Once upon a time, there was a pub on the river near Oxford where stories are told. People have been telling stories at The Swan since the 1300s. Five hundred years later it looks like The Swan is about to become the setting for a new story. Once Upon a River begins on a dark and stormy night, when a stranger walks into the pub, badly beaten with what looks like a child in his arms. This beginning sets everything up superbly, and we are soon drawn into a story about stories.

This is a multi-character story and we are quickly introduced to three families that claim the child as their own. First, there are The Vaughans whose own child was kidnapped, who hope that this child is their Amelia. The Armstrongs who are led to believe that the child could be Alice, the granddaughter they didn’t know existed. Lastly, there is Lily White who believes that the child is her long lost sister Ann. During the story, we learn more about these characters’ histories and lives as the story meanders like a river opening new tributaries as we are introduced to each of them. There are also two more characters, who although they do not claim the child as their own, are interwoven into the plot and help drive the story; the first is Mr Daunt and the second is Rita who become linked to solving the mystery of whose child she really is.

Each character, however small their role, is remarkably individualistic, each with their own thoughts and intentions. Due to this the story has many layers and is intricately compelling as it draws you in. Although some things you may see coming, it is the way the reveals happen that keep you interested in finding out the truth about who the child is and where they came from. There is also the slight hint of the supernatural which never detracts from the story but does keep you guessing as to what is true and false in this world. This really is a book about stories, how we tell them to survive, as well as how we create ourselves. All of these different kinds of stories are explored as we follow the characters affected by this unusual encounter.

I really enjoyed how dark the book gets in places, where you realise how grim some of the characters lives are and yet how even these characters have a spark of hope that things may get better. Some of the characters are misguided about who they are and what they are entitled to. Once Upon a River is a wonderful book, which mixes fantasy, family life, treachery and the power of stories which is beautifully put together. I couldn’t ask for a more well-rounded story, there were twists that I didn’t see coming. The attention to detail is incredible in a story about life and death. I would happily reread Once Upon a River and hope that other people enjoy it as much as I did.

Diane Setterfield has a real feel for suspense and from the moment I started this book I was hooked into the story. . The tale revolves around a child, who is brought to the local pub and announced dead, but then it appears she is revived and comes back to life. Who is this child who has miraculously survived?
The locals at the pub are known for their storytelling and the girl who died and came back to life proves to be a story that grips everyone. As the story unfolds there are a number of possibilities to the identity of the little girl. The reader is drawn into a world of myth and mystery, the folk from the pub and others whom live around the river.
This is a gripping tale from the very first word.

There is no doubt that Once Upon a River is a beautifully written, expressive and often poetic story. We are told the tale of a small girl who appears to have drowned and then come back to life, with various families fighting to claim her as their own.
It’s a highly original novel and I’ve not read anything quite like it, however it is lengthy and I did find myself having to read back over certain parts to fully appreciate it’s beauty.

Just like its title, this whimsical story which hints at fantasy, winds and twists like a river. The start was a bit too meandering for me, but sticking with it was well worth it.. A man staggers into an old pub along the river and passes out. Every sign suggests the child in his arms is dead until she opens her eyes. But she can not speak and nobody knows who she belongs too. Until three different parties try to claim her. The whole community is fascinated by the tail and the story becomes elevated into something much more.
The story hints at the mystical, bread from the ignorance of science in those times, and the writer takes us on a journey where any outcome is possible. The book is unpredictable and at times its hard to separate fact from fantasy, weaving a little spell that kept me rapt to the end.

Another work of absolute brilliance from Diane Setterfield. Atmospheric and compelling, with a very clever plot. Loved it.

This book was an odd one for me.

I found the writing style lovely, and the way it was written to be romantic and fairytale-like. However, the story just didn't grab me as I had hoped it would.

It took me a very long time to read this book, as I just wasn't feeling pulled in by it.

I have read so many great reviews of this book, so I think it is just one that is not for me.

I am glad I read it, but I wouldn't read it again. Disappointed I didn't love it.

Living by the Thames I found this a book I could relate to. I almost felt the claustrophobia and the wetness of the mists that hang over the river in the autumn and could visualise the flooding of the banks in my mind’s eye. An excellent read with well-defined characters. I think it would make an excellent Sunday evening’s television, if someone has the foresight to buy up the rights.

Once Upon A River is one of those strange and magical books that very much resembles a river itself - a mature, slow meander of a river that nevertheless holds dark and fascinating secrets in the curves and overhangs of its sinuous path. It is deftly written. convincingly set in time and place, and with characters that I never quite warmed to but wanted to know everything about.

This is a very complex and magical book with a huge cast of characters and a lot to keep juggling as you read. But it is worth it. Who is the mysterious "dead" child? Is the fact that the Swan pub loves storytelling a reason for some of the confusion in the reader? This is a clever plot and Ms Setterfield handles it admirably. The start draws you in and you just keep reading. I will revisit this again as I think there is more to be gotten from it than I can manage in a first quick read through. I think it is the kind of novel you may find yourself revisiting regularly.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Beautifully written, absorbing and engaging. Absolutely engrossed within the pages of this book. outstanding is all there is to be said.

