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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Really good story with twists and turns with almost every chapter. I loved the book and hated for it to end.
A beautifully writen story, Once Upon a River is part magical realism and part mystery. The lyrical quality of the writing is perfect for such a story. It moves at a slower pace than most books I read, but in this case it worked perfectly. By slower, I don’t mean that it was ever boring. It was that ethereal quality of the writing that slowed it down in a wonderful way – a way that made me feel as though I was floating peacefully on a river of words, which only enhanced the haunting beauty of this tale. Few authors can write in this fashion and it is a real treat to happen upon such a gem. I can’t wait to read more of Diane Setterfield’s books.
Loved this wonderful fairytale and beautiful rich world of 19 century England . Many characters, real and yet smoky in magical stories , so magnificently told .
This novel was a grownup fairy tale with slightly gothic overtones. It was a good and unpredictable story.
Diane Setterfield always write so beautifully and captivating. I feel like I’m reading a fairy tale for adults. Her characters are well developed.
A mysterious girl is brought into a bar at night, dead. The river Thames is central to everything in their lives, and now it brings a little girl. But, she is actually alive. Where did she come from and what happened to her?
There are several people who try to claim her as theirs and you feel for each one of them and don’t know who you should root for. Each one of their stories tugs at your heart strings.
There is the young woman who lost her joy when her daughter disappeared years ago. Maybe she is the daughter of the mysterious man named Quietly who lives on the river? Someone else in the village believes she is their granddaughter from their estranged son.
I received this copy from the publisher (Simon and Schuster) for my personal review. Thank you for the privilege!
**This book is clean but there are some subject matters that are non-graphically and briefly discussed: sex, depression, death of child, baby out of marriage, long relationship outside of marriage, drowning dogs, racism towards a black man, prostitution, etc.
An enjoyable gentle mind twister with an original love story.
Ok, super unpopular opinion is coming….I didn’t love this one. I kept wondering if this was some sort of ghost story or fantasy. Was it historical fiction? Folklore? I do love books that combine all of those, but I never felt clear on it. What am I reading? There were several characters that I really loved and felt they were full realized and then others, that should have been rounded out were not at all and when I don’t know vital characters at the end of the book, it drives me bonkers. It was about story telling and missing children, or are they, and maybe ghosts, maybe science fiction. Too many maybes for me. This is one of those books that I say, “I didn’t love it, but maybe you will.” Or “I’m not recommending this one, but many others are.” Its a 3 out of 5 stars for me.
This simply a great story 🙂
Beautifully written and captured my attention from the first page.
I’ve been on a historical fiction kick lately so Once Upon a River came along at the perfect time for me and I recalled enjoying Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale so I decided to give this a shot too. Once Upon a River was a compelling story although it got a bit slow in the middle for me and meandered a little (I guess a bit like the river itself) but pulled itself together in the end quite nicely. The reader is introduced to an interesting cast of characters and in fact, the river was like a character of its own with a very strong personality and presence throughout the story. I found this to be interesting combination of science and mythology (dare I say fact and fiction?) with elements of both strongly appearing throughout.
If you’re a reader of stories then this book is for you. And let me clarify when I say stories because we all know all books contain a story but what I’m talking about are the stories you sit around a fire with a hot mug and get so totally engrossed in you start to believe the fantasy being told is real. This is that book. It is all that forges the art of storytelling.
I have to admit that at first I was hesitant to push through with this one because of the way it’s written but I am so glad I didn’t give up. The writing is spell-bounding once you let it hook into you. It flows just like the river in the book with ebbs, rises, currents and so many more things. There are lots of moving parts and characters but as the story unfolds you find they are all connected in very significant ways.
I think one significant downfall for me is that I felt at times it was a bit over the top in it’s descriptions of some things but they did go hand in hand with the way the book was written so I can’t fault the author too much on that. It just got a bit long winded at times and I would really have to push through for it to capture my full attention again.
Diane Setterfield brought together magic, mystery, folk lore and a little bit of real life to bring you Once Upon a River and I don’t think it will be one I easily forget.
This was such an amazing read brimming with mystery, suspense, romance, and folklore. Once I started reading it I didn’t want to put it down, I kept turning the pages wanting more and more. The author is such a terrific story teller, her writing was what really drew me in. I love how she described the setting; It made the book a wonderful atmospheric read that had me entranced.
Everything unfolded beautifully in this book, and as I kept reading I got a better understanding of what was going on. It was a long read, but I felt that everything was necessary for the overall outcome of the story. I especially loved how there is several stories blended into one, it was a added bonus that made it even better.
The characters had a lot of depth, the author did a great job of giving them good back stories. This was definitely a character driven read, and I enjoyed every part of it. My favorite character was Armstrong, he was everything I always look for in a male character. The setting itself was also a character in my eyes which is something I really appreciated.
