Once upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Published by Atria Books

Publication Date: December 4, 2018

480 pages

Genre: Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

You guys, Once Upon a River is one dreamy Fantasy Mystery! This a book for your book club or just for the fact that you want to disappear into a world unlike your own.  

Diane Setterfield is a brilliant writer. The intertwining of story, the life experiences that cross over into other realms. The confusion that one little baby can create. Is so well told that you just can't put this book down.

Descriptions in this book, especially of the river, are like describing someone you love with all the emotions and senses that you hold for that person: anger, admiration, sensuality, cold-heartedness, the tinkle of laughter, the observation of movement when your child, spouse or lover walks away from you.  For example, 

"The River was quieter like this than when it dawdled. There was no idle splashing on the way, only the purposeful surge forwards, and behind the high-pitched ringing of the water on shingle at the river's edge was a kind of hum, the sort you would expect to hear inside your ears after a bell has been struck by a hammer and the audible ringing has died away. It had the shape of noise but lacked the sound, a sketch without color."

 Can you see it? Can you hear it? Dang, that is some lyrical writing!

I am not going to give any of this plot away, I fear that the joy from reading this book by me talking about the plotline will be taken away. It's just had that kind of impact on me.


If you love a good fantasy like Inkheart; Lord of the Rings; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe I can see you falling in love with this book.

By the way, If you haven't read Ms. Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale yet you should read that also. 😉

It's Just that good!!

*Thanks to Atria Books (an Imprint of Simon and Schuster) via Netgalley and Bookish.com for allowing me to read and review Once Upon a River in lieu of my honest review.