2019 Book Review #27: Once Upon a River

I saw this at the library last week and grabbed it because she is one of my family's favorite authors.  We were first introduced to her via Courtney's honors English summer reading list from high school.  We all read  this book the summer of 2008 and LOVED LOVED LOVED it.  It's a great literary piece and a story within a story.  Apparently the author wrote a 2nd novel and now this one is her third.  I have never seen the second one so will be on the look out for it.

I've been able to read many books this calendar year and so far this one tops the list with this one being a close second.

STORY SUMMARY

It's the Winter Solstice....and in The Swan, a local tavern on the river Thames in England, something extraordinary is happening.

All the regulars...the folk who come to drink...are telling stories which they are prone to do.  They tell stories to fill the long nights.  The tavern owners Margot and Joe and their son Jonathan  (described in the book as Down Syndrome but not specifically labeled as such) are kept busy fetching drinks, wiping down tables, setting food out, and managing the Inn.

The door bursts open and in walks a horribly wounded stranger.  In his arms is a little girl who appears to be dead...drowned actually....she is about 4 years old. Rita, the local nurse who is as good as a doctor, tends to the man.

A few hours later, the little girl begins to move, breathe and comes back to life!

Is it magic??

Is it a miracle?

Or is it science??

All of these questions have several answers...and some of them are quite dark.

The people who live on the riverbank use all of their skills to try to solve the puzzle of the girl who died....she is mute....

but as the days turn into weeks and months, the mystery deepens.

Is  she the daughter of Mr and Mrs Vaughan  who was kidnapped from her bed one dark evening?

Is she the granddaughter of Robert and Bessie Armstrong? Their son has been in trouble, his wife has committed suicide and supposedly the daughter went missing in the river.

Or is she the long-lost sister of Lily White, the recluse who works as a maid for the parson? And if she is....how can that be???  she disappeared many years ago!

Because this precious little girl is mute, she cannot answer the questions of "Where did she come from?", "who does she belong to?" and "who is she?"

Will this mystery ever be solved?

MY THOUGHTS

This is a marvelous work of literary fiction that draws both folklore and science into the plot. It involves a bit of magic and myth as well as truth vs betrayals.

It's suspenseful and will keep you turning pages. It begins on the Winter Solstice in 1887.  It's powerful and really moves forward quickly drawing the reader in. It takes place in about one year.

It's deep in meaning on a deeper spiritual/emotional level than I was expecting.

The idea of "stories" play into this story.  Legends (such as "urban legends") are a main theme as is domestic violence, betrayal, familial love, and motherhood.

The author evens makes a point in the end to tell us to return to our own stories.......it is brilliant, the ending.

There are many characters, all with huge personalities and you must read carefully as they all tie together in some way.  I don't want to reveal too much as I don't want to ruin it for you.  There is also the character known as "Quietly"...he was probably my favorite besides Mr Armstrong.  I'd love to know who your favorite is after you read this.

This book really sticks with you.....you will wonder right along with the Radcot community members about this little girl....is she Amelia?  or Alice? or Ann??

There were a couple of quotes that stuck out to me:

"Difference was upsetting, and people armed themselves in aggression when they met it.  With kindness in his voice he could usually disarm them. Though their eyes told them to fear him, their ears reassured. But some people went about in their armor every day and showed the blades of their swords to all. the whole world was the enemy. That kind of antipathy he could do nothing about...." (pg 233 Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, c.2018)

"...a child is not an empty vessel, Fleet, to be formed in whatever way the parent thinks fit.  They are born with their own hearts and they cannot be made otherwise, no matter what love a man lavishes on them." (pg 411 Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, c.2018)

Savor the reading of this book....it's a pure gem!

 Please note: in describing Margot and Joe's son, the author uses words that describe the physical appearance of a child with Down Syndