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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Nice prose, so many characters, and a heavy handed ending.
I liked it enough to finish it in one day, but imo not as satisfying as The Thirteenth Tale! Still a good mystery, but not as satisfying of a conclusion and I didn't love any of the characters too much.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.75. Draggy. Whimsical and mysterious, but draggy.
Also, if you don’t want children, don’t worry. A man will change your mind for you
Also, if you don’t want children, don’t worry. A man will change your mind for you
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Let’s just say this first: I, like millions of others, loved Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. I now compare every mysterious gothic tale with what is said to have a truly stunning twist to that novel. I’ve found nothing that quite measures up: it is just a gold standard of gothic literature. When Setterfield came out with her second book, Bellman and Black, I was excited but then quite disappointed. Now with this third novel, some years in between each, I had more measured expectations. While this still doesn’t pack the punch of Thirteenth Tale (which, let’s be honest, when you have a book that’s a gold standard, it’s going to stay that way a good long while), Once Upon a River is much more satisfying than the disappointing B and B.
This story has a feel to it of mystery, of the touch of the supernatural, but it’s much more human and weighty. Its characters are wonderfully fleshed out and ones that I felt for; I wanted them all to find some closure and peace and happiness from the events that had caused them worry and pain. Elements of the tale come together so beautifully and satisfyingly at the end, even ones that I didn’t expect needed to be tied up. I read this in ebook format, sure, but let’s just say that I “turned the last page and closed the book” feeling I’d been read the equivalent of a delicious square meal. Yay for Setterfield for coming back with this third novel!
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/once-upon-river-clean-fiction-book-review/
This story has a feel to it of mystery, of the touch of the supernatural, but it’s much more human and weighty. Its characters are wonderfully fleshed out and ones that I felt for; I wanted them all to find some closure and peace and happiness from the events that had caused them worry and pain. Elements of the tale come together so beautifully and satisfyingly at the end, even ones that I didn’t expect needed to be tied up. I read this in ebook format, sure, but let’s just say that I “turned the last page and closed the book” feeling I’d been read the equivalent of a delicious square meal. Yay for Setterfield for coming back with this third novel!
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/once-upon-river-clean-fiction-book-review/
dark
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The beginning felt almost too morbid to continue with, as I picked this book up the same week a friend suddenly passed away. I almost moved on to something lighter. I'm glad I didn't. As each character is introduced, more questions rise, and these questions kept me interested, and just a little distracted from the current grief in my own life. I was enthralled by the mystery, and I enjoyed the storyteller's voice. The fantasies sprinkled nonchalantly throughout an otherwise realistic setting made me wonder which were true to the story, and which were only the characters' superstitions. I loved that feeling, and I loved the legends themselves. The ending was wholly satisfying. My favorite character was Ben, but I grew attached to quite a few people in this story, and could picture them all very clearly.