Diane Setterfield has been a must-read author for me since I first read The Thirteenth Tale. Her latest was just as captivating, with a bit of magic and mystery mixed in. When an almost drowned child is found in the river, three separate families lay claim to her. This story is filled with drama, love, and loss. The story is compelling, but the writing is spectacular.

In a tavern off the coast of the Thames, locals come to hear stories and drink their troubles away. Some of them are about to play a part in a story that myths and legends are made from. A little girl is brought to the tavern saved by a man who happened to see her in the river. The man passes out from exhaustion and the girl is believed dead. After the local healer comes to aide the man and confirms the child’s fate. Even though the girl appears dead to the knowledgable healer she suddenly starts breathing. As the girl and man heal the hunt is on to find her family. The strange thing is 3 families want to claim her as theirs. One couple who lost their daughter 2 years ago, one widowed man searching for his young daughter, and one sister who thought she harmed her missed sister many years ago. Told like an Irish fairy tale, Once Upon A River is a mystical tale of what can destruct a relationship and what can heal it.

I loved this book from beginning to end. Anything told in a way that reminds me of an old Irish fairy tale will usually get high praise from me, especially if the story is not predictable. I thought as I started the book the time period it takes place in would only be in the intro to the story and the time period would fast forward to our time later. It does not. The book stays in the same time period throughout the book. Which for me added to the mystical side. The three families who believe the girl is their’s and who the girl really is or where she belongs is a big mystery until the end. The fact that I could not predict any of the storylines is a plus for me. When my brain works out what is going to happen next I get bored. Same happens with tv shows and movies for me too.

I read Diane Setterfield first book The Thirteenth Tale. Everything in that first book that I wanted The Thirteenth Tale to be, is in this new book. I don’t any thoughts on how to make it better because Once Upon A River is best as it is.

Diane Setterfield does have a mastery of words that I can not really figure out how one does write as she does. I am curious at what is next for this author. I could see a sequel or some of these characters popping up again in future books but that is not for me to decide.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF... for now. This book is beautifully descriptive, but a pretty slow start, and I was not in the right state of mind to read it. My mind kept wandering and I kept having to go back and re-read paragraphs.

The narration was not overly descriptive to where I would make this a permanent DNF, but for now, I have to set it aside. Maybe one day when I'm in a proper mood for it!

Thank you again to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

I chose to read this book solely based on Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale having been one of my favorite books the year I read it. After finishing this one, I realized, in truth, I can't remember what that first book was about. I looked it up. I have almost no recollection of it. I fear this book is going to suffer the same fate.

It's not that I didn't enjoy the book. There was a lot about it that I liked quite a lot. I quite enjoyed the way all of the characters' lives intertwined and the stories came together. Life on the river, the time period, the mystery, the science of the period, and Setterfield's characters all appealed to me.

There was also so much in this book that seems unnecessary. Much is made early on of the storytelling that has made The Swan renowned on the river and Setterfield returns to that throughout the book but it largely felt extraneous. The fact that storytelling at the inn is its claim to fame plays no real part in the story line. I was never sure, either, as to whether or not there was an element of the mystical at play. Was this meant to be a book with "real" otherworldliness at play or a book where the characters just believed in that? In the end, I think I knew which way Setterfield was leaning but the part of me that doesn't go much for otherworldliness in books, except when it's done really well, wished it had been clearer.

If I were to give numerical ratings to books, this one would fall right in the middle. We tend to dismiss books that fall there, looking instead for the books that are exceptional. But why do we act like books that are "good" aren't good enough? Before I started blogging, I was perfectly satisfied to read a book that was good. Maybe this one won't stick with me years from now, but I mostly enjoyed it while I was reading it and there's something to be said for that.

“Once Upon A River” by Diane Setterfieild is a book that centers around storytelling.
A man walks into a town inn along the Thames where locals have gathered to gossip and tell stories when in walks a stranger with a half dead girl.

I really enjoyed this story and the themes of folklore, magic, and bit of the supernatural.
It was a enjoyable story.

How to tell a good story is at the heart of Diane Setterfield's Once Upon A River. She sets her action in and around a tavern called The Swan, set along the Thames River in a generically old-timey version of England. This tavern, you see, is famous for its storytellers. One dark midwinter's night, when there are just a few people left at the tavern telling each other tales, there's a great commotion at the door. A man bursts in, bloodied and bruised, holding what at first seems to be a doll. Upon closer inspection, she's revealed to be a little girl, beautiful but dead. Her vitals are checked by Rita, the local medic of sorts, and there's no hope...until suddenly her heart begins to beat again, and her chest to rise and fall with breath. But she doesn't speak a word.


