Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

Admittedly, I didn't think I was a fan of Diane Setterfield. I'd read The Thirteenth Tale, and while I didn't dislike it, I didn't really love it either. The only impression it left on me was that it was written well, but the story itself was lacking. I honestly don't remember much of it (okay, I remember next to nothing about it, even going back and reading reviews nothing is jumping out at me), so it obviously wasn't a stunner for me. In fact, I read it as part of a book club with my cousins and a couple other ladies, and it was *my* pick because I was so excited to read it, and seriously, no one in the group liked it and picked on me for months for choosing it. So there's that, too.

But anyway, back to Once Upon a River, because that is what this review is supposed to be all about. Having had that experience with The Thirteenth Tale, I admit I was a bit wary about requesting this one. But the cover was so pretty (honestly, I'm a sucker for a good cover, especially if it has a good blurb to go with it), and the blurb sounded interesting and just fantastical enough to pique my interest. So I requested, I got approved, and here I am.

And I loved it.

There are a lot of characters here, and a lot of story threads to unwind. I absolutely loved the writing style - I felt like I was reading a period piece, it flowed so beautifully. And I enjoyed the magical aspect of it all, especially since we aren't sure if it's actually supernatural or if these people are so freaking traumatized that they all convince themselves that they see things that aren't really there. Lily White is certainly a victim of that, and her story is pretty damn tragic.

In essence, this is the story of three four-year-old girls - Amelia, Alice, and Ann. As the river twists and winds through the story, so their stories twist and wind together. The little girl pulled dead from the river on the equinox, and then lived again, has everyone in an uproar. The reaction she stirs in everyone is nothing short of remarkable, considering just about everyone wants to take her home. The Vaughns claim her as their own lost Amelia, kidnapped from her bedroom two years prior and never found. Robin Armstrong can't decide if she's his Alice, who he hasn't seen for more than a year, and presumed drowned by her mother. And Lily is absolutely convinced that she is her sister Ann. It takes the entire book to reveal who she really is, and throughout the reader is never quite sure what happened to the missing girls.

This is also the story of a photographer, a nurse, the owner of the Swan (the inn where it all starts) and her family, and the river itself. The figure of Quietly, the mysterious boatman, hovers over all. And everything becomes a story if enough are around to hear it.

I have three minor gripes about the book:

1. I pretty quickly figured out who the unidentified child was, and while the book's twists and turns always kept me guessing, I was not surprised to find out I had guessed right. I do wish it had been more of a surprise. But the road we took to get there was packed with emotion and mystery, and I didn't mind it so much.

2. There is a very long monologue by an unsavory character at the end of the book, outlining literally everything that we were still wondering about and tying up loose ends, connecting people that hadn't been connected previously. I liked having the information, but I wish it hadn't been such an info-dump in the style of the villain who has the hero at their mercy and reveals their entire plot so that the hero can escape and foil it all.

3. I *hate* being addressed at the end in the manner of "And now this story is done, dear reader, so you better get back to your own story." Oooooooh that really made me twitch. But it was the last line of a fantastic book, so I'm not deducting points.

If you aren't sure you like Diane Setterfield, I encourage you to give her another shot with this book. To me it was more masterful than The Thirteenth Tale, and I think it will stay with me for a long time. My heart broke, rejoiced, and rose and fell with the hearts of the characters. They were real people, fully fleshed out, and wonderfully made. I enjoyed this so much more than I expected, and highly recommend it.

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