Wow! I applaud Diane Setterfield for crafting such an amazing story. The whole of it felt like a love letter to the written word. The author paints with her words and the language she uses. There is immense depth in the story, even more so in the characters themselves. I felt for the characters, smiling with them, being shocked to the point of gasping at what happened to them, crying over them, I was moved by their tale. By the end everything had been wrapped up, all answers given, in spite of the numerous twists and tangles in the web of this book leaving me with such a sense of completeness that I have never before felt upon completing a book. Brava, Ms. Setterfield, brava!

"do you believe in ghosts?...
Once upon a time there was a haunted house...
Once upon a time there was a library...
Once upon a time there were twins..."

If any of that draws your interest then read this book. I challenge you to read it carefully, lest you miss something important, something vital. I highly recommend this tale to all who enjoy reading, who love books, who swoon over the written word, who cloak themselves in a ghost story!