I have been
waiting for this book since I closed the cover on “The Thirteenth Tale”! (If
you haven’t read it, download it now!) Diane Setterfield spins a tale like no
other.
“Once Upon A
River” begins with the discovery of a lifeless child at the river. A child whose
“corpse was a blank page” and gave up no story about what had happened. The
child, a girl, was discovered by a man who stumbles, half dead himself, into
the The Swan; an ancient inn that was known for its storytelling.
Rita, the
local nurse, is sent to attend to the man and to hopefully discover what
exactly happened to the child. Before Rita can finish her examination of the dead
girl, for she was indeed dead, the girl comes back to life.
Who is this
girl? To whom does she belong? Is she the daughter of a local couple whose
child was kidnapped two years ago? Is she the child of a local prostitute who
jumped from the bridge a few weeks ago? Is she the ghost of another’s sister?
As the story
unfolds, we learn about the characters and the girl. We learn their stories-their
hopes, dreams, character. We learn how virtuous people can be and we learn how despicable
they can be. We learn about the river. How it gives life and how it takes it away.
The characters
are so very well developed that I did not want to say goodbye to them. I wanted
to continue, but remember, we all have rivers of our own to attend to!
#OnceUponARiver
#DianeSetterfield #NetGalley
Publication Date: December 4, 2018
Genre:
Suspense, Mystery, Kidnapping, Supernatural, Gothic, British
Cover: Perfect
Rating: 5 stars
Source: I received this book from the publisher via
NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read
this great book!
