I read this in fits and starts so it was hard to get a feel for it until the end. I think for the latter part, I’d boost this up to a 4-star rating, but that may be because I had the time to focus or maybe because the book picked up.

I loved the atmosphere and the way the story unraveled in The Thirteenth Tale but the pacing for this went a little slower. The characters and their stories are interesting though so it was worth sticking it out to see how everything fits together.

Intriguing story with a supernatural bent. Perfect story to read by the fire with hot cocoa while you enter the pages of this tale. A great read! I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just could not get into this book, which is disappointing given how much hype I've seen around it. The storybook narration paired with too little exposition was really disorienting. It reminded me of The Buried Giant in its attempt to establish that fantastic timelessness but it fell flat in its attempt.

I loved the beginning of this book. It has a great opening scene, good characters with detailed back stories that are used to weave the story together, and great atmosphere. I did find that it slowed down a bit in the middle. The story felt like it was no longer moving forward but it didn't last long and was a minor issue for me. The writing is very good but it definitely has a fairy tale feel to it, so those who don't appreciate that quality in their books would do well to avoid this one. If you enjoy the feeling of having a good old fashioned story told to you, you might find this to be a wonderful read.

I can't even describe the plot, full of twists and turns, our the characters angels, devils and everyone in between.. I can say that Diane Setterfied's writing remains beautiful,

This gothic mystery is sooo good, engaging from beginning to end. Setterfield is a gifted writer, intertwining the most interesting characters with imaginative magical elements.

So much to love. Tall tales including those of river gypsies and a ghostly ferryman who is said to save people in trouble on the river, a mystery surrounding an angelic child proclaimed dead by drowning but miraculously brought back to life and a curious attraction for everyone, foreboding last words in chapters that read “Something is going to happen” kept me in suspense. Thanks to Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Fantastic!

*will add to additional online venues upon publication

Very interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! (And I struggled a bit with this author's <i>The Thirteenth Tale</i>) It is extremely well-crafted, with a lot going on from so many different angles and characters, yet it's all tied together. That sometimes can be a confusing, overwhelming thing in a book, but it really worked for me with this one. However, I was a bit let down by the time the ending came. I expected so much more for the ending, based on the rest of the book, that by the time it came, it wasn't what I had hoped. It wasn't an awful let-down of an ending, just not what I expected from how the rest of the story was crafted and woven together, so that, for me, it felt a bit anticlimactic.

The setting of the small English town along the Thames outside of Oxford in the late 1800s was perfect, and how well each setting and character and their personalities, from pigs to humans to the mystical and the myths, as well as the river itself, were incredible. Everything tied together so well, and I could picture everything as it was unfolding and felt like I was very much a part of this story and wanted to see everything -- the river, the girl, the Armstrong's farm, the Basketman's Cottage, Daunt's boat and photography equipment and photographs. Still, I wished for just a bit more from the ending to live up to the rest of the book. Don't let that steer you away from this one, though. I was thoroughly entranced by this one. It was so incredibly well-crafted that, overall, it didn't disappoint me and I'd love to start it over again and re-read it right away!!

I absolutely loved The Thirteenth Tale by this author, and was completely intrigued by the premise of this book. I'm not sure if the writing has changed or if my reading tastes have changed since the last book - but unfortunately I was completely unable to get into this story. It felt very verbose, with a lot of extra detail that I didn't necessarily need. I was confused almost from the very beginning which, needless to say, meant that I wasn't hooked and had a hard time forcing myself to continue.

It's entirely possible that the problem is me and the way my reading tastes (and my patience for stories that do not hook me immediately) have changed in the last few years. This was ultimately a DNF for me.

Once Upon A River is a modern fairy tale filled with magic and layered meaning. On the surface, it is a tale about a little girl pulled from the river and mistaken for dead, and the people who claim her as their lost loved one. Is she Amelia, or Alice, or Ann, or another girl entirely?? The current that pulls the different story lines together is a reflection on grief and parenthood. Diane Setterfield masterfully layers in metaphors for blindness and sight that enrich the story and make you want to go back and read the story again to look for more.
I first discovered Diane Setterfield’s work with The Thirteenth Tale, which I have gone back and read several times and badgered everyone I knew to read. She has created another dream-like world of possibility here in the village of Buscot in Once Upon A River.

3 1/2 ⭐️‘s
Uniquely different, this well written book has left me pondering. While slow going, I did like parts of the story, but felt it was a bit repetitive. More on the fantasy side than any other genre, it did have its magical moments, but I wish I liked it more.

This is a very special and unique book that is one part folk tale, one part mystery and brewed with a touch of the supernatural. It takes place in England long ago astride the Thames River, which looms large in this story.

The Swan is a family run pub where the preoccupation is telling a really good story. The best stories take on a life of their own and are repeated and spread among the townspeople. On one fateful night during the winter's solstice something breathtaking and miraculous occurred at The Swan. A very large man roared as he stumbled into the door, face ravaged with bloody injuries and holding what appeared to be a large puppet of a young girl. Except, it wasn't a puppet. It was a girl of about four, wet from the river...and dead. Then something magical happens. Who is she? Why doesn't she speak? And how can it be that three different families honestly believe this child is their own? This was enough information alone for me to be lured into the tentacles of this book!

