Bookseller Reviews
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Spellbinding, multi-layered Gothic folklore...
This is how the story starts...dark winter’s night at the inn by the Thames, a stranger comes in with a drowned child in his arms. Then a miracle occurs an... READ MORE
Storytelling at its Best
Having been born and raised close to the River Thames I have been beguiled by its mystery and majesty all my life and ‘Once Upon A River’ draws on the rive... READ MORE
A meandering Gothic mystery based in the storytelling tradition.
The Thames flows through this Gothic story uniting and dividing different characters and communities.
At the start the author makes much of the story tel... READ MORE
A bewitching, entrancing hug!
I can't begin to describe how much I loved this beautiful book.
If you love a 'proper' story, full of magic, wonderful characters and a tale that will take... READ MORE
A beautifully written tale
This is such a beautifully written tale, seamlessly weaving folklore, humanity and a touch of magic into a page-turning story.
The wide range of character... READ MORE
It is a splendid folklore, gothic and magical tale but is so much more
Wow. The best part of my job apart from talking about books is reading new ones that I can talk about. Some, in fact, let's be honest, most books take mayb... READ MORE
My heart! It's in this book!
This is a book i didn't want to end, it's so lyrical, full of superstition, myths, mystery. At no point did i work out the ending, i never felt i wanted to... READ MORE
Fantastic characters, magical writing, fabulous plot!
What a joy this book was! It tells the story of the night a man staggered into an Inn on the river carrying the corpse of a young girl. It also tells of wh... READ MORE
Absolutely Fantastic
This book has everything and more you could wish to find in a novel.With an abundance of fascinating characters it's based along a river, possibly the T... READ MORE
An enchanting tale...
I read The Thirteenth Tale many years ago, in proof for and absolutely loved it. I am thrilled to say that Once Upon a River is even better. I especially l... READ MORE
The mystery of the river
Diane Setterfield's latest tale twists and turns like its eponymous river, never quite known. It has the timeless quality of myths, and so it is easy to fo... READ MORE
For fans of 'The Essex Serpent'
This was a wonderful blend of period drama and British folklore. Centring around the mysterious figure of a girl found in the river, Setterfield weaves a g... READ MORE
Something Is Going To Happen!
November 13, 2018 – Finished Reading
6
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This is going to be one of my core favourites. I love a good sto... READ MORE
Great Read To Curl Up With!
This is going to be one of my favourites for years. I love a good storytelling story, when you are invited by the narrator to come in to The Swann sit down... READ MORE
A booklover’s book
A suitably meandering (and fairly involved) story about the Thames, storytellers, old pubs, missing children, river gypsies, fortune telling, adventures an... READ MORE
Synopsis
Our Fiction Book of the Month for September 2019
On 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 and in steps an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a child. Hours later, the dead girl stirs, takes and breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? And who does the little girl belong to?
An exquisitely crafted multi-layered mystery brimming with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield's bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
- ISBN: 9781784163631
- Number of pages: 544
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 36 mm
- Weight: 362g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allThe story begins...
There was once an inn that sat peacefully on the banks of the Thames. The Swan stood out. It was a very ancient inn, perhaps the most ancient of them all. ... READ MORE
An enchanting tale of the Thames...
On a cold winter night by the Thames an injured man carries a drowned child into an Inn. The Inn, The Swan, is renowned for its storytelling landlord and i... READ MORE
Mesmerising...
This is a tale about stories, and a story about a river. The Swan Inn, nestled on the bank of the Thames in rural Victorian Oxfordshire, is renowned for an... READ MORE
Riveting gothic tale
Fantastically intriguing story using the imagery of the river and what belonging means in different families
This man walks into a pub And brings the beginning of a story with him
What a magical book this is. A real joy, with lyrical prose that tells a story about all those things in life that matter to all of us: love and family; de... READ MORE
A What Happened about 150 years ago along the Thames River (maybe)
A beautifully written book set in a small town in England sometime during the reign of Queen Victoria. The town is located along the banks of the Thames ... READ MORE
Haunting and mysterious
When I heard that Diane Setterfield was bringing out a new novel, I was very excited. But also nervous - I had loved her first book The Thirteenth Tale so... READ MORE
Intriguing
I received this among other books for my birthday and oh what a wonderful gift it was. I devoured the book, almost not putting it down after first picking ... READ MORE
Great book
Loved this book so many stories intertwining, lots of great characterisation, wonderful stories, just no idea where it was headed. One of those gems that y... READ MORE
Adored it....
