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

From briefly skimming others reviews I see that Diane Setterfield seems to have a knack for captivating readers, and I was definitely one of those drawn in. Having not read anything by the author before I wasn't quite sure what I was getting going in. For the first 25% or so, I was captivated. Could not stop reading. But after that, I struggled a tad with by attention being solely on the book. It's definitely a slow-burn kind of story, and one I appreciate reading and enjoyed in the end slowing down my binging habits. By the end, I was so so glad I read this book, and it's one I can see myself recommending to others if they enjoy a slow place.

A mysterious injured stranger staggers into the Swann Inn carrying what looks like a doll in his arms. The doll is in fact a child who appears to have drowned in the river Thames, but then miraculously come back to life. Three families claim her as their own, but who is she really?

This book, the first I have read by Diane Setterfield, is beautifully written and filled with magic, mystery and folklore. The characters are intricately detailed and the landscapes were beautifully described. However I did find the pace a little slow and in the end I got a little bored with the story. It was a little like the river Thames – long and meandering!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have been telling all my friends to read this book. If it had been published fifty ago it would be a classic. It ought to be on A level lists to show students how beautiful good writing can be. It combined an intriguing story line with wonderful description of life beside the Thames as it once was. It managed to turn a tragic story line into a most happy and uplifting conclusion. The evocation of the river is so strong and pervading that I was worried that it would leave a cascade of water from my bookshelf.

Once Upon a River

Alice, Ann or Amelia. Everyone claims the fey, elfin child - but do they really know her?

The river Thames winds inexorably through the centre of this novel, drawing together the good, the not-so-good and the downright wicked characters into a gripping story. And it is like a story, not a novel - it draws on the oral narrative tradition, a story about story telling. About lies and truths and how they can affect our perception of life around us.

Diane Setterfield is clearly a skilled writer, I found her descriptive prose evocative and enticing. She was able to create a real sense of a time and place that was inherently believable - the references to the daily lives of the characters, the photographic process, midwifery, nursing and the new science of Darwin - all helped to create this feeling.

I also found little to disappoint in the characters. In fact, I was left wanting to know even more about them. The women in particular I felt were well created. In Lily White, the brutality of Victorian Britain and its treatment of women, pitched against the strength of Bess, Rita and Margot - each dealing with their own difficulties. The men varied from heroic to the downright villainous - but all with reasons and motivations that rung true.

All in all, I would recommend this book as a book that will draw you in and submerge you in its world.

There have been tons of positive reviews that I have read about this book in the past few months, but none of them could have prepared me (thankfully) for the ride that it was. If taken apart as bare bones the tale may not bear up and therefore I shall not try to do that. It is how the tale is told that is its claim to beauty and something higher. The narration appeals to both my mind and heart and it felt like I was flowing with that river that is ingrained into everything that is talked about in the book. There is a double meaning for all the people, their actions and the events that includes the mention of the river and I got it. To those who read, this might be a very crucial point, that you feel like you can see the point the author is trying to make.

As I began the first chapter and the town was introduced, I paused and had to catch hold of the person standing nearest to me (luckily it was my mother) to read out the introductory paragraph to show her how stories are meant to be written. She nodded the appreciation and that was enough for me. I went back to my corner to read it. Since I was mid journey(in reality), it took me a while to finish. I deliberately slowed down my reading pace so that I could savour it. This is a very big deal for me as most people who know me would understand, I fidget if I would have to read a book too slowly. This book leaves no room for fidgeting. The story begins with a tale, and the arrival of almost dead pair of (possibly)strange people. Their arrival heralds a very big change in all their lives, most of them good but a secret festers. This secret is slowly peeled aside as each layer is explained to us till it all makes sense. Some of it is pure logic and a chunk of it requires us to believe in a bit of something beyond logic. Time is suspended as you get involved in the lives of all the villagers, a few vital to the story at hand a few others just to give us the colour of the landscape. 

I highly recommend this book to all those who strive to find beautiful narration in the books that they read.

Setterfield is a master storyteller. Her words are mesmerising and the characters and story are an intriguing and captivating mix of folklore, mystery and provincial English nosy gossiping neighbours. A delightful and enchanting tale. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to be accepted to read and review 'Once upon a River' by Netgalley and I was elated to finally start reading. Within the first few pages I was fully swept up in the magic... However, a few more and all magic was lost. You're introduced to many different characters - most who really aren't of any significance to the story, but all of which had really LONG descriptive pieces about them and their life. The book flitted between this characters every few pages, and while I usually find short chapters are easier to blitz through a whole book.. this one dragged. It was an incredibly long slow burner.

Usually I can read 400+ pages in two days (with work etc) but this one took me nearly a week, and in all honesty -I had to force myself to pick it up - in some places I must admit I did skim through just to be finished quicker. While the plot was intriguing, I feel like this book would have benefit from being much shorter. The beginning and the end were great - and it was well written. But more suited to someone who likes to savour every single detail. If you like action/drama then this probably isn't the book for you.

My first book by Setterfield, but it won't be my last, very well written and I really loved how the story flowed and I was very intrigued by the plot. It was a bit iffy in the middle but otherwise it did keep me engaged and I was happy with the conclusion.

I'm a huge fan of Diane Setterfield - I've read her previous books 'The Thirteenth Tale' and 'Bellman & Black' and thoroughly enjoyed them both. This new novel is no exception. I highly recommend it.

The story is set in the 1800s, and centers around 2 things - the Thames and all its tributaries, especially those running through Oxford where it's set - and the mystery of a young girl drowned in the river and then come back to life. Much of the action is set in The Swan Inn, where the regulars and landlord are known for their wonderful storytelling - hence the title Once Upon a River.

Who is this young girl who has been carried into the Swan in the arms of a local photographer? What was she doing in the river, and how did he find her? And how is it she suddenly comes back to life? We follow 3 families who say she belongs to them, but who are we to believe? And why does the child no longer speak?

I loved everything about this book - the feel of magic, witchcraft, and folklore that permeates through the storytelling; the wonderful characters who spring to life from the pages; the flow of the tale that pulls you along like the undercurrent of a fast-flowing river. It's such a wonderful read, and I was so sad to have finished it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Diane Setterfield for an advanced
I can't lie, I very much struggled with this book at the start. The complexity and array of characters at the beginning almost had me putting this in the DNF pile.
However I am so glad that I stuck with it. What a truly wonderful and captivating story. This book is so full of magic and heart it brings you back to the wonders of fairy tales as a child. Each characters' story is brought together to end in stunning fruition.

I cannot recommend this book enough! So well written and it kept me wanting to read on to find out more! Loved the style of writing. I would love a sequel please!
#onceuponariver #netgalley

A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child. Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.

Is it a miracle?, Is it magic? Or can it be explained by science?

Who is this little girl? To whom does she belong? Where is she from? How is she connected to the wounded man? No one can find out any answers, especially because the little girl is mute and cannot provide any information. But of course, that doesn't stop those from near and far from inventing stories that explain her situation. And while fictions grow and become more elaborate, there are three families who believe the little girl belongs to them, and each has a complicated story about how they know this to be so, stories as twisted as the Thames itself.

I have read nothing quite like Once Upon a River. A modern fairy tale? Quite a bit of suspense and mystery and wonder. 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 fit into them. A delicious gothic novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Punishing for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review.

Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River is a thoroughly captivating and enchanting read. Inspired by the Victorian River Thames photographer, Henry Taunt, the novel centres around the local inhabitants who depend on the river and their folkloric tales and superstitions surrounding its power and mystique. Skilfully crafted and powerful imagery forces the smells, tastes, and physical sensations of the river to seep into the writing. Stylised in the fairy tale genre, Once Upon A River offers tragedy, surprise, wonderfully rounded characters, as well as happy endings all round in a cleverly contrived plot.

A beautiful fairytale. Once Upon a River truly has it all, drama, crime, love, loss, magical realism, shocks, mysteries and resolutions. Setterfield has created an amazing array of characters with complex backstories and woven them together against the backdrop of the mysterious Thames. I finished reading to feel like I had just woken up from a dream.

I'm having trouble deciding what I liked most, the skillful language? The eerie setting? The fascinating characters? The overall plot? The style of telling a tale through stories? I loved it all. I enjoyed how many secrets there were to be discovered and even more that the revelations came at different times and not just in a bundle at the end. These left me feeling satisfied and every question I had was answered by the end. An absorbing, fulfilling read that will stay with me.

This is a good book and I do like Diane Setterfields writing. Some might find this slow to get in to but perserver. Totally worth it! The story is part historical fiction, a little fantasy and magical. The plot is well written and builds intrigue> it has something for all readers. I highly recommend it.

Very accomplished and the atmosphere and sense of place is terrific - I know the part of the country where it is set well. After a strong and arresting opening though, I felt that the number of different threads followed and the 'cleverness' of the structure was done slightly at the expense of the storytelling and engagement with the individual characters. I would still recommend it - but this stopped me from falling in love with it in the way that I did with THIRTEENTH TALE.

I tried and tried to get into the book. I loved the concept of it, but I had so much trouble keeping track of all the characters as there were so many. I ended up adding it to my small DNF pile. However, this said, I will try and finish it as I got to about 60%

I'm not even sure how to start to say how much I loved this book. Everything from the mysteries, the characters, the plot and the unique narration was just perfect. From the first sentence, I was pulled deeply into the world around the river. I loved how the folk tales surrounding the river were interwoven with the story, how they were spoken of as facts because that's how the locals would see it. Stories passed from mouth to mouth and seen as true despite the fact that it's more local superstition.

Stories are a massive part of this book, the way that stories were passed by word of mouth, the way that folklore and rumours were spread back then from people talking to one another and spreading the gossip. I loved to see how all the characters were connected and how they found out about the girl and what happened on the night she was found.

I loved the narration so much. The omniscient narrator connected everything back to the river, talking about the story in terms of the river and conspiring with the reader to tell the story. Often I like to fall into a book and get lost in the story, but in this case with stories at the very heart of the book, it was just the perfect way to tell the story.

Whether you want a story full of magic and mystery or a story full of scientific reasoning this is the story for you. It balances the story perfectly to explain everything reasonably as well as leaving it open for those like me who would rather believe in magic.

This is a wonderful tale full of warm and memorable characters in a magical setting, I have always found books set by a river appealing and I had enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield so was very pleased to be read her latest novel. I had no difficulty turning the pages and was sad to finish, though the ending was definitely satisfying. I became very fond of many of the characters along the way, especially big-hearted Robert Armstrong and kindly, capable nurse/midwife Rita. I loved the writing. It drew me in and the book made me think of Dickens (without the long, complicated sentences!) as the setting and characters are so beautifully described. Sometimes I found I was re-reading a paragraph just for the beauty of the writing. There are sad scenes and happy ones, evil characters and those who are the salt of the earth. The action starts at The Swan Inn and I really wish I could go there, to witness the magical storytelling firsthand, A novel to treasure and to buy for friends.

Once upon a river is a slow meandering tale just like the River Thames which is the main part of this story .Set in the 19th century this is a very different story ,part folk tale with a little sprinkling of the supernatural .The Swan is an ancient pub situated by the Thames where folk come to tell their stories and the best ones are spread far and wide .The action happens at the beginning of the book and I did find the story very long and slow and confusing at times when the story goes off on another thread .!It is very atmospheric I could almost feel the cold damp if the Thames seeping into my bones !! Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .