on a summer day winter always seems like something you have dreamt or heard spoken of and not a thing you have lived.
Read from January 1st 2020 to January 8th 2020
Historical Fiction/ Fantasy
464 pages
Synopsis:
Solstice is a time of dreaming, a time of stories and a time of magic. On a dark, misty night in the small English village of Radcot, locals gather at the Swan Inn to cap their day with drinks and lore. The 600-year-old pub is a famed hub for storytellers, but the patrons cannot know that their evening will be stranger than any tale they could weave. Into the inn bursts a mysterious man, sopping and bloodied and carrying an unconscious four-year-old girl. But before he can explain who he and the child are, and how they came to be injured, he collapses. Upriver, two families are searching desperately for their missing daughters. Alice Armstrong has been missing for twenty-four hours, ever since her mother's suicide. And Amelia Vaughan vanished without a trace two years prior. When the families learn of the lost little girl at the Swan Inn, each wonders if their child has at last been found. But identifying the child may not be as easy as it seems. Once Upon a River is a miracle of a novel, a tale of love and family, of secrets and betrayal, and of the transformative power of storytelling.
I would like to begin this review saying that I believe Diane Setterfield’s writing in this book was hauntingly beautiful. The atmosphere she was able to create was almost dreamlike that captivated me from the first page. This is my first book from her, and I will forever be buying her books from here on out. Diane, you became an auto-buy author for me with this wonderful story!
For a book that I was expecting nothing other than a fantasy related story, Diane weaves in the perfect amount of mystery and suspense. With just one sentence— “something is going to happen”—she had chills coursing through my veins and all my hair standing on edge.
I am a huge fan of multiple story lines, and this one was done extremely well. There were so many weaving characters and different plots and it never felt overwhelming or confusing!
There was the Swan Inn: where storytelling thrives.
Mr. Armstrong: an honest and loving farmer/ family man.
The Vaughan’s: a grieving family with a missing child.
Lily White: a lonely woman with a haunting past.
Rita Sunday: a well educated nurse.
The main story line, and all these characters lives, take place alongside the Thames River. A man finds a young 4-year-old whom had drowned. Is it Amelia Vaughan that has been missing for 2 years? Is it Alice Armstrong who has just recently gone missing? Or is it Lily White’s sister?
While we are not actually given a year, I would say that it feels as though the time frame it would be taking place is the 1800’s based on the early invention of photography.
This book is incredibly detail oriented! Whether that be due to plot or backstory, every detail is important. When going to read this, be careful not to skim any pages and to truly absorb what Diane is saying. When the mystery unravels, it is truly rewarding.
This historical fiction with hints of magical realism is my first 5-star rating of 2020 and it most certainly deserved it! I highly recommend!
