From the instant #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “eerie and fascinating” (USA TODAY) The Thirteenth Tale comes a “swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful” (Madeline Miller, internationally bestselling author of Circe) novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious. On a dark … impenetrably mysterious.
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, this is “a beguiling tale, full of twists and turns like the river at its heart, and just as rich and intriguing” (M.L. Stedman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light Between Oceans).
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Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Once Upon A River” by Diane Setterfield
Diane Setterfield has creatively written an unusual, intriguing, riveting, enthralling, unique, entertaining and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this Novel are a combination of Folklore, Tall-Tales, Fiction, Magic, Myth and possibly Science.There is also some Romance and Mystery and Suspense. What a variety of genres in one novel!! Diane Setterfield is an amazing storyteller and vividly describes the characters and landscape. The author describes her quirky, strange, characters as complex and complicated. There are many questions, and just as many answers too many things that happen in this story.
There is symbolism, and the most apparent is the Thames River, which seems to stand for life and death in different ways. By an ancient Inn, where people meet and greet one another and tell stories, an injured man comes in holding what appears is the dead body of a doll-like little girl. The people get the Nurse to treat the man. It appears that the man is a photographer. When the nurse checks on the dead girl, she realizes that she is now alive. How can one be dead, and alive? ” To be or not be”? Is it magic or is it science?
The people in the Inn think the little four-year old mute girl is one that was kidnapped. After the word spreads, it is possible that the little girl could belong to one of three families. Each of the families has many secrets. One moment everything seems so real and life-like and the next moment there is a magical or unrealistic view of things.
I would recommend this suspenseful ,magical and thought-provoking story to readers who enjoy these genres. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
I knew I was going to love this book within the first 5 pages. It’s a book about story telling, set in an old world. I don’t usually read this genre, but I was captivated by the book cover. It is all about the lives (and deaths) of people living along the Thames river. And love and loss. It has a little bit of everything in it and all of the characters are diverse. It represents a lot of family values, and was a peaceful read. I shall head back out to the bookstore and see what else she has written.