This was just a bit too wordy for me. I think, for some, the excessive descriptions probably helped to set the mood. Unfortunately, for me, I just got bored and distracted. I liked the concept of the story. But I didn't connect with, or love, the writing enough to fall in love with all the long descriptions. I think that will just depend on the reader. I have a favorite writer who some have said the same about, but as I love her writing style, I enjoy the descriptions, no matter how long, flowery, or possibly superfluous. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. So, although I liked the idea of the story, I grew bored with the book.

I am always trepidatious when I download a generously shared ARC. While I promise an honest take on the book in question, I really dislike the times when being truthful may not be in the best interest of either author or publisher. That is certainly not the case with Once Upon. River. This was a read that I couldn't wait to get back to and gloried in the atmospheric details of life on the eponymous river. Set in a time long before science might have provided answers, and when the comings and going of a small English village consumed one's worldview, this tale of a child purportedly resurrected from the dead, unfolds like a Gothic mystery. (Only that's not what it is!) Setterfield's book straddles the world of a who-dun-it full of magical realism - with characters that reminded me of Washington Irving at his best.

The middle of this watery tale does get a bit bogged down, but if you wear waterproof suspension of disbelief slippers, you'll be in for an entertaining read. This book will go on my holiday gift list.

If you like slightly off kilter books, the kind that you are questioning what is going on, this is a perfect book. A mix of fantasy and reality, a fairytale story of a small community all pulled together by a dead girl who shows up one night at the local tavern in the arms of her rescuer, who then turns out to not really be dead. No one knows who she is or who she belong to, and yet she pulls at everyone's heart strings and all want her to belong to them. As the year rolls to the next solstice we learn more sinister stories of who we previously thought were innocent, and how we all tell ourselves stories to explain the unexplainable, to ease the pain of the past, and how the lies often catch up to us eventually.
*This was a free copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book and am thrilled to say they were exceeded. Setterfield weaves together history and magic and diverse characters with a single mystery that unravels so many truths. I absolutely loved this book.

Setterfield is a master storyteller. Once Upon a River did not disappoint. Told from different perspectives, but all coming smoothly together as one, she weaves the tale of a river, a community, and girl who belongs to no one and everyone. This book was truly enchanting.

Once upon a time -- those words remove us from the ordinary, blur the boundaries of reality, and usually lead into some sort of new understanding for human behaviors and moral codes or provide cautionary warnings. Once Upon a River is one of those tales. It is the story of a river both benevolent and benign and the people whose lives it touches. One night at the Swann Inn on a winter solstice when the regulars have gathered for another evening of storytelling, a monstrously injured man bursts through the door with a drowned child in his arms. The local nurse is sent for, and when she examines the body of the dead child, the child breathes. A new story wends its way through the countryside -- the story of a miracle and a little unknown girl. Then multiple people come to claim her, a wealthy couple whose own child had been abducted two years earlier, a young housekeeper who lives in poverty in a stone cottage on the banks of the river, a black farmer whose wayward son might be the child's father. The injured man is a photographer obsessed with the river, and as he falls in love with the local nurse, their lives, too, wrap around that of the mysterious child who never speaks. The mythical meets the ordinary, and the power of stories weaves all of the individuals into a satisfying whole. Lyrical, compelling, satisfying, this a book to dream by and come away marveling at the satisfaction only a good story can bring.

An intriguing fairytale; I like seeing the various threads come together and although I felt that it took me some time to become fully absorbed in the story I loved the ending.

I loved, loved, loved this story! I count The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld among my lifetime top ten favorite books, so I was excited but hesitant to read her latest release. How could it possibly live up to my expectations?

Once Upon a River is like a fairy tale in which a little girl arrives in a small village under mysterious circumstances and turns the lives of its inhabitants upside down. You learn within the first few pages that girl drowns and is miraculously revived. Three families claim the girl as one of their own, and their stories are equally believable.

Setterfeld created such a rich, vivid setting and cast of characters that felt believable and realistic while maintaining a fairy tale flavor. I didn’t want the story to end. Highly recommended.

