Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Title: Once Upon a River

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Emily Bestler Books 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Popsugar - Based on folklore; Dancing with Fantasy and Scifi - Uncommon Fantasy Creatures

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.

I finally got Diane Setterfield’s new book and loved every single sentence of it. Setterfield’s writing meanders just like the Thames, but I savored every turn. We follow a beautiful yet haunting story of three lost girls who may or may not have come back. The lives of three families are affected by the events of the Winter Solstice. We spend the next year following those families and the various characters around the village. My favorite storyline was following Rita as she tends to the people around her, especially the little girl lost. This is not the book for those readers that love a fast moving plot. But it is for those that love a haunting story that may or may not have magical elements. My absolute favorite part was the legend of Quietly. Perfection!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Title: Bellman & Black

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Atria 2014

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Alphabet Soup; Women Authors

Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget…

Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

Setterfield always knows how to unsettle her reader. There is someone almost unseemly in reading about the life of William Bellman. The reader can see his failings and knows what is missing from his life, but he never seems to understand. And the reader is left to hope that they do not turn out like William Bellman. I really enjoyed this very strange twisted tale. I loved the interludes about rooks and the various thoughts on time and memory. I finished the book and had to sit with the story for a few hours before being able to decide if I really liked it or not. I felt the same way about Setterfield’s previous work The Thirteenth Tale. Now I must pick up her newest novel…

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Title: The Thirteenth Tale

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Washington Square Press 2006

Genre: Literary fiction

Pages: 406

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 21st Century Women Authors; Mount TBR; Women Authors; 52 Books -- W16; What's in a Name -- Number written in letters

All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist.

The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.

As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

The first chapter, I was wary.  By the second chapter, I was intrigued.  By the third chapter, I couldn't put it down.  This book and storytelling style reminded me of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books.  And I absolutely adore his book.  They and this novel are great stories, but also amazing love letters to books and storytelling.  I immediately connected with Margaret and her love of books.  My dream would be to own a book store (unfortunately there's not much money in it).  I would love to surround myself with dusty tomes containing amazing worlds and people.  Back to The Thirteenth Tale... I enjoyed the slow unraveling of the story.  I loved Miss Winter's "no questions, telling it in order" approach.  Sure, we all wanted to know everything up front.  But the story itself needed to be told in order so that the reader (and Margaret) could truly understand Miss Winter and her life.  At times, I had to slow myself down.  Instead of rushing to find out the next secret, I wanted to savor the story.  Setterfield has a way with words.  They just seemed to melt off the page, slow and luxuriously.  If I could write like that, I would be perfectly happy.  I won't give away anything, but the secrets revealed were definitely the icing on the cake.  Now I feel like I need to pick up Setterfield's new book...