Thanks to BookishFirst for the ARC of Once Upon A River in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, but wasn't a huge fan of Bellman and Black, so when I heard the author had returned to the storytelling genre of The Thirteenth Tale, I was anxious to read this novel.
I believe that Ms. Setterfield has a winner on her hands with this intriguing novel. The storytelling centers around a town in England along the Thames where a young girl is rescued from the river, and she is thought to be dead. However, after some time, she begins breathing again. The town is mystified. There are 3 girls that have gone missing in this town, is this one of them? Is it Amelia, the child lost to the Vaughns? Is it Alice, the grandchild of the Armstrongs? Or is it Ann, the sister of Lily? All three try to make claim on this found child, but is she who they think?
The tale is lovingly and carefully spun and comes to a unique conclusion. I did suspect this conclusion early on - there were many signs pointing to it. However, I didn't expect all the twists that were thrown in along the way.
The book examines family and what that means. It also examines acceptance of who you are. It deals with grief, loss, love, new life.
I really enjoyed this book. While it isn't as great as The Thirteenth Tale in my opinion, it does elevate Ms. Setterfield's writing to a good place in my mind - and I look forward to her next novel with anticipation. Continue weaving the good stories - and I will keep reading them!
#OnceUponARiver #DianeSetterfield #BookishFirst
I believe that Ms. Setterfield has a winner on her hands with this intriguing novel. The storytelling centers around a town in England along the Thames where a young girl is rescued from the river, and she is thought to be dead. However, after some time, she begins breathing again. The town is mystified. There are 3 girls that have gone missing in this town, is this one of them? Is it Amelia, the child lost to the Vaughns? Is it Alice, the grandchild of the Armstrongs? Or is it Ann, the sister of Lily? All three try to make claim on this found child, but is she who they think?
The tale is lovingly and carefully spun and comes to a unique conclusion. I did suspect this conclusion early on - there were many signs pointing to it. However, I didn't expect all the twists that were thrown in along the way.
The book examines family and what that means. It also examines acceptance of who you are. It deals with grief, loss, love, new life.
I really enjoyed this book. While it isn't as great as The Thirteenth Tale in my opinion, it does elevate Ms. Setterfield's writing to a good place in my mind - and I look forward to her next novel with anticipation. Continue weaving the good stories - and I will keep reading them!
#OnceUponARiver #DianeSetterfield #BookishFirst