Diane Setterfield's bestselling novel "The Thirteenth Tale" was made into a recent television drama and this wonderfully crafted book "Once Upon A River" i... READ MORE
Vivid and magical
This is beautifully written and one of my favourite books of the year. I loved the setting which had a personal resonance with me as my parents used to liv... READ MORE
Masterful Storytelling
I received an ARC copy of this book and am only sorry that it has taken me this long to get around to reading it. Diane Setterfield has a real mastery with... READ MORE
It's all about the story.
It's all about the story.
The locals at the Swan Inn on the banks of the Thames gather regularly and tell their stories. Each telling of each story improve... READ MORE
Amazing!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, one of the best I've read for a while. Having read and loved The Thirteenth Tale, I knew I'd be in for a good solid story ... READ MORE
Starts very well.
When I started this, it was very good, the opening was amazing, and I started to get a bit bogged down with the characters. I persevered to the end, which ... READ MORE
An enchantingly Gothic mystery
I haven’t read anything by Diane Setterfield before, but the gorgeous cover sold me on this one! A lovely historical novel, this has at its heart a peculia... READ MORE
Twisty and full of great characters
A spellbinding tale of secrets within secrets, river folklore layered upon old grudges and hidden desires. The child who seemingly returns from the dead sp... READ MORE
Enchanting and Captivating
It’s been quite a few years since I read Diane Setterfield’s first book The Thirteenth Tale, but it stayed in my mind so I was excited to be given a copy o... READ MORE
Let this atmospheric tale enchant you as it did me
#OnceUponARiver is an outstanding novel, a beautifully written mystery set in the Victorian era.
When a stranger bursts in to a pub on the edge of the Tha... READ MORE
A Good Old Fashioned Story Book
I really liked this book, although I have read better books, I would say read it. I found it a slow burner but it did get going towards the middle and tell... READ MORE
A very different Story
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 differ... READ MORE
A lyrical mystery to get lost in
After having read and absolutely loved Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale I had high hopes for this novel. To my relief and joy this book lived up to ... READ MORE
Great book!!
I loved this book so much!! Full of mystery and intrigue. Loved all the characters who all have a secret. The backstory of each character was so very well ... READ MORE
Historical Mystery
Thank you to NetGalley and publishers Random House for the ARC.
Life, Love and Death, along the banks of the river Thames in Oxfordshire, Victorian England... READ MORE
Exquisite. Powerful. Magical.
In the small village of Radcott, inns dot the banks of the river. There are inns for jokes and merriment, where men and women go for laughter and fun; inns... READ MORE
I loved it!
I was sent a copy of Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield to read and review by NetGalley.
This is a story book in the true sense of the word. I was com... READ MORE
A story about storytelling
Heard the author read an excerpt at a book festival and was completely hooked. Multi faceted, part thriller, part fantasty/historical but of an unspecified... READ MORE
Good book
Loved the way this book winded it's way around the characters like a river winding across land. At first it was slow going as you learn about the people in... READ MORE
A nice story
I was drawn to this book by the beautiful front cover and the descriptions of ‘magical’, ‘dazzling’ plus the mysterious synopsis that followed at the back.... READ MORE
Magical Mystery
Beautifully written magical mystery that brings alive all the characters in the story. A cannot put down book that draws you through to the very last page.
A forever favourite!