Three families believe she could be theirs: Helena and Anthony Vaughn, a young couple whose young daughter was kidnapped and never recovered; or Robert and Bess Armstrong, who believe the child could be the hidden offspring of their wayward son Robin; and strange, lonely Lily, who thinks the child could be her long-lost little sister. The girl silently accepts being initially placed with the Vaughns, and while Helena is ecstatic, convinced that this is her little girl returned to her, Anthony remains skeptical. And Rita, who has long lived alone, finds herself drawn closer and closer to the girl she continues to monitor as she also helps the photographer who brought the girl into their lives recuperate. The tension between what all of these people want to believe and the truth keeps growing as the real history of the girl continues to elude everyone, until (of course) the stirring climax.


There's magical realism here, which isn't always my favorite, but it's applied with a light and nimble touch, serving the greater emotional truth of the story. And in a book focused on storytelling and the ways that a well-told story can entrance a reader, you're conscious of the emotional manipulation going on, but it's done so well and so satisfyingly that it doesn't matter. It feels very much like a fairy tale, with characters who manage to both be broad enough to be recognizable as archetypes and specific enough to get invested in. And there are callbacks to classic literature (Great Expectations comes particularly to mind) that add to the pleasure for the reader familiar with them, but aren't necessary to understanding or enjoying the book.


Setterfield's prose and plot work beautifully together to grab and keep attention. I honestly found it difficult to put down, but when I did and then picked it back up, it was easy to get reoriented and swept back up in it. If you're someone who's driven batty by a failure to get all plot points resolved, be warned that this book does wind up with some ambiguities. For my part, I thought it was refreshing to have a little mystery left. I really loved reading this and would highly recommend it to all audiences, it's a wonderful book that I think would have a lot of appeal to a wide variety of readers.

Setterfield is a great storyteller and while I really enjoyed #TheThirteenthTale and #BellmanAndBlack I found this book had too many subplots to be really wowed by it. The journey of this story was not that strong for me; the premise was also weak. I found myself speed reading through many of the overly descriptive sections and the end was too quickly tied up and somewhat cliched. With my self-editing I was able to enjoy this book and I am certain that Setterfield fans and fans of the Gothic novel will really enjoy this book as well.

What a beautifully written, wonderfully told story! I haven't read Setterfield before, and I'm glad this was my introduction to her work! The less you know enough story going in, but I is you will be in for a great read. I absolutely !over the o!d-fashioned way she told the story. I feel like I was transported back to the days of Sickens and Alcott. A must read!

Once Upon a River for me, had a very strong and atmospheric start. The story pulled me in immediately and made me want to devour it. Then as we move along, it felt a little muddy, just like the river Thames. At times, I felt Ms. Setterfield was a little wordy - just needed a bit of editing. As we near the end of the end of our story, things get back on track and we get a nicely satisfying ending. A good read for a rainy day.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest opinion.**

I know by now there isn’t much that hasn’t been said about Diane Setterfield’s latest offering, Once Upon a River, but I want to add my two sense. There is a reason why Setterfield’s beautiful haunting stories have touched millions since she first came out with The Thirteenth Tale, several years ago. The simple reason is, her books use the art of story as a medium to express to the heart, truths that words alone have not always been able to accomplish. Stories have a way of creeping up on you and taking root in the heart of the reader by the author being able to take everyday experiences and ideas, such as love, loss, and beauty and bring them to an emotional level, making them more real. And sometimes, a story, to fully germinate, takes time and patience; and knowing not only the characters, but its environment and history intimately. And that’s ok, it makes reading them, when they are finally available, that much more satisfying.

That is why I am such a fan of Setterfield’s works! She has a way of enveloping her characters in the power of story, and produces such a strong relationship between the characters in her stories and their environment! And Once Upon a River is no different. It uses the medium of story to forge a relationship between the environment of the Thames river and the community living on its banks, to weave a tale that strongly evokes the searing pain of loss, the beauty of love, and the hope of reunion.

The premise is simple. One wintery night a man, stumbles into a local tavern of a small English town on the river Thames, with a mute girl, who at first appears dead. What follows from that incident is a wild, haunting story that is weaved day in and day out, and changes and flows like the Thames river it is set upon. As the girl, appears mute, the mystery as to where she came from deepens, as several villagers claim her as their own missing daughter, or sister. The characters include every villager and every villager is included in this story. As the tale develops, it is clear how her arrival builds up hope in some, and compounds the searing loss for others, but the truth, later revealed, is not so simple.

