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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A real old-fashioned Story which is enthralling in setting, plot and character. An apparently drowned child is brought into a pub on the Upper Thames in the late 19th century. Not just any pub, but one famed for its storytelling. When the child mysteriously comes to life, three different families claim that she is theirs. The book is partly a love poem to the River itself, and anyone who has the passion for it that I do will relish it just for that reason. But there is also a lot of heart in this book, and it has just enough of the Victorian melodrama about it to keep me up late at night. A wonderful diversion right now — it keeps you occupied but is far from mindless. Enjoy!
I was told that Diane Setterfield has a unique style of writing and that her books are fairy tales for the modern era, but I still wasn’t totally ready for how beautiful this novel is. The scientific aspect is perhaps overhyped-the novel would’ve worked just as well had she kept everything resolutely in the fantasy genre-but nonetheless interesting to see how Setterfield rationed everything away. The novel reads like a dream, and dreams and sleep do have a big part in the novel, like something that absolutely could’ve been real, only one step away from reality. The novel is told with many different alternating perspectives: various customers of a bar, the female bar owner, a biracial farm owner, a wealthy couple, a nurse, a photographer, and a housekeeper. I found all of the perspectives equally interesting and well-developed, and there was no time I spent in any of the chapters wishing I could get back to a more exciting character. I’ve had a rough go of historical novels lately, but Diane Setterfield’s masterful combination of fantasy and history was so immersive and lovely.
This is a mystery novel, at its core, and I was delighted to discover that the mystery held emotional weight and depth-there was no piece of missing art, no lost heirloom to find, the mystery is the appearance and revival of a young girl, mute and perfect in all ways, who she belongs to and where she comes from. Many claims are made on her parentage: the Vaughns, who lost a child to kidnappers two years ago and believe she is their traumatized daughter returned, Rob Armstrong, who believes her to be the abandoned daughter of his wayward son, and Lily White, who thinks its her dead little sister come back to life to haunt her. All of these perspectives were amazing; the entire novel is told in third person, which can sometimes mean there isn’t enough emotional depth as I want, but I could feel the pain of each and every one of these characters and how their various losses have touched and traumatized every part of their lives. Large casts are also something I tend to be leery about, but every person was distinct and unique. The third person narrative means the voice wasn’t as strong as I prefer, but I was willing to let it slide because of the language.
And the language was incredible. Half of what makes this novel beautiful is Setterfield’s attention to detail and into incorporating fantastical elements into reality that make everything seem plausible. The story was a love letter to the River Thames, where the town this story takes place on is situated. The setting is real; the Thames is obviously real and still a big part of people’s lives today, and Setterfield shows it a lot of love. There is so much lore and so many stories surrounding rivers, and she finds a way to bring the magic and whimsy back to a river that has become polluted and urbanized. However, it was the combination of this real setting and the fantasy that had obviously made Diane Setterfield a name to know in the genre. This version of the Thames is populated by a cast of mysterious and fantastical characters that kept me enchanted for the entire novel: the girl in question, a Charon-like figure that stalks the Thames to either rescue drowning people or escort them to the afterlife, and Rob Armstrong’s wife, who wears an eyepatch to hide her Sight from the world. I just completely fell in love with this world that Setterfield created. It was definitely one of those novels that made you forget that living in historical times would not be fun.
