I will be honest; I didn’t read this book. The title intrigued me initially when I requested it years ago, but looking back at it, post COVID, it doesn’t interest me but I wish the author well

It took me ages to read this book and I'm so mad because it is magical. I totally understand why this is a best seller.

"Once Upon a River" by Diane Setterfield is a mesmerizing blend of mystery, folklore, and enchantment. Set along the river Thames, the story begins with an extraordinary event that captivates the imaginations of all who witness it. As the mystery of the revived child unfolds, three families vie to claim her as their own, each harboring secrets of their own. Setterfield weaves together a rich tapestry of storytelling, blending elements of science, magic, and myth to create a spellbinding narrative. With precision and grace, she explores the interconnectedness of lives and the enduring power of storytelling. "Once Upon a River" is a hauntingly beautiful tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Once Upon a River weaves together a tale of a small village in the 1880s that must struggle with the seemingly miraculous resurrection of a child after drowning with her father. Superstition and folklore blur the lines as people try to determine what could happen with what did happen. Setterfield centers her story around an inn and tavern called The Swan. It is here that the townspeople try to solve the mystery of the child's identity, where she came from and what to do now. The secrets, burdens and guilt of each villager is slowly revealed through lush and languid prose.

The writing was FANTASTIC! The way Setterfield crafts descriptive sentences and gives time to seemingly mundane details and settings. The downside of this beautiful prose is a slow plot that can at times feel cumbersome. The setup for Once Upon a River really caught my attention. However, the spots that dragged took me out of the story. I will say that this will probably resonate with fans of the classic gothic fiction genre and readers who love getting lost in the words rather than an action packed plot.

Diane Setterfield has written many wonderful books. My other favorite is The Thirteenth Tale, but here I am going to review, Once Upon A River. This is one of those books that has been sitting forever on my to read pile. So I was thrilled when one of my book groups decided to make it a discussion book. Though once I started it I was thinking so many books to read, this is so confusing, should I keep reading?

But like every good book discussion book this one did not let me down. I pushed through and it became quite interesting and mesmerizing the further I got. Also the discussion was fabulous and that always makes a reader walk away feeling fulfilled by the book.

This is an unusual story of an inn where the locals come to drink and tell stories. In the town there are three families who have lost young girls. The Vaughn family, who lost a child to an abduction, the Andersons, who eldest troublesome son, had a daughter who is missing, and Lily, who works for the church pastor, who lost a baby sister many years ago.

One evening a man arrives in a terrible storm carrying a small child in his arms who appears to be dead. The local young woman who is the only doctor in the area treats the man, and then realizes that the child is now alive. As the story unfolds we get to know all the many characters in this story which clearly centers around the river Thames that flows through the town.

An historical fiction based on a real town on the river, this is becomes a fascinating tale of the families and how they are interconnected and how people can want something so much they are willing to defy their true knowledge to make it so. There are multiple plot line working along side each other in this meandering novel. Setterfield writes, . “A story ought to go clearly in one direction, then, after a distinct moment of crisis, change to go in another." But that is not how she has written this book. This story flows like a river and when it hits a rock or a bend, it redirects around to a new direction.

*I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the intermingling of genres.

A mix of fairy tale and historical fiction, mixed with a dash of mystery and magical realism. While a slow burn read-the ending made this worth it. This was such a fabulous book-the way lore is the defining moment of people's lives-they way we all hide secrets and our pasts can sometimes come back to haunt them.

Beautiful read- recommend it to anyone wanting a quiet and fascinating character-driven fairy tale.


I have since purchased a copy of this book for my library at home.

This is the type of book I know I have to read slowly because I will miss it when I'm done. Diane Setterfield is an incredibly talented author, and her ability to tell a story is nothing short of awesome. She tells tales that feel so real, and are so utterly beautiful. She imbues the characters with life, and paints a countryscape that's nearly visible. Once Upon a River is a masterpiece.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield- I loved this book, the mystery of it, the setting, the undertones. A book that pulls you in with its lyrical writing. Definitely a book to re-read and dive into again. Recommend.

This one wasn't for me, unfortunately. It's long-winded and I dreaded picking it up on most days, which is rare for me. Maybe it was overly descriptive and detailed for me? There are also a ton of characters, and I didn't care about or relate to any of them. The prose is prolific so two stars for the writing.

I really enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale by the same author, but this was only ok for me.

The writing is beautiful, but like a river this book seemed to just go on and on and on and went nowhere in particular.

It didn’t really make me care about any characters, except Robert Armstrong and maybe Rita. I was so disappointed because the description made it sound like something right up my alley.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book is slow, very slow. You could call it a slow burn, but it just is slow. It had a lot of details, and sometimes they are off-putting. It has abuse topics, that I hadn't anticipated. Is it magical, or is this just a giant yarn? The premise was strong, but I felt lost. I don't mind prose, or details, but this river feels like it lost navigation. It's artful, yes, but by the long, long, long journey to the end, I'm not even sure how I feel about the ending. Like a movie I'm not sure why I watched or what to take away from it.

This book was not for me. But it was definitely for someone who loves a ton of imagery. Very overtly descriptive.

