This book was beautiful written. It did take me awhile to finish only because it didnt hold my attention. And I think it was mainly just me. But I'm happy to finally have finished the story.

Diane Setterfield is such an amazing author! I look forward to more titles published by her. They all have great atmosphere!

Fans of "The Thirteenth Tale" will enjoy this one as well. It is mostly historical, set in 1800's England, with some magic realism and supernatural thrown in. The writing is beautiful and the pacing is steady. It can get slow and confusing with the number of characters, but this atmospheric read is an ode to storytelling.

I had actually received an ARC of this from Netgalley and the publisher before it was published but just didn’t get to it in time. I’m actually glad because I ended up listening to the audiobook version narrated by Juliet Stevenson, who was marvelous. She has the perfect voice for narrating this atmospheric book, and her delivery pulled me into the book.

The book begins on the eve of the winter solstice in The Swan, an inn located next to the river. The folks in this town are big storytellers, and they are in the middle of their storytelling when an injured man enters the inn carrying a child. Rita, the nurse, examines the two and determines that the child is dead. There are already questions about what happened to the little girl when much later she magically returns to life, creating even more questions. The mystery continues because there end up being three sets of individuals who all think she is the child they have lost.

If you like atmospheric, adult fairy tales, you will like this book. The characters are interesting, and the river even plays a character in this book. The book is lyrically written, and it is not a fast-paced book. Sometimes I felt like it was repetitive with the re-telling of the child coming back to life, making me think the book could have been much shorter without losing the mystery and magical feeling which is part of the charm of the book. You do learn by the end of the book what actually happened, providing an excellent resolution.

If you do pick up this book, I recommend listening to the audiobook if you can and block out chunks of time. This is one that is better read/heard in longer stretches rather than spurts here and there.

My Rating: 4 Stars

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks NetGalley for this book. Sorry it took me so long to read and review.

I really like The Thirteenth Tale (being a Jane Eyre fan) which is why I requested this. It isn't as good as that other book but it is enjoyable and worth a read! It starts at The Swan, an inn by a river that is known for its storytelling. An injured stranger stumbles in with a seemingly lifeless body in his arms and a well-told and satisfying story then unfolds. You'll want to return to The Swan for another night of thrilling storytelling.

Unfortunately this is not a book for me. I have tried reading it several times and just cannot become engaged with the story. I don't give up easily but I'm just not making a connection.

Review based in part on e-book ARC (Advanced Readers Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review) and in part on audio book. My apologies to the publisher — I thought I’d send this long ago!

Beautiful, heartbreaking, brilliant. Both the story and its telling. Left me a little bereft.

Diane Setterfield solidified herself as one of my favorite authors with this strange tale about a lost child and a found child, magic, and the strongest desires of the heart. I loved the atmosphere, the people, the tales, and how deftly Setterfield wraps everything together. An easy 5 stars.

I would rate this as a solid middle of the road book. Not as good as The Thirteenth Tale, but a good story nonetheless.

I was extremely sceptical of this book club selection, it did not sound like something I was going to like and I put off reading it for much too long. I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING! This book was like a fairy tale for grown ups. I must admit it took me until about 1/4 of the way through to really get into the story. It took time to weave the individual stories of each character at the beginning but once I got into it I was hooked! Each “chapter” is written from alternating character perspectives but you don’t get to see how closely linked everyone is until very near the end of the story. Part mystery, part fantasy, 100% amazing! 5 stars and would highly recommend!!!!!!!

I was a huge fan of Setterfield's first novel and waited for this one for so long. I can't say I loved it as much but it was definitely intriguing and well written.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn in from the beginning by the descriptive writing of the River Thames, the Characters.
So we mix folklore, with storytelling, and a mystery with some magical happenings. We meet some people who have had tragedy in their lives, all with their own stories and how this young girl fits into them. What made this girl come alive again? Who does she belong to? Is it a miracle or is it magic? Did it have anything to do with the winter solstice? It keeps you just guessing and very interesting read, my first by this author Diane Setterfield. Thank you.

This book was so beautifully written. I recommend reading this book. (listening is much better)

I was given this book for free from netgalley for an honest review. I ended up not finishing just because there was too much descriptive detail and I didn’t feel like the story was every going to start. I got 20% through the book and knew it wasn’t for me. Beautifully written but I’m just not a fan of the style. If I was, I’d probably love this book!

I will not be reviewing this book. Though the genre is one that I appreciate, this novel did not catch my interest. I would rather attempt to read it at another time than to give it a poor rating. thank you.

How I love Diane’s writing. My favorite book of all time is her first novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Her writing is expressive and swallows you up and brings you into her story.
This story was a bit different in its somewhat magic’s elements, but still provided plenty of dark mystery to keep you engaged in the story. It’s got all that Setterfield is famous for, mystery, intrigue, myth and just a great story. I highly recommend it.

I love The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - it remains one of the books I've read that had a twist that I could never have guessed. I was very excited to get the ARC of this, especially because it has *atmosphere* - an inn, folk tales, rain and rivers, mysteries. I just loved it.

Diane Setterfield writes a book and it becomes a classic the day it is published. I loved this newest book as well as her previous gems.

This was an unusual book for me to read, it was a mix of storytelling, history and magic. I found it captivating. There were many story lines, that wound together to make a beautiful book. That being said, it took a while for me to get familiar with the long list of characters.

Although magic and folklore sometimes make me roll my eyes (I am not into fantasy, at all), the story was so well told, that it made me believe in magic too. The author did a wonderful job of portraying these characters and the small town community in the 1800s. It is exactly how I would imagine a town in that time to be.

I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books as a host of a chapter of the Girly Book Club.

This is a beautifully written fantasy that I did not love as much as The Thirteenth Tale, but I really enjoyed this book nonetheless. I was happy to have it come up later as a book club pick so I could get into chatting about the imagery,plot choices and the characters. It's a book best read with others, so you can have someone else to deep dive into it with.

This captivating tale begins in an Inn on the Thames in the 1870’s. A injured man and what appears to be a dead child come into the Inn from the night. In the course of one year, from one Winter Solstice to the next, the mystery of three children lost to the River kept me spellbound!