I've read another fine book from this author, "Bellman & Black", so already knew of Diane Setterfield's exquisite writing prowess, her brilliance in serving up a delicate supernatural flavor. My expectations were set and Ms. Setterfield met them. This is an epic and rich story that will keep you guessing until the end, fraught with emotion, compelling and likeable characters, and an Edgar Allen Poe-like feel. I won't go into too much more detail. as this is a book to be savored on your own.

Secrets and Folklore!
Thanks to Bookish first, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield!
Twists and turns and many characters along with their stories bring Once Upon a River to life. The book opens with a background of the setting and builds up to the present when a four-year-old girl is found and brought to the Swan, where storytelling is at its finest. The man who brought the little girl in is very injured and he loses consciousness, so no one can ask questions. The storytelling begins by the regular inhabitants of the Swan and continues to build with speculation. Everyone falls in love with the little girl and their hearts warm to her. Because of the girl’s appearance in the community, many lives are changed and things that have been hidden for years come to light. A food for thought story full of folklore and secrets, 4 stars!

I didn’t know what to expect when starting this book. Opening up with a brief description of the inns along the Thames, Setterfield creates a mystical world of dragons and stories. The Swan is the home of storytelling. The inn’s proprietor Joe has a gift for spinning a yarn. The other inn attendees take stories and make them their own. None of them has any idea about the story that is about to walk through the door.

While the Swan takes center stage in this story, throughout the book you meet the leading players. Margot Ockwell and Joe Bliss run the inn. Margot is a stout, hearty soul who mothered 13 children, the little Margots and Jonathan. Joe was born with an ailment that kept him pale and feeble, but with a gift of storytelling he won Margot’s heart. The pair turn that Swan into the place along the Thames where you can hear and tell the most amazing tales.

On the night of the winter solstice at the Swan, in walks a very large man with a doll like creature in his arms. He falls to the floor and the doll is swept away by Jonathan. In the ruckus that ensues around the man, no one realizes that the doll is really a young girl. And this is where the story begins.

The characters you meet are each unique. Henry Daunt, the photographer and Rita Sunday, the nurse, who doubles as the town doctor are bound by her care for him that night. The mystery is the young girl without a voice. Where did she come from and to whom does she belong? What a story this is!

Along the way you meet other local townspeople and folks from along the river. The Armstrong family, the Vaughans, and others all play a part in bringing the river to life. It is a mystical, magical tale with so many small stories within the larger story. It is a book to be savored by a winter’s fire with a cup of tea. Very reminiscent of fairy tales but on a much grander scale, I enjoyed this book immensely. Setterfield creates a fascinating world with dragons and river phantoms. Her gift for storytelling is amazing. Highly recommend!

I have been waiting for this book since I closed the cover on “The Thirteenth Tale”! (If you haven’t read it, download it now!) Diane Setterfield spins a tale like no other.

“Once Upon A River” begins with the discovery of a lifeless child at the river. A child whose “corpse was a blank page” and gave up no story about what had happened. The child, a girl, was discovered by a man who stumbles, half dead himself, into the The Swan; an ancient inn that was known for its storytelling.

Rita, the local nurse, is sent to attend to the man and to hopefully discover what exactly happened to the child. Before Rita can finish her examination of the dead girl, for she was indeed dead, the girl comes back to life.

Who is this girl? To whom does she belong? Is she the daughter of a local couple whose child was kidnapped two years ago? Is she the child of a local prostitute who jumped from the bridge a few weeks ago? Is she the ghost of another’s sister?

As the story unfolds, we learn about the characters and the girl. We learn their stories-their hopes, dreams, character. We learn how virtuous people can be and we learn how despicable they can be. We learn about the river. How it gives life and how it takes it away.

The characters are so very well developed that I did not want to say goodbye to them. I wanted to continue, but remember, we all have rivers of our own to attend to!

#OnceUponARiver #DianeSetterfield #NetGalley

Publication Date: December 4, 2018
Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Kidnapping, Supernatural, Gothic, British
Cover: Perfect
Rating: 5 stars
Source: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

Let me just jump right on in and say that this book completely blew me away. The craftsmanship with which the author wrote the story, setting, and characters was stunning, and this book has very much impressed upon me. It took me just a few chapters to really get into the story, and for the vast number characters to begin getting straight in my mind, but after that it was all she wrote, because this story just flowed. In fact, I found it unputdownable. Though, this is still one you'd want to take your time reading so as not to miss something important. So many little details.

This story, which I won't go into really detail about plot-wise (for the sake of not giving anything away) was captivating, and it truly felt like reading a fairy tale. The way that the characters came alive and all we see in their backstories created such dynamic and well-developed characters. Though I of course had my favorites (Rita the inquisitive and sharp mind and Armstrong the kind-hearted family man) and those I rather disliked.

