Once Upon a River is a beautiful fantasy that takes place just on the edge of reality, or on the other side of the river. I enjoyed the writing, the imagery, and the basics of the story. I loved the cover imagery of the Swan that not only represented the river Thames but also the building of the same name where so much of the story takes place.
One night a mysterious man comes through the door of the Swan carrying a little girl. Questions must be asked and answered as the child, who seems to be dead, suddenly awakens. It becomes clear that the man who came into the Swan with her in his arms was not the father, but then who is the little girl?
The entire story is a journey of answering this question. Who is the drowned girl? Where did she come from? And how is she connected to the 3 missing girls of families who live nearby? As the story unfolds, connections become untangled and other questions are answered. Families are able to find some peace while others are able to finally get answers to their long waited questions.
The mysterious man plays a key role in helping to answer those questions and help the families near the river find some peace. In the meantime he finds his own happiness as he falls in love.
Diane Setterfeld does a beautiful job of illustrating an intriguing story that crosses the boundaries of love, family, life and death. It is slightly slow paced (which is why I took off a star) but it is still a lovely peace of fiction that is worth a read.
One night a mysterious man comes through the door of the Swan carrying a little girl. Questions must be asked and answered as the child, who seems to be dead, suddenly awakens. It becomes clear that the man who came into the Swan with her in his arms was not the father, but then who is the little girl?
The entire story is a journey of answering this question. Who is the drowned girl? Where did she come from? And how is she connected to the 3 missing girls of families who live nearby? As the story unfolds, connections become untangled and other questions are answered. Families are able to find some peace while others are able to finally get answers to their long waited questions.
The mysterious man plays a key role in helping to answer those questions and help the families near the river find some peace. In the meantime he finds his own happiness as he falls in love.
Diane Setterfeld does a beautiful job of illustrating an intriguing story that crosses the boundaries of love, family, life and death. It is slightly slow paced (which is why I took off a star) but it is still a lovely peace of fiction that is worth a read.