As with The Thirteenth Tale the author draws the reader into the story with twists and turns and unexpected plot lines. I could not stop listening, in fact this is one book that I will probably.read or listen to again because there is so much going on.

Set long ago when people got from one place to the next on horses and riverboats, the story told is of a young girl found in the river and rescued by a traveling photographer.

They are taken to the local drinking establishment and the nurse is called because the photographer is unconscious and the little girl is dead. After the nurse examines the photographer she sits with the little girl who slowly awakens. Finding her family will be difficult because she does not speak.

I was drawn into the story quickly and could not wait the find out what happens to all the people who are introduced to the reader. It's a fascinating story and I am thrilled that I was gifted this copy from NetGalley.

I was really excited to read this book, as The Thirteenth Tale by this author is one of my all time favorite books. I just couldn’t get into this one. I gave it several chapters and did not finish it. I may pick it up again in the future. It was very gloomy and atmospheric but not much happened plotwise.

On a deep, dark night at an inn located on the Thames river, the regulars have gathered to swap stories, drink and unwind from their days. The evening is like any other night at the inn, until an injured stranger walked in carrying what they believe to be a doll in his arms and collapses. After calling upon the local midwife/nurse, they learn that the "doll" is a young girl. A young girl who appears to be dead after drowning in the river -yet lives!

3.5 Stars

A lost girl, about four years old, turns up at the ancient Swan inn and tavern by the Thames River in the late 1800's. An injured man staggers into the inn, holding the apparently drowned girl in his arms, and collapses. When the local midwife and nurse, Rita, arrives, she confirms that the girl is not breathing and has no pulse, though she mysteriously has no sign of drowning or another injury. But a few minutes later the girl suddenly lives and breathes again, stunning everyone at the inn. The question that remains is who is she?

The storytelling and lyrical writing in this book are beautiful and magical. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a fabulous job telling the story. I don't usually read books of this genre, but I enjoyed it. It was a little slow-paced for me, but I still really enjoyed it and the writing.

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.

I loved the writing, and the way the plot unfolded in the end. Twists and revelations, and new information followed behind, there were plenty of "aha" moments while reading. Really great, sad book.

This is a lovely story with some elements of fantasy. It takes place along a river that is both the Thames River in England and not. There are several characters and several storylines that come together.
As the story begins it is Midwinter and in the village of Radcot was an inn called The Swan. Every inn has its specialty and this one was known for its storytelling. The landlady of the inn was Margot Ockwell and the inn had been run by the women of her family for generations. Her married name was Margot Bliss, but the inn always used the old name to keep the tradition. Margot was married to a man who was a storyteller, and who had come to the inn one night from further up the river. His name was Joe. They had numerous daughters, all married and left home and a son Jonathan, who was still not grown and would always live at the inn, being a bit slow and delicate.
On this midwinter night, a figure with a monstrous looking face stumbled in carrying what appeared to be a large doll. They came around him as he dropped and realized that his face was injured and they sent someone for Rita Sunday, the midwife and healer that lived nearby. It was only after some time that they realized the thing they thought was a doll was a young girl, and that she seemed to be dead.
They laid her carefully in the other room and Rita arrived and did her work on the man, checking him for other injuries and mending him as best she could. There were certain signs on his body that she announced indicated that he was a photographer. A card in his pocket confirmed this. Rita then went to look at the child and while she agreed that the child was dead, something kept her by her side, and then suddenly, the child was no longer dead. At this seeming miracle, she took the child in to the main room of the inn to warm. Shortly thereafter the inn closed for the night and Rita stayed to look after the two patients.
As word spread of this event through those that had been there, Rita continued to puzzle over the situation, something she would do for many months going forward.
There were two families that heard of the child that had been found. The Vaughans, who lived in a nearby manor house and were wealthy had their two year old daughter kidnapped two years before, and she would now be about the same age as this child. Mrs. Vaughan has been heartbroken, aching for her child and not engaging with anyone as she had before. As soon as she hears, she rushes to the inn and claims the child upon sight.
The Armstrongs are a large farming family with an interesting history. Mr Armstrong is a black man who was supported in starting his life as an adult by his own white father. Mrs. Armstrong is a woman with a unique talent for seeing people as they truly are. Their oldest son has been a trial and they recently learned that he was a father and it would seem that this child could be his daughter.
Another woman Lily also swears that she knows the child, as her younger sister Anne. But the woman has issues and doesn't seem to understand the impossibility of her claim, and she appears to have no desire to take the child herself.
As the recovered photographer, Henry Daunt, and Rita join forces to look into the matter further and the story continues with interesting sidenotes over the next several months.
As this story developed, and we could see into the feelings of many of the characters, I began to care about their individual lives and stories, wanting things to work out for each one. It was all related to the storytelling in some ways too, as this story is itself. It felt like the kind of tale you'd hear around the fire in past days.
I liked the way that things converged and appreciated the epilogue that took us into the future a ways to see what happened in the near term to the various people.
A great read.

An interesting tale that morphed from magical mystery into twisted Victorian conman tale. I really wanted to like it more than I did - there was just too much of everything: too much going on, too many characters, too many magical (the pig, the eye) and non-magical (Rita's experiment, the flood) elements that were never explained.