Few first novels have gotten the attention and acclaim of Diane Setterfield’s 2006 debut, The Thirteenth Tale. The former French professor’s Gothic tale, with echoes of classics like Rebecca and Wuthering Heights, struck a chord with book lovers in particular, who sent it straight to the top of the bestseller lists: 70,000 copies were sold in the U.S. in the first two weeks of its release.
In our review, we said that Setterfield would have to write her next book quickly, since readers would be “clamoring for more.” But news of a second novel has been slow in coming—Setterfield spent five years writing her first—even though The Thirteenth Tale was sold in the U.S. to Atria and the U.K. to Orion as part of a two-book deal.
But yesterday, Publisher’s Lunch reported that Setterfield had sold a novella described only as “a ghost story” to Emily Bestler at her Atria imprint, for publication in fall 2013. While it’s a little disappointing to get a novella instead of a second novel, we’re happy to finally have news from Setterfield after years of fruitless Google searches. Anyone else looking forward to this one?
I am. I’ve been waiting for a new book from her for years.
I am so excited to hear that Setterfield is releasing a new book. What great news! I have passed my copy of The Thirteenth Tale around to all my friends and still think of it as one of my favorites!
I enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale, but its been so long, the author dropped off my radar!
I will be looking forward to it. Our book club had a English tea surrounding her book. It is about time. I hope she writes a novel soon, though. What a tease to find out it is a novella.
I just finished The Thirteenth Tale and thought it was supreme! What a wonderful author – I hope she does much more in the future. Does this wonderful talent not have a website??? I would love to tell her personally what a treat this book is. Surprise after surprise right to the very end. Hurrah! Please do another book soon…
Absolutely! Our bookclub did 13th Tale a couple years ago and we have been yearning for another novel. Hope she does another full-blown gothic soon!
I’m the same way–been wondering what on earth happened to her & if she didn’t want to or was unable to write a second novel or if she was going to be a one book author, like Harper Lee. The first time I read “The Thirteenth Tale”, it was for a book club I was in, and I loved it. So for the last few years I’ve sort of made it a tradition to read it once a year. Haven’t yet this year, but I’m thinking about it. I love the gothic stuff!
Oh, and if anyone wants something sort of similar & really absorbing, something you can get lost in, I recommend the Prophecy of the Sisterhood series by Michelle Zink and also “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs.
I can’t wait!! At the moment I’d be happy if she would just write a blurb on the back of a milk carton!!!! Lol
Oh! Yes I am so looking forward to this! I enjoyed ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ so much I can’t wait to read anything else she publishes!
Any more news about this?