Once Upon a River: A Novel
Written by Diane Setterfield
Narrated by Juliet Stevenson
4/5
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About this audiobook
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.
Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, this is “a beguiling tale, full of twists and turns like the river at its heart, and just as rich and intriguing” (M.L. Stedman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light Between Oceans).
Diane Setterfield
Diane Setterfield is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Tale, and a former academic, specializing in twentieth-century French literature, particularly the works of Andre Gide. She lives in Oxford, England.
More audiobooks from Diane Setterfield
Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Once Upon a River
1,162 ratings131 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Storytelling at its best, I totally loved it, I miss the characters already.
3 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The multiple plots keep your mind alert! Personal lives intertwine with others in ways unimaginable. And one event binds them together. This story is rich both philosophically n spiritually. And in the end the two become one. Leaves listeners with fresh perspectives on everyday life...beginnings...endings...and miracles. Recommend. It’s an original work of art!
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good story. Has folklore, romance and mystery. Lots of questions like genes versus family.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5wonderful story and exquisite narration. Very slow moving but beautiful all the same. I can't wait to read more by this author!
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best books I’ve ever read. This narration by Julie Stevenson is exquisite.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a lovely, lovely story. It starts out like a mystery, then kinda turns into a fairy tale. I cannot say enough good things about how wonderful Juliet Stevenson's narration is. I think this is now my favorite audiobook of all time.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was everything I want in an audiobook - beautifully read, well developed characters, but not so many of them that I’d forget who they were after missing a couple of days of listening; and a story that I couldn’t tear myself away from. The author was new to me and now I’ve got to devour the rest of her books.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Entranced from the beginning, I felt transformed, as if I was a child again listening to a fairytale. I could feel the pull of the river Thames, the chill of the winter solstice night in 1887, the warmth of the hearth where people gathered to listen to stories. I cared about the people, and the unfolding mysteries. The banks of the Thames River is the setting. The river is used as a metaphor. The multiple characters pulled me along following the stories of their lives. I glided mesmerized by the twists and turns of the events as they ebbed and flowed. I rarely read more than one book by any one author, but this author has me hooked.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Be really careful reading this if you are a parent, especially a mother. I have a one year old baby and I made the mistake of listening this during my commute and my breakfast. I had a hard time eating sometimes. Her poetic prose pulled on my heartstrings so hard, I had a pit in my stomach and was nauseous. I was not prepared for that but I should have been, considering the author
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This narrator is unbelievably good. I would have given up on this story early on were it not for the expert storytelling, and thank heavens I didn’t. I ended up loving this story. Just be aware it is very slow going in the beginning. But all the threads come together beautifully in the end.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The narration is quite good, the story interesting and just enough of a mystery to hold your interest. The characters- especially Rita and Armstrong - are endearing.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderfully complex storyline, interesting characters, and superb narration. A thoroughly enjoyable book, I highly recommend.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What a great story! The idea of Quietly is intriguing. Great characters, I fell in love with a few. I would definitely read another book by this author. The audiobook narrator was fantastic!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sometimes you just need to be told a good story. The narrator for this one does a perfect job bringing to life the many characters whose lives have become intertwined in this Victorian era tale. My heart broke in some places and swelled in others. I’m a sucker for a lighthearted happy tale but this gave me many questions and held enough tension to keep me intrigued all the way to its conclusion. I recommend this book, part mystery with a touch of fantasy (and even a few love stories along the way) it left me with a smile at the end.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I wasn't quite sure what to expect here, since I'd not read a Diane Setterfield book before (not that I hadn't heard of her, I just never got around to reading her). What I got was...well, a lot...a rich story full of science and magic, heroes and villains, love and hate, a storyteller telling a story full of storytellers. And a river runs through it all, carrying life and death. It's a lovely read, with excellent characterizations of the characters and the world they live in. Now I need to bump Setterfield's other books up my TBR list.
On a side note, I combined listening and reading on this one, and Juliet Stevenson's narration of the audiobook is brilliant.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wonderfully creative and entertaining storytelling! I do think, though, that I would have stopped the book one chapter earlier. In fact I was all set to write in this review, “wow, what a perfect ending!” until I turned the page and found that it was not quite the ending after all. Oh well, it’s still an excellent read!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For fans of Wilkie Collins, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and Mrs. Henry Wood—with some dashes of Eliot, Dickens, and Darwin thrown in for good measure. A very fun book: perhaps the perfect sort of book to savor on cold, winter evenings.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a book of great writing and great storytelling.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Draws you in and keeps you engaged through the book, quite twisty without any obvious idea of what’s going to happen. The read is excellent in her voice and timing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful story with a fairy tale quality. I loved all the good characters and disliked the evil ones. My favorite character was little Jonathan, he touched my heart so much. I wish he had featured more and I think this author should write of future adventures for him. The book was also wonderfully narrated. This book will leave you with a truly happily ever after in your heart.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Diane Setterfield is a masterful story teller. If you're looking for quick fix fiction, this book in not for you. It flows slowly and magically along drawing the reader into the lives of characters that are crafted with details that fill them with life. Full of mystery and compassion, this is book is worth reading.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So enjoyed and highly recommend.
Rivers are magical. Narration was excellent. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield really enchanted me and I don't think I have ever said that about a book before. I would classify it as a fairy tale, well told and beautifully narrated in its audible version. It takes place in a hamlet near the Thames in a family-owned pub where people gather to tell stories both factual and mystical. One night at winter solstice, strange things happen in the pub which captivate all the lives and imaginations of the the town folk.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely love this book and narration is pure perfection.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The story was fascinating, and the narrator did a great job with accents. My only complaint is that the audiobook had at least three sections where it skipped a large section. I had to download the ebook to find out what was missing. To their credit, SCRIBD customer service was receptive to the feedback and said the app sometimes does this, that they’d fix it right away.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is an engaging and enchanting tale. It is so well read that each character, animal and scene come to life. Well worth anyone’s time to listen to this splendid audiobook.
I love this story and the stellar reader that I have listened to Once Upon A River three times! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful book! Masterpiece of storytelling. There are elements of magic and lots of derp human emotion that readers can connect with. It’s a book about love, betrayal, evil and justice.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful and mesmerizing. The narrator did a splendid delivery. I enjoyed this novel and will read it again.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Perfect pair, the narrator and this story. JS does such a wonderful job telling us of the lives of these people. I find her deep smooth voice so relaxing and can listen for hours at a time! This is the second listen for me & I found things I missed the first time ‘round so it was still as wonderful.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautifully written. A sense of mystery and magic, but still feels like it could be real. The river plays a central role, but the characters are well developed. I listened to the audio book and the narrator was wonderful. Highly recommend.