Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield

 

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (17 Jan. 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0857525654
• ISBN-13: 978-0857525659

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

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?

 

Review

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 of her latest novel to review.  What could be more apt than a book about the importance of storytelling and that is what Once Upon A River is partly about.  The Swan Inn, Radcot on the bank of the Thames is an Inn known for its storytelling, and on the Winter Solstice an injured man staggers in holding the body of a lifeless child; who are these people and what has happened to them.  Speculation is rife, stories begin to form, but none come close to the real story that emerges from that night.

Once Upon A River is a multi faceted read; part mystery, part folklore, part romance, part suspense but wholly spellbinding.    At the heart of this book is the river Thames, and the plot of the book mirrors the river in its ebb and flow of plot, its twists and turns, and how many different tributaries come together to form the complete and larger picture.   There is also the power of the river, its importance for trade, farming, but the it can also take life. There is no indication of the period this book is set in, although the descriptions of the characters and the settings do place this as in the past, but I think this is a book that transcends time, and the subjects raised are still relevant today.

Diane Setterfield is a masterful storyteller, she captures the readers attention and draws you in to the plot.  There seem to be three disparate threads but through her imagination, and prose brings all together seamlessly to make this a rich and enchanting reading experience.  There are some wonderful characters, that reminded me in a way of Dickens.  My favourite was Rita Sunday, a midwife and nurse, who had been brought up in a Convent where she learnt her trade of healing.  She is the catalyst that links all the stories together and the one who is treats the mysterious man and young girl, both of who she takes to her heart.   I also had a soft spot for Robert Armstrong and his wife Bess.  Both face prejudice daily, Bess has a disability and Robert is black, but both have huge hearts, are loving caring to their family and their animals on the farm.

Once Upon A River is an ode to storytelling and its importance in our history.  The combination of folklore, mystery, romance and a touch of the supernatural seamlessly come together to make this a rich and captivating read.  There is no doubting Diane Setterfield’s skill in both her imaginative writing and memorable characters, that really bring this book to life.  In my opinion this will be one the best-selling book of 2019, and a must read for the story lover; Simply sublime!!