Once Upon a River

Almost dreamlike in its style, each chapter introduces different characters in the story. The Thames River plays an integral part in the book and you almost feel like you’re coming up from underwater at the end, to have all of the stories revealed. I loved it! There’s heartache and struggles and mystery but nothing overly frightening or scary. Truly a beautifully told literary piece

Delicious, enthralling, magical, and lyrical. A modern Dickensian fable. Loved this book.

Once Upon a River begins when a man comes into The Swan, the local inn, with a seemingly dead girl in his arms. When she comes back to life a while later, she sparks the interest of everyone in the village and tales begin to emerge. Three families have girls missing, and they all believe the mysterious girl is their daughter. Where did she come from and who does she belong to? Diane Setterfield is a magician with her words. The way she writes cause the reader to slow down and savor every sentence. It is impossible to rush through the book. Some readers may find this tedious, but I love the way she pulls you into the story. It moves much the way a river does, slow in some points, quickly in others, but always pure and consistent. There is a whole host of characters in this book, and Setterfield manages to write them in a way that kept me from getting confused about who was who. I felt like I really got to know these villagers and found myself connecting to each one of them. This book manages to be so many things at once but still be a cohesive whole. At times it was a fantasy, others history, but it was always true to itself.