I can’t say I was entirely pleased with the way that the novel’s one protagonist of color was portrayed; there was no overt racism, and I think the novel handled the racism of the era in a way that was realistic but not actually racist. However, there was a twinge of classism intertwined with the racism that seemed to permeate through the narrative: this protagonist, Rob Armstrong, is biracial and his white father has put him through school, resulting in his mannerisms and manner of speaking to be higher-class than everyone expects. This, in turn, combats the initial racist assumptions people make. The third-person narrative can be quite shallow at times, the emotional depth of the novel relying more on events than internal motivations and reactions, but this character would have benefitted greatly from having more inner thoughts. Most of the white main characters don’t have these initial racist reactions, on account of them being ‘the good guys’ and being able to immediately see Armstrong is a good man. However, I would’ve liked to see Armstrong having some kind of opinion regarding everyone’s initial racism towards him, or some deeper insight as to how this affected him or the way he grew up. Setterfield does handle his race situation more carefully and with a lighter touch than most authors; I’m used to seeing either a complete glossing over of how racial identity in historical novels interacts with the real world, or the complete and unpleasant opposite, a brutal, trying-to-be-gritty attack on characters of color at every given opportunity in an effort to show how historically accurate and realistic their novels are. Setterfield could have done better, but it was more thoughtful than I expected.
Overall, I was entirely enchanted with my first Setterfield experience. The language, the mystery, the characters, setting, I loved it all. It really felt like a fairy tale, and I’m really looking forward to reading her other novels. The only part I hesitate to give a glowing review on is Rob Armstrong’s character, but as a biracial person myself, I think Setterfield gave it a decent shot, and I’m always going to be more fond of the author who tries and doesn’t get it quite right than the one that erases POC from history entirely or bludgeons them with traumatic events. If you’re interested in historical fiction but don’t want to give up the charm of modern day or fantasy, I think Setterfield is going to be your go-to.
review blog
An injured man walks into a riverside pub carrying a drowned girl. Although she appears to be dead, hours later the little girl miraculously recovers. When the news spreads, three different people come forward to claim the child is there’s – but which one is telling the truth? Various local storytellers mix superstition with fact as they try to make sense of the conundrum. Setterfield describes the river folk in a way that is, at times, reminiscent of Thomas Hardy’s Woodlanders. A complex plot well handled – I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Difficult to follow the story.
Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River is a gorgeously written tale of life, love and death along the Thames River. Who are our real family? Timeless, with a touch of magical realism, mystery, river life, and solid humanity, this was my first of Diane Setterfield’s books, but will certainly not be my last.
This book still haunts me, months after I read it. A wonderful story, mysterious and dreamlike, an amazing feat.
Diane Setterfield always seduces me with her “fairy tale” voice and winding mysteries, she’s a true original!
This is a gorgeous book that everyone would love.
Author Diane Setterfield takes her readers back to 1887 when history was passed from generation to generation orally, neighbors all knew each other, and the local pub was the place where people gathered to share news and repeat the same stories over and over. It was a time before modern medicine and forensics.
Against that backdrop, the story begins at the Swan, an ancient inn operated by Joe Bliss and his wife, Margot, on the night of the solstice, a particularly magical and mysterious time. As the locals gather, the door bursts open and a man with a bloodied, misshapen head roars in carrying a lifeless child. Rita Sunday, the local nurse, begins caring for the man but, like the others present, is convinced that the little girl is deceased. But then something miraculous happens. The child opens her eyes, leaving everyone stunned. Everything that Rita understands about science and healing tells her that what she has witnessed could not have actually happened.
So begins the quest to ascertain the child’s identity. The man who brings her to the Swan is Henry Daunt, a photographer, who pulled the drowned child from the Thames. But how she ended up there is a mystery that she cannot help unravel because she does not speak. Helena Vaughan is convinced that the child is her beloved Amelia, who was kidnapped from her bedroom in the Vaughans’ mansion two years ago. During those two years, Helena has been inconsolable, and believing that her daughter has returned not only restores her hope and vigor, but rejuvenates her marriage to Anthony. He is convinced only of one thing: the child is not Amelia, although he has never confessed the real reason why he is certain. Rather, he goes along with Helena, participating in the charade, relieved to see his wife happy and their relationship vibrant again.
But could the child be Alice Armstrong, daughter of Robin? Little Alice’s mother committed suicide, and is presumed to have drowned her daughter. Robin has been a disappointment to his stepfather, Robert, who married Robin’s mother, Bess, vowing to love and raise her unborn child as his own. Robert is educated, articulate, and aristocratic, but has always known, because of the color of his skin, what it feels like to be an outsider. He was determined that Robin would never know that same pain, but despite his efforts, Robin has turned out to be a gambler, drinker, and criminal who does not care about his family, and is perhaps determined to profit by convincing everyone that the child is indeed Alice.
Lily White, a widow, works in the parson’s household but returns to her modest cabin each night where she receives visits from a strange man who steals her money and food, and regularly abuses her. To keep him from taking everything and leaving her destitute, the parson keeps part of her wages hidden away for her. Lily insists that the little girl is her sister, Ann, who went missing at four years of age. Rita and the parson attempt to convince Lily that is quite impossible, given that Lily is in her forties, but she will not be dissuaded. She has harbored a dark secret for decades about which she has been consumed with grief and self-loathing.
Satterfield weaves a compelling tale about mistaken identity, longing, grief, and the willingness to believe the impossible in order to alleviate sorrow. Her large and eclectic cast of characters each have engrossing histories, secrets, and motivations. Satterfield skillfully reveals the truth about each character’s past, along with his/her longing and desires, injecting clues at expertly-timed intervals as to the true identity of the adorable child that so many want to claim as their own and raise. She explores her characters’ inner conflicts with compassion and insight, rendering many of them empathetic and relatable. That is especially true of Robert, an honorable man with a special ability to relate to and care for animals, whose heart has been repeatedly broken by the child he was determined to raise as his own so that he would never experience the rejection and ostracism that Robert did. In contrast, Rita has been afraid to love and be loved, but is forced to confront her fears if she is to enjoy the kind of home and family she has always wanted. Lily has spent decades carrying the guilt and remorse that drove her from her familial home, while Helena and Anthony suffered a great loss and the repercussions but neither of them has been honest with him or herself, much less the other.
Satterfield eloquently illustrates how, just as the river flows endlessly — sometimes raging and overtaking its banks, sometimes ambling along at a leisurely pace — life proceeds in the same manner. The pace of the book emulates that of the river’s flow, slowing and accelerating as necessary in order to provide context to the mystery that is the centerpiece of the story. Beneath the river’s surface lurk dangers — rocks, tree stumps, tangled weeds. Just as the people with whom we interact are not always who they seem to be. The river reveals itself as the seasons change, as do we. And always there are mysteries that the river keeps to itself.
Once Upon a River is a fairy tale with a timeless quality, full of lush, evocative prose. Atmospheric and original, populated by fascinating and endearing characters, and full of unexpected plot twists and surprises, the story is as haunting as it is charming.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
One midwinter’s night at Swan Inn in Radcot on the banks of the river Thames, a seriously injured man bursts in carrying what was first believed to be a puppet. As they tend to the man’s wounds, the proprietors and patrons come to realize the puppet is actually a dead child. When the nurse arrives and tends to both, the child suddenly comes to life, stunning all and the story quickly spreads throughout the area. The child doesn’t speak so her identity is unknown but several come forward, sincerely believing she may belong to them.
This story enchanted me from the onset with its lyrical prose and captivating storytelling. Sometimes I have the opportunity to choose whether to read or listen to a book and if there was ever a perfect one for audio, this was it. The narrator told this story as if she’d been there, witnessed every event and met each character. She was outstanding, lifting that beautiful writing off the pages.
I appreciated how the river factored so significantly in each story, sometimes mystical and at others pragmatic. Swan Inn was known for its skilled storyteller, the proprietor Joe Bliss who could spin the ordinary into a fascinating tale. It was an art form that carries throughout and I kept getting swept away in it all. There are a lot of characters but you become so invested in them that there’s no confusion. All of those claiming the child had compelling stories that hooked me to the last page. I’m also a fan of magical realism, especially when it’s done well and here it’s just superb. I loved, loved, loved this story
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Thank you, Susan Meissner, for recommending this book! Your review made me put it on top of my TBR list and I am glad I did! Now I will have to read “The Thirteenth Tale as well. I wish I could describe this book to other readers so they will add it as well. You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks to BookishFirst for the ARC of Once Upon A River in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, but wasn’t a huge fan of Bellman and Black, so when I heard the author had returned to the storytelling genre of The Thirteenth Tale, I was anxious to read this novel.