Set in the late 1800's, Once Upon A River is a tale that follows the journeys of the Vaughans, the Ockwells, the Armstrongs, Henry Daunt, Rita Sunday & Lil... READ MORE
Historical mystery novel with a magic realism touch - worth a look
Taking place at the end of the 19th century over the period of a year along the upper Thames, this novel deals with the discovery of an injured man and a s... READ MORE
Best of 2019
I’ve heard so many things about this book, so I picked it up hoping that it lived up to all that was said. There were many times I took a deep breath an... READ MORE
Don't pay the ferryman!
For her third novel Diane Setterfield continues to be inspired with the gothic theme producing a deliciously intriguing and mysterious tale combining eleme... READ MORE
I absolutely loved it!
The Swan Inn by the River Thames is where storytellers gather on dark nights. On the night of the Winter Solstice a badly injured stranger stumbles into th... READ MORE
Flowing stories, flowing river
I'm grateful to Doubleday for providing a free advance e-copy of this book via NetGalley.
Well, this book is simply glorious.
Like all the best stories, ... READ MORE
Intriguing
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy. I shall confess that I had not read Diane's books before this one arrived.
However, since I told people o... READ MORE
Flowing stories, flowing river
I'm grateful to Doubleday for providing a free advance e-copy of this book via NetGalley.
Well, this book is simply glorious.
Like all the best stories, ... READ MORE
A Beautiful Story.
This is the first of Diane Setterfield's books I have read. What a beautiful story it was.
It is a lovely tale / fairytale with mystery and folklore. The s... READ MORE
Storytelling at its finest
My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K./Transworld for an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Although I had the opportunity to read and gi... READ MORE
A story that winds and meanders like the river
An interesting story, a good story, which winds and meanders like the river it is set upon. The people, their ways and their lives are all laid before us... READ MORE
Beautiful story telling
I loved this book and found it hard to put down - I could have read it in one sitting. The story weaves like the river, taking you into the lives and thoug... READ MORE
An elegant and beautifully written novel interlaced with magical realism.
This elegantly and beautifully written novel is set in the 1800's in a small village situated on the Thames. Nothing much happens in the village, a man usu... READ MORE
NOT YET RECEIVED
As this book hasn’t been received I cannot review it. It was ordered on 31.3.20. I had an email on 2.4.20 to say the order had been shipped but it hasn’t... READ MORE
Enjoyable Tale
From the outset I was captivated by the characters that were gradually introduced during the first few Chapters.
The story is both magical and realistic... READ MORE
a briliant story
This book is fabulous a real story with real characters i couldn't put it down. We live near the Thames and I felt i could see this story evolve nearby. I... READ MORE
Tales from the riverbank!
Diane Setterfield has a wonderful talent for writing quirky books and love them. In fact I loved this one so much that I bought it both as an e-book and th... READ MORE
Once upon a river
I really enjoyed reading this book. Well written, i didn't want the story to end.
A meander through tales
Becoming bogged down after reading a quarter of the book, I had to restart. I am a fast reader, but this is not a book to be read quickly. On second readin... READ MORE
Gripping
Was recommended this by my mum and I couldn’t put it down. So many stories and lives intertwined by the river but doesn’t leave you flailing about getting... READ MORE
Once Upon a River by Dane Setterfield
Great read. Beautifully written. Could not miss a word. Diane Setterfield is a wonderful story teller. Her characters are well described and believable... READ MORE
A magical novel set along the banks of the Thames….
The best of stories start with the words “Once upon a time….’ Those words are the ones we learn as children. The words which announce a tale, a legend, bui... READ MORE
An enchanting story
This book is beautifully crafted. Every word feels as if it was carefully chosen, then polished and put in place. The story is about people who lived near... READ MORE
Once upon a river - wonderful
I have not had much luck with modern authors, I really miss the depth of writing of classical authors whose references to the natural world brings books al... READ MORE
A wonderfully meandering tale.
Ethereal is the word that sprang to mind while I was reading this beautifully written book. Once upon a river begins in 1887 at The Swan Inn at Radcot “whe... READ MORE
Enchanting
Absolutely enchanting tale. The author's writing is as smooth as the quiet current
of the river itself. Definitely recommend.
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