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A review by literarypenguin
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.0
Once Upon A River focuses on the mysterious appearance of a little girl one night at an inn called the Swan. The identity of who the little girl is and where she belongs becomes clear by the end of this book. Families and strangers are both affected by this little girl and some secrets come to the surface. I have had this book on my shelf for a while now and I wanted to read this book because of the beautiful look of the cover and the synopsis. When I finished this book I was satisfied by the ending and how it resolved itself but I felt like the book was too long at some points. My expectations were set somewhere in the middle I was excited to read it but was okay if it wasn’t going to be spectacular. This does fit in perfectly though with the Historical Fiction genre and I think one thing that made it unique is how it combined magic and history. How it combined the two of those things together and made a story around that.
I felt like the writing was pretty good but I felt like at points it could have been shorter or that the book could have been shorter than it was. I did appreciate the writing though and loved the descriptions of places and the town that lives near the river. I loved the description of the Swan inn and how the people would flock there as one of their favorite spots. The pace was good and flowed well but I felt like it was slow at times when it could have been a little bit faster. It was consistent and kept its focus on the story and getting it to a resolution.
Once Upon A River is about a little girl and the people who become affected by her sudden appearance. The book also keeps the girl and who she is a secret until the very end which is a very well-done reveal. I did like the story and thought it was a well-written story, I really liked the parts with a character named Robert Armstrong. His parts of the story were my favorite parts to read because I felt like he and his family were realistic and felt like real people. The conflict of finding out who this little girl was and where she belongs leads up to the resolution of her identity and the aftermath of the families affected by that is very good. I think where the story gets its strength is the characters and the setting.
This book had many main characters as this book tells the story from different points of view. The main characters were Helena and Anthony Vaughan, the couple who recently had their child kidnapped and taken away from them, Robert Armstrong, a farmer who loves his family and has high respect for animals, and Rita a nurse with a hard upbringing who wants to do all she can for her patients but doesn’t do enough for herself. Robert is a half-black and half-white man living in a time when that was pretty frowned upon and Rita is an independent woman I felt were great representations of characters. One of my favorite characters had to be Rita because of her love for others but not giving herself as much credit and love as she deserves. I felt like her relationship with Henry Daunt was well thought out and progressed very smoothly throughout the book. Some characters I didn’t like though and felt like they could have done more with or not had all together.
This book takes place in a variety of different locations but always seems to go back to the Swan inn. The Swan felt like a character in its own right with how beloved and central it is to the main story. The locations surrounding the river were all different from each other but still were affected by the river. I liked how these places had to adapt to the placement on the river and how they even had their own legends and myths. The worldbuilding was important to the story and at times in the story, it felt important and did well carrying the story from beginning to end.
One of the themes I loved that the book was the theme of the loss of a child and how to move on from that loss. I felt like it was respectfully handled and really was well done. It could be said that that could apply to the grief of all kinds and how to move to past it to be happy and continue to live your life. It also touched upon the themes of being a parent, mental health issues, and racism.
I did enjoy this book even though I felt like it wasn’t perfect but that should not deter you if you want to give it a try or give it chance. I think you will enjoy this book and I think people will like the magic this book provides.
I felt like the writing was pretty good but I felt like at points it could have been shorter or that the book could have been shorter than it was. I did appreciate the writing though and loved the descriptions of places and the town that lives near the river. I loved the description of the Swan inn and how the people would flock there as one of their favorite spots. The pace was good and flowed well but I felt like it was slow at times when it could have been a little bit faster. It was consistent and kept its focus on the story and getting it to a resolution.
Once Upon A River is about a little girl and the people who become affected by her sudden appearance. The book also keeps the girl and who she is a secret until the very end which is a very well-done reveal. I did like the story and thought it was a well-written story, I really liked the parts with a character named Robert Armstrong. His parts of the story were my favorite parts to read because I felt like he and his family were realistic and felt like real people. The conflict of finding out who this little girl was and where she belongs leads up to the resolution of her identity and the aftermath of the families affected by that is very good. I think where the story gets its strength is the characters and the setting.
This book had many main characters as this book tells the story from different points of view. The main characters were Helena and Anthony Vaughan, the couple who recently had their child kidnapped and taken away from them, Robert Armstrong, a farmer who loves his family and has high respect for animals, and Rita a nurse with a hard upbringing who wants to do all she can for her patients but doesn’t do enough for herself. Robert is a half-black and half-white man living in a time when that was pretty frowned upon and Rita is an independent woman I felt were great representations of characters. One of my favorite characters had to be Rita because of her love for others but not giving herself as much credit and love as she deserves. I felt like her relationship with Henry Daunt was well thought out and progressed very smoothly throughout the book. Some characters I didn’t like though and felt like they could have done more with or not had all together.
This book takes place in a variety of different locations but always seems to go back to the Swan inn. The Swan felt like a character in its own right with how beloved and central it is to the main story. The locations surrounding the river were all different from each other but still were affected by the river. I liked how these places had to adapt to the placement on the river and how they even had their own legends and myths. The worldbuilding was important to the story and at times in the story, it felt important and did well carrying the story from beginning to end.
One of the themes I loved that the book was the theme of the loss of a child and how to move on from that loss. I felt like it was respectfully handled and really was well done. It could be said that that could apply to the grief of all kinds and how to move to past it to be happy and continue to live your life. It also touched upon the themes of being a parent, mental health issues, and racism.
I did enjoy this book even though I felt like it wasn’t perfect but that should not deter you if you want to give it a try or give it chance. I think you will enjoy this book and I think people will like the magic this book provides.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Racism