I believe that Ms. Setterfield has a winner on her hands with this intriguing novel. The storytelling centers around a town in England along the Thames where a young girl is rescued from the river, and she is thought to be dead. However, after some time, she begins breathing again. The town is mystified. There are 3 girls that have gone missing in this town, is this one of them? Is it Amelia, the child lost to the Vaughns? Is it Alice, the grandchild of the Armstrongs? Or is it Ann, the sister of Lily? All three try to make claim on this found child, but is she who they think?
The tale is lovingly and carefully spun and comes to a unique conclusion. I did suspect this conclusion early on – there were many signs pointing to it. However, I didn’t expect all the twists that were thrown in along the way.
The book examines family and what that means. It also examines acceptance of who you are. It deals with grief, loss, love, new life.
I really enjoyed this book. While it isn’t as great as The Thirteenth Tale in my opinion, it does elevate Ms. Setterfield’s writing to a good place in my mind – and I look forward to her next novel with anticipation. Continue weaving the good stories – and I will keep reading them!
#OnceUponARiver #DianeSetterfield #BookishFirst
This was a different genre for me, but I found myself totally engrossed in the story shortly after it began. The author draws the reader into the 1800’s rural England along the Thames. There’s a slight supernatural element, which I usually avoid, but it added to the atmosphere and characters. Fascinating characters, who seemed ordinary, but were extraordinary. It’s not a fast, plot-driven story, but slow-burning; one you want to savor. Highly recommend.
Loved, loved, loved this book. One of my favorite reads of 2019 so far. Just magical though very different from THE THIRTEENTH TALE and BELLMAN & BLACK.
No match for The Thirteenth Tale This is a slow, dark story filled with folklore and eccentricity. I somewhat enjoyed the characters of Mr Anderson and Jonathan, but the atmosphere was dreary, and overall, I just could not appreciate this book.
I enjoyed this book so much I went back and read two previous books..I was not disappointed. What an amazing storyteller she is…if you like English mysteries with a splash of magic. This is the writer for you
This book raises a lot of interesting questions regarding what makes a person a parent. Additionally, it explores the powerlessness of women in earlier times. It’s a bit of a hard story because some characters are so difficult but the ending provides a view of happiness for the main character although not an ideal life.
Gorgeous book — best to read in a few sittings, if possible
If you have read The Thirteenth Tale, you know this author is compelling. This is a totally different type story, but just as imaginative and wonderful.
I’ve heard so many things about this book, so I picked it up hoping that it lived up to all that was said. There were many times I took a deep breath and thought oh yea, this is all that and so much more. I am new to Diane Setterfield so I was also excited to read a new to me author. Happily, I can now say that I am a fan and Diane is a must-read author.
Once Upon a River is a slow burn story. There is a lot of description of the towns, the river, the surrounding areas, and the people. For me, that brought the story to life and made it more enjoyable as I was able to picture what I was reading about, hear the voices of the characters, and hear the sounds of the area. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and at the beginning I did have to go back and look at previous paragraphs to be sure I was keeping straight who was who but as I continued reading the characters all came together, I was easily able to keep straight who was who, and it was fun to see how they all came together to complete the story.
The story, oh my… I was so caught up in it that I spent an entire Saturday just sitting and reading it. There was no hope that I would be stopping until I finished the entire book. There is magic, there is love, there is family, and there is a mystery all woven together to make a wonderful story. I felt a pull of the paranormal which just put it closer to being one of my favorites. While it is still early in 2019 I can see this becoming a book that I talk about throughout the year. It very well could make it into my best of 2019 list and is a book that I will recommend over and over again.