Filled with haunting prose, drawing upon local and international folklore, strong character development, from the most minor character to the most central, and a beautiful story of love, loss, and reunion; Once Upon a River is a great feat in modern storytelling. Part mystery, part fairytale, and part legend. If you love any or all of these elements, you need to pick up this beautiful tale today! Thank you to the publishers and #netgalley for my DRC for review!

DNF @ 16%

As much as it pains me to do this, I am setting this one aside as a DNF. I was beyond excited when I found out the Setterfield was coming out with a new book. Ridiculously so. The Thirteenth Tale is one of my all time favorite books, and since the day I finished it, I have eagerly been awaiting a new book.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into Once Upon a River. While I developed an early love of the characters Margot and Rita, there were just too many other characters and the story was taking too long to develop. At 16% it was still unclear who the child in the river was and how any of this large cast of characters were connected, to each other or to the child.

I am very much in the minority with this review, so I urge you to give it a try for yourself. I suspect that once the story takes off, you will be in for a ride, but I just did not have the patience to do so.

Due to the fact that I did not finish this book, I will not be posting this review on retail websites.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Atria for the free review copy via NetGalley. Overall, reading ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield was a pretty magical experience. Long ago on a cold winter's night at an inn by the Thames, a man bursts through the door carrying a young child who appears to have drowned. But naturally, she “comes back to life,” and no one can explain how this happened, nor do they know who this girl is. Once word gets out to the neighboring towns along the river, there are three claims to the child: a couple whose daughter was kidnapped two years previously, a woman who claims she is her infant sister, and a man whose deceased ex-wife had run away a year beforehand with their daughter. It’s a mysterious and enchanting novel based on the art of storytelling (plus can we also take a minute to appreciate its beautiful cover). It’s quite a lengthy book — 460 pages — but definitely worth a read.

Several years ago someone suggested The Thirteenth Tale to me and my love of reading and quality writing was reignited. When I heard Diane Setterfield had a new book coming out in 2018 I knew I’d have to get my hands on a copy!
Once Upon a River is an impressive story. It’s magical and lyrical in a way that reminds me of Elizabeth Kostova’s style of writing. The passage of time seemed to slow down while I was transported to The Swan and several hours later, I finally was able to extricate myself mentally.
The story of a little girl mysteriously brought to life travels from town to town. Everyone seems to have a claim to the girl who is mute. There are many characters and I found it helpful to keep notes. Each story is sad and it’s hard to see the grief from each family.
This book must be read slowly and be savored. Preferably on a winter night, sitting by a fireplace. There is a message to this story and one that will stay with me for a long time.

We discuss this book on Ep 163 of What Should I Read Next, called: "Wonderful, wonder-filled reading in the great outdoors"

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.

I reviewed this title on my blog and will provide details and a link in the next stage, directly to the publisher

I loved Diane Setterfield's first book and was a bit disappointed by her 2nd. I also have not had much luck with magical-realism books but I really enjoyed this one. The story of the little girl and her mysterious origins felt like I was reading a fairytale. Even though this one started a bit slow for me I thought the characters were fascinating and loved how each had their own tragedy/circumstances where this little girl could be their solace. I'll definitely be recommending this to patrons, especially those who like books that are a little bit quirky.

The story begins on dark and stormy night in an Inn called The Swan on the river Thames. This inn is famous for its storytelling and its storytellers, and in fact, when a mysterious stranger with obvious physical injuries incoherently bursts into the inn with a commotion, stories are in the midst of being told. The author weaves such a magical tale that you feel you are sitting in the inn with all the other charterers listening to the stories. I had a hard time putting this book down but also didn't want it to end. This story took me on a journey filled with magic, love, hardship, and a sense of peace also about when our time here is up.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I kept putting off writing this review because I wasn't really sure how to go about it. How could I do this book justice? I just loved this book. I am not sure if I can even convey how much I loved it. From the moment I opened it, I was caught up in the slow, magical flow of the plot, I was thoroughly invested in the characters and the story as a whole. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Where to even start with this one! I loved it, but the plot just isn’t a quick one to explain! This historical fiction novel takes place along a river. One day a man carries a young girl into a bar, he collapses, and they believe the young girl is dead - she's not breathing, has no pulse. But as it turns out, this young girl revives and is mute. Three different families believe that she is their missing child, and the plot moves from there. “Once Upon A River” has a small dose of magical realism. It’s fairly subtle and is used to explore the grief each of these families feels in the absence of their small child. And personally, examining grief is one of the few times where magical realism really works for me in books - and it certainly did in this one. "Once Upon A River" is a slow burn and I think that's important to know going in - but it’s also so creative, and thought provoking, and well written, that if you’re in the mood for a longer, whimsical novel, this is one I would recommend you pick up!