Perhaps what I simply enjoy most was how filled with twists and turns, "aha" moments, and slowly driven suspense and mystery this book contained. It was all around fantastic storytelling and a true delight to experience. It was so neat how it felt like you were reading several stories in one almost, just because there was so much going on. I've also always been intrigued by folklore, so it was fun to read a book rooted in that... and while I can't say I took anything specific away from the story, or that there was anything especially thought-provoking, I'll still definitely be remembering this story for a long time to come, simply because of how well-written and vibrant it was. Diane Setterfield will very much be an author I keep on my radar from now on, because I would love to discover more of her captivating and truly magical writing.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the free review e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Setterfield's story is a blend of fairy tale and mystery, set in a village on the Thames River in the mid-19th c. It is a time when scientific advances and superstition live side by side.

The Swan Inn was the place where people gathered to tell stories; one bitterly cold night, the inn's doors open and a man staggers in, carrying a bundle, and they become the story. As the townsfolk gather to help the battered and nearly frozen man, they discover he holds a girl he found in the river. The child is pronounced dead, but in a while, the innkeeper's son alerts that the girl breathes.

The speechless girl has a magnetic draw. Mrs. Vaughen is sure the girl is her child who was kidnapped several years ago. Mr. Armstrong believes she is his grandchild abandoned by his wayward son. Lily White fears it is the sister who drowned when they were girls. And others like Rita and Mr. Daunt long to keep her with them.

As the Thames reaches a record flood stage, the mystery unfolds and backstories are revealed, Setterfield explores the complexity of human nature as the characters confront their past decisions and open to new possibilities.

Setterfield is a magical storyteller. I loved this book.

Once Upon A River
by Diane Setterfield
Emily Bestler Books/ Atria
due December 2019

I absolutely loved 'The Thirteenth Tale' by Diane Setterfield, and was so excited to see she had a new novel due in December, and was even more excited to receive the e-book ARC. Her storytelling and atmosphere are on point, and for me, her novels have a flow and pace that perfectly surround the story.
This novel did not disappoint and I enjoyed its rich folklore, and mystery romance and its wide variety of characters.
Picture yourself at 'The Swans Inn', an ancient inn on the Thames River. Its history can be seen in its walls and corners but the real history is the locals who gather to share a few stories and have a few laughs.
One cold winter evening an injured stranger comes into the Swan, carrying the body of a dead girl. Found in the Thames, the stranger claims. As they contemplate what to do about the corpse, she begins to breathe.
Was it magic? Can it be explained by science? Was it the winter solstice?
Who is she?
Is she from the Armstrong family, whose daughter Alice has disappeared?
Is she from the Vaughn family whose daughter Amelia was kidnapped days after her birth?
One thing is for sure-Something Is Going To Happen. She was dead then she was alive....
Rich with atmosphere and folklore, writing that flows-it was easy to get caught up in the lives at Swans Inn. Rita Sunday, a nurse who grew up in a convent. Henry Daunt, the Thames Photographer. The mystery of Alice/Amelia. The Vaughn and Armstrong families. And Jonathan, the peculiar son of Margot and Joe, who is a changeling. My favorite was Robert Armstrong and his horse fleet.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Emily Bestler /Atria and #Netgalley for sending this ARC for review.
#OnceUponARiver #netgalley

I have been counting the days (or should I say years?), waiting for a new book by the author of The Thirteenth Tale, one of my favorite gothic tales from years ago. Her much-awaited new book is finally out and it is a magical turn into a mysterious tale. It all begins at the Swan, a pub set by a river known for its storytellers. On a dark and stormy night (yes, seriously), a strange man walks into the Swan with a dead little girl in his arms. Yet, hours later the little girl awakens and thus the mystery begins. Who is she? Who does she belong to? How did she get into the river? Why are so many people claiming her? The book has maaaany characters to keep track of: Margot, the pub owner, her sickly husband, and her prescient disabled son; the photographer who saves the little girl; the nurse who wants scientific answers to the child's recovery; the grandfather who claims her and his dissolute son who abandons her; the couple whose lost child nearly destroys them; the ferryman, a legend from long ago; and the little girl herself, whose chameleon charms softens everyone's heart. Told in beautifully poetic writing, the story dragged at times for me, with too many characters waltzing in and out of the story. With some further editing, I think it would have gripped me a bit more. With that said, if you like magical realism and tales of olde, this might be the book for you.

The storytelling, almost folklore feel took a while to grow on me, but once the actual story got going, I was all in. Very compelling.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found it inventive and fun to read. The story revolves around a little girl who is found in a river and the different people who try to claim her as their own. Conveniently, the girl can't talk and so can't speak up to say who she really belongs to. This made zero sense to me. A mute child can still cry, get upset, run away, etc. But no, she just goes along with whoever. No one seems to think it's strange that the girl doesn't just point to her real family. I also don't buy that these people would all think a child is theirs. Even if your child has been missing, wouldn't you recognize her- or at least not think a completely different child is your own. So that is definitely a part of the story that you have to suspend rational thought or it will just give you a headache.