An absolute triumph of a novel, Once Upon a River is without a doubt the best book I've read this year. Beautifully written, the story pulses with life - the setting, the characters, the time period are all so perfectly drawn that the book is a joy to read. Part mystery, part drama, part fairy tale, Once Upon a River tells a compelling story while revelling in the act of story-telling itself. It's a celebration of the magic of narrative in a beautifully constructed world that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.

This was a very long story and delved into magic, mystery and folklore. Based in an ancient Inn on the banks of the river Thames where people go to listen and tell stories. The arrival, on the night of the winter Solstice, of an injured man carrying the body of a 4 year old child, gave them meat for a story to beat all stories.

Moody river-based world with a child who has emerged drowned from the river but is now alive. But whose girl is she? Beautiful and moving and very absorbing.

I started of really impressed with this book but struggled towards the end. It had me lost. It jumped from character to character as opposed to rolling into the story. Just didn’t get it to be fair

Firstly can I just say I love this cover! Once upon a River is a strangely magical book, quite different from my usual reads, and one that sucked me in. Set in olden times, it had that air about it of a time steeped in folklore and simpler times. This is slow burner of a story I will give you that, with Setterfield giving you plenty of world building with the descriptions of the characters and environment surrounding them.

The story centres around the patrons of an Inn, one night they are sitting telling tales and ghost stories when a stranger arrives carrying a little girl - it is clear that the little one is dead and the stranger is also in bad shape. The town folk of the inn set about to help the man, and a some time later the child return to life.

This is filled with elements of the paranormal, and intricately woven but if you are looking for a fast paced book you will not get that here, this is slow to build as I have said, and keeps a fairly slow pace throughout but will keep you attention no matter if you go in with this in mind.

This is such a well-written book portraying the effects of one stormy night when the body of a young girl is brought into The Swann pub on the river Thames. Set in the 19th century, Once Upon a River tells an atmospheric tale of the young girl as she comes back to life and of the people whose lives are touched by the event and how they each lay claim to the girl for their own reasons. Almost intentionally portraying a ripple effect, family and friends to those affected become drawn into the story with their own connections to the central premise.
I would definitely recommend this to any fans of classic literature and realistic fantasy as Once Upon a River crosses a multiple of genres.

Once Upon a River is a rich fairytale of a novel. A young girl is found drowned and comes back to life. Residents of the community by the river question who she is. Is she the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy couple or the grandchild of the prosperous pig farmer. Rich characters and imagery make this a wonderful read.

A most charming tale centred on a close knit community that lives and works around the upper reaches of the Thames. In the evening after the ay the men like to congregate at the local inn that sits on the banks of the river and tell each other stories about happenings around the river intermingled with folk lore that has been around for generations. One myth concerns a dumb ferryman that rescues people to take them to the bank or otherwise convey the to the fairies and goblins that dwell in the depths. One night an unconscious man and a seemingly dead little girl found in the river is brought to the inn which provides rich material for stories and speculation especially when the girl proves to be alive but dumb. Thereafter follows a story of rival claims for the girl, skulduggery, kidnap and demands for ransom and plots to exploit the situation for gain. How matters are resolved and the wicked meet their just ends and the good find happiness provides a most interesting and delightful story.

This wasn't the usual kind of book that I read but I found the story enjoyable. The folklore was interesting and added a little air of mystery to the story.

A deftly-handled tale about stories and storytellers. 4 stars.

As the title gives away, Once Upon a River is a story about stories. I think the main reason it's so successful as a good yarn is the effort that has gone into creating atmosphere. The author is particularly successful in conjouring up the damp, sometimes murky conditions of the riverside, which makes an evocative setting for scurrilous and possibly supernatural events. The use of the third person narrator also works very well as it's in keeping with an oral narrative tradition which includes fairytales and myths.

The various threads of the story are woven together neatly, but kept clearly delineated through the use of a memorable set of core characters.

So we have the sceptics: Daunt and Rita provide a nice "scientific" counterpoint to the apparently supernatural goingson surrounding the arrival of the mysterious child, tethering the story in reality and preventing it from wandering off into fantasy.

Meanwhile, the Vaughans are a sympathetic couple torn between the hardness of reality and the comfort of fantasy, and when we finally get to the truth of what happened to their daughter it's one of the most moving passages in the book.

And finally, the villains are properly nasty pieces of work. The chief scoundrel is almost Dickensian (and, in fact, elements of the story reminded me of Dickens a few times), although none of the characters in Once Upon a River reaches the level of caricature which Dickens often favoured.

Personally, I liked the conclusion which refuses to go too far in pronouncing on exactly what has been happening and leaves it up to the reader to make up their own minds as to whether they prefer a mystical or fully scientific explanation.

Overall: an entertaining yarn which wouldn't be out of place by a fireside on a dark, cold night.