her in the garden but, took her to be a boy. Hester saw her again playing with Emmeline in the field. Hester thought she was Adeline...this, turned out to be Hester's undoing.

Shhhh... yaon romantic scene reference ko sa taas an scene yaon balitaw ni Ambrose astan ni "konohay" Adeline (si Adeline an grabe ka retarded kanaman an iya identity amoy paga assume ni Vida) After she asked him to leave kay iya paga impregnate si Emmeline.

Na hala....kay yanga 13th tale na kita ini.

[Alibangbang]

K-Spy,

hahahahahaha. Now, now… this is her debut book so let’s give the lady some slack.

And, she didn't do bad either, she made New York Times #1 bestseller.

Hmmm... Could be the teacher (former academic) in her who wanted to make sure her students fully understood? Hey… I’m teasing.

K-Spy you tickle me…… way sama kaw gayod. . . .

=========
Insom/K-Spy,

I wasn't focus on Aurelius. I was more into the 3 girls, (2 retarded, 1 with intellect of 2) same age, living in the same big house, only two physically visible. The bonding, the human and not so human emotions felt, expressed. AND, Margaret's closeness with her father. But that's typical me!

==============
Don't know what's in store for us on her next book. Can't wait to find out.

K-Spy, you know I dig (capital D) TKR but, iffy on 1000s.