This book is a great addition to the historical fiction and fantasy genres. I will definitely be reading more Diane Setterfield novels ASAP. I rate this book 4.75
Once Upon a River combines folklore, magic, and mystery with a Gothic feel. The author is, without a doubt, talented and certainly has a gift for prose and vivid details. That said, I came away from this one with mixed feelings. The book is character driven, and there are quite a lot of characters to keep straight as well as their very detailed backstories. On top of that, the story isn’t just one story, but several that are interwoven, and with so many plots and subplots, it’s a lot to keep up with. The biggest drawback for me is the pacing, which is too slow for my tastes. The story is lengthy, maybe a bit too much so and I found myself wanting to skim during overly long descriptions. With so much going on, I do think this one could work well on the big screen where we could be shown rather than the pages and pages of descriptive details. In the end, there is a solid story here, but I feel like some of it gets lost in the minutia.
This is magical, bewitching storytelling…High prose expressed with rare clarity, story for the unashamed sake of story, a kind of moral dreaminess…well, the list continues to grow.
Once Upon a River is a delight, just marvelous. I devoured it in gulps.
A beguiling tale, full of twists and turns like the river at its heart, and just as rich and intriguing.
Set in 1887 along the Thames River, Once Upon a River reads like a folklore tale of yore. Storytelling is a favorite past time at the Swan Inn so when an unknown girl, who was dead but now is alive, appears in the arms of a mysterious man, everyone spins their own tale of the unfolding events. Thus follows a dark and twisty tale that is intriguing yet also, at times, maddeningly slow in its reveal. The prose was beautiful, yet verbose and longer than necessary. Having not read anything else by this author, I can only guess that this is her writing style and that shortening it would have been nearly impossible.
Who is the child and why did she arrive in the arms of Henry Daunt, a photographer? Could she be Amelia, the little girl who was kidnapped from her bed two years ago? Could she be Alice, Robin’s daughter? Or, could she be Ann, Lily’s little sister? What is it about her that causes (almost) everyone in her presence feel protective of her?
The refrain of the story was: “Something is going to happen.” … But what? And can it please happen a bit more quickly?
Overall, I enjoyed this story for its unique writing style and old fashioned storytelling chock full of interesting characters, a bit of magic, and plenty of secrets waiting … and waiting … and waiting … to be revealed.
Thank you to BookishFirst for an advance copy won in a giveaway. All opinions are my own.
Location: 1887 England along the Thames River
In case you didn’t know, Diane Setterfield is one of my must read, never disappointing authors. I recommend The Thirteenth Tale first and often to people looking for something new. I keep waiting for the honeymoon to be over, but Once Upon a River is keeping the love alive! It took me a bit to fall into the rhythm of this novel, how Setterfield set the pace and teased out the plot. The setting is hugely important here, the river and the homes of the main characters play an integral part in the story.
By the time I was about three quarters of the way done, I found myself reading faster and faster. All those threads started to come together, all the foreshadowing and the seemingly throw away occurrences were masterfully melded to make for an exciting conclusion. I was surprised, saddened and satisfied all at once. No spoilers, I wouldn’t want to ruin if for you, but everyone manages to get what’s coming to them in one way or another. The beautiful writing pulls you in, the characters keep you invested, and the story itself will haunt you. Another must read to recommend.
Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon A River is her best novel to date. I found the author’s prior books entertaining, but this one hooked me from the start and I loved every word. It is filled with a myriad of fantastic characters along with some folklore and otherworld Fae. The layout and writing style give it a classic ghost story feel. The story even starts on the quintessential “dark and stormy night”.
At the beginning, the number of characters felt daunting. However, as the story progresses it becomes easy to keep their individual stories straight. The major characters each have a storyline, and many of the secondary characters are given enough attention for a thorough backstory. As the story flows around bends and twists, Ms. Setterfield pulls the various story lines together like tributaries flowing into a bigger river. Plot point by plot point the tension builds and the apparent antagonist shifts. Having read many folktales, I guessed the identity of the mysterious young girl early on, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of this book. Ms. Setterfield’s writing is swirly and curly; it is evocative and lyrical. You truly do feel there is a rhythmic flow to the entire story like a river flowing or a classic orchestrated piece of music.
While some might think the story is long, I have to say that there is not one word that could be edited out. Once Upon A River is a book for people who love to read and who love to dive deep into a story. It is not a story that can be rushed or skimmed. Every detail is crucial. Once Upon A River is ethereal and yet earthy in its mystery and suspense. Ms. Setterfield draws her readers in like a master storyteller sitting in the corner of a pub off the Thames or one spinning a yarn at a campfire; she magically captures her audience and spins a tale meant to entertain and enrapture you for the duration.
I was looking forward to reading this advanced reader copy of a new novel by the author of The Thirteenth Tale which obviously set the bar pretty high. I found myself having a hard time getting through this book. The mystery of a the little girl found and the story telling is intriguing, however, I found it to be sometimes over the top and long-winded. The characters in this story really had no substance and I felt like it was a bit scattered at times. I wanted to like this novel but it just didn’t do it for me.