This was a do not finish for me. One of my favourite books of all time is The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. Walking into this one, I hoped for the same gothic element, and mystery. I found it to be confusing, with a mish mash of characters that I couldn't connect to or separate. I didn't love the storyline, and found it hard to move past the halfway point. The mystery wasn't enough to keep me reading to discover what had happened to the girl and who her parents were. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

“He knew his camera could not capture this—that some things were only truly seen by a human eye. This was one of the images of his lifetime. He simply exposed his retina and let love burn her flickering, shimmering, absorbed face onto his soul.”

I would give this book every star I could. The author humanized even the most misunderstood, seemingly villainous among the cast. What incredibly beautiful characters— ones that will stay with me for a very long time. Absolutely lovely.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

One of my all-time favorite books is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, so I was thrilled to receive a free advanced copy of her latest project from the publisher.

It’s a story about stories. It’s about deep-seated desires, long-endured grief, and mysterious events in the night. There are fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and stories. There is an inn at the center of a tiny town on a river. This inn is known for its storytelling, and when the story actually begins in that very inn, well, the storytellers begin to spin different versions, practicing their tale before the story is even finished.

Once Upon a River carries the same gothic feel as Setterfield’s previous work. It’s striking, how much the setting truly participates in this story. Particularly the river. And the rain. And the dark. And one very cool thing is that amidst the dark and mysterious, there is a photographer character, who works so hard to find the light – literally and figuratively.

The story centers on a little girl who is pulled from the river on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. Several people hope she is who they want her to be. At four years old, she doesn’t speak, and doesn’t seem to care who takes care of her. Yet everyone around her is drawn to her, wishing, yearning for a little girl they knew who was like her, or for a little girl they never had, but wanted. Everybody wants her, but she doesn’t belong with any of them.

The tale weaves together the lives of local residents around the inn. A young married couple, a midwife/nurse, a photographer, a farmer, a wayward son, a basket-case woman, and a mysterious short man who wears a coat much too large for himself.

There is an otherworldly element to this story, and the sense that your story, like this one, weaves and twists and rises and falls at the whim of the river. So while this specific story goes on, it is also a commentary of sorts, on stories in general. I’ll be reading this one again.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There were parts of this book that were absolutely beautiful but other parts that were so very dull. I would get to a dull part and almost decide not to finish when something interesting would happen to pull me back in. Overall the writing was nice I just would like it to be more concise. It took a long time to tell a rather small story.

The author has a true skill to be able to combine all the attributes of a river and its’ tributaries with those of a person and then manage to write a fantastic story. Diane Setterfield”s Once Upon a River is a book for all age groups for it comprises all catagories of storytelling which both young and the older readers could relate to make it understandable. Like the river in the book, all the characters have currents of their lives being faced with more currents within themselves and then with countercurrents
This was a very thought provoking approach to storytelling!.
My critique was based an ARC that was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

ONCE UPON A RIVER – Diane Setterfield

England – Nineteenth Century

The story begins, appropriately, at the town pub in Radcot, the Swan, for this is the spot in town where storytellers gather over a pint of ale. The Ockwells own the establishment – Margo and her husband Joe Bliss and their twelve daughters and one son. Joe has weak lungs, and their son has slanted eyes and a moon face. But they are a happy family and enjoy telling and listening to the tales that swirl throughout the pub. It is Winter Solstice and the pub is filled with the regulars when a stranger burst in the door carrying what they at first thought was a puppet. But the battered, now unconscious man bore a limp child in his arms. Rita, the local medical person, is summoned and pronounces the child dead as she deals with the massive facial wounds on the man.

Rita carefully put the poor man’s face back together, then dealt with the body of the little girl who had been taken to a storeroom. As she held the cold, limp hand Rita felt that something wasn’t right. And it wasn’t. To the stunned audience in the pub, Rita carried the child back into the main room. The child’s eyes opened and she turned her head towards the crowd.

Henry Daunt, the man who found the girl, once awake, does not know who the child is. No one recognizes her and she doesn’t speak. Another stranger hears the news and thinks there is money to be made. He knows about a local family, the Vaughans, whose daughter was kidnapped two years ago. They paid the ransom, but never got their child back. It’s worth it to let the family know about the child who came back from the dead. Another child, daughter of the eldest son of another family, was rumored to have been drowned by her mother shortly before the mother killed herself. Could this little girl be one of these children?

So, the story is set and it’s one that will be told for years to come at The Swan. There are several sub-stories that eventually will come to light. But will anyone actually discover the identity of the once-dead little girl? Rita and Henry team up to do what little they can to investigate. The father whose son’s daughter may have been drowned wants answers too. And then there is the dark, evil lurking in the background. What does he know of these two little girls?

ONCE UPON A RIVER is a gothic tale that unravels at a slow pace, making the reader think about each hint given in the chapters. The characters are riveting and realistic. Beautifully written, this story was emotional and heartrending, but fascinating.

This is a gorgeous book, a story about the telling of stories and the type of person who tells them. Another review on Goodreads called this "long-winded," which misses the point entirely. There are passages which meander, long paragraphs conveying an emotion or mood, but that's a design rather than a bug. This story isn't content with broadstrokes. It's a river, and it's not going to travel at your pace. It will get where it needs to be in its own time. The reader travels along watching the story unfold on its shores. This isn't a novel to be flipped through. As it is with the best stories, the art is in the telling. Diane Setterfield is an artist, and I'm sure she would have a dedicated booth at the Swan if she ever happened by.

Once Upon a River was such a cozy read. I felt like I was putting on my favorite sweater--well, one of my favorite sweaters. Can you really choose just one favorite sweater?

Our tale begins at the Swan, one of many inns along the Thames. Each inn is unique in its own way, and the Swan is the place to go for a good story. 

And at its heart, that's what this book is--a really good story.

It begins a little girl who has seemingly come back to life after drowning, but it is not clear who exactly she is, because she does not speak and more than one family has come to claim her.

While she is certainly important to the story, this tale is more about the cast of characters surrounding her and how she affects each of their lives. Setterfield does a great job of placing the reader inside the minds of those through whom we see the events play out.

I also enjoyed the subtle nods to folklore woven throughout. The river is as much a character as any other, and creatures such as changelings are referred to as 'just stories,' but we are left with just enough uncertainty of wonder.

The book is bit rambling, but I count that as a strength. A book about storytelling should ramble on some, and all that detail is what makes the story come to life.

I had really looked forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed. Once Upon a River is one of my favorite books this year.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Expected date of publication is December 4, 2018.

4.25. Engrossing Read. I really loved Diane Settlefield’s, The Thirteenth Tale and, therefore, was looking forward to her new book, Once Upon a River. This did not disappoint. I am not a fan of gothic literature, but Ms. Settlefield’s work is beyond that and more. I was totally engrossed from the beginning and had trouble putting it down. Similar to her other novel, it is dark, but so well done and spellbinding! It takes place in England in 1887 and involves a young girl who is brought into a tavern who appears to be dead but then through some unknown power, comes back to life. Who is this girl? The reader needs to figure that out but many claim her. Ms Settlefield’s writing is superb. You can feel the movement of the river, the Thames, the central geographic point of this novel, smell it’s earthly scent and walk in its ghostly shadow. The plot is mesmerizing and for me, kept me going until the end. All characters were so nicely defined, whether good or bad. I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I totally recommend this book and look forward to more of her novels in the future.

A long and intricate story, Once Upon a River will keep you reading fr a long weekend. Interesting characters and involved plot line. I was given a copy of the book by NetGallery and have volunteered to post an honest review. #OnceUponaRiver #NetGalley [NetGalley URL]

I was so intrigued when I first read that Diane Setterfield had a new book coming out soon, and was even more intrigued when i was offered an E-ARC through Net Galley in exchange for a review.

The author has such a gift for unique storytelling. Her stories take long, dark twists as the book proceeds, and the reader winds up far removed from the opening lines. It is the story of a river, and a mysterious girl who remarkably comes back from the dead - but who is she, really? Several families are anxious to claim her as their own, and the cast of characters are full and well imagined. It is a dark story, as was The Thirteenth Tale, and the darkness of the story takes the reader along a similar path; the author's words making the reader feel the fear, the despair, the cold wetness of the river, and it's dank, wet odors. It is not an easy story to read or to follow, but it does offer a mysterious, intriguing chain of events.

If you like books that are a bit creepy, dark, sad, convoluted, full of what-if plausibility, this would be a good book to get lost in.

I like the idea of this book and it was well written but I just couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to. For me fairy tales mean escape and this title never had the accessibility to let me escape into it. There just seemed to be something missing for me, I just don't know what it was.