Hello dear Readers,
Below my book review of Once Upon a River: A Novel by Diane Setterfield.
Title: Once Upon a River: A Novel
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Genre: General/Women's Fiction
Author: Diane Setterfield
Author: Diane Setterfield
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: December 04, 2018
Language: English
Book Description
“One of the most pleasurable and satisfying new books I've read in a long time. Setterfield is a master storyteller...swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful.” —Madeline Miller, internationally bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles
“A beguiling tale, full of twists and turns like the river at its heart, and just as rich and intriguing.” —M.L. Stedman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light Between Oceans
“This is magical, bewitching storytelling...High prose expressed with rare clarity, story for the unashamed sake of story, a kind of moral dreaminess…well, the list continues to grow.”—Jim Crace, National Book Critics Circle winner and author of Being Dead and Harvest
From the instant #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “eerie and fascinating” (USA TODAY) The Thirteenth Tale comes a richly imagined, powerful new novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious.
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison, stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, the beginning of this novel will sweep you away on a powerful current of storytelling, transporting you through worlds both real and imagined, to the triumphant conclusion whose depths will continue to give up their treasures long after the last page is turned.
My Thoughts
To me Diane Setterfield is one of the best writers I have ever read. The Thirteenth Tale is one of my all time favorite books. I without a doubt believe her writing is stunning, magical. I remember after finishing The Thirteenth Tale I could not stop wondering how any person could write like that. When I saw there was a new book coming I knew I needed it. I was so happy to read something new from the author and even thought I knew there was a big chance it was not going to be the same as The Thirteenth Tale but could not help but hope it would be as good as it.
Things I like, the unique and characteristic writing style, so neat and beautiful, all the different elements, you can not put this book in one box because I could see a little bit of mystery, magic, fantasy and some felt like reading a historical fiction and that for me shows the capability on the authors' side of combining different elements, however, the things I did not like, the later at the same time caused some confusion, from the beginning it was a slow start for me, I could never get on board with the story, I kept waiting for that "wow" moment that was going to speed up the pace for me but unfortunately never happened. I really hate to say this but the story never captivated me, could not connect with it nor the characters, this was just not the story for me.
Thank you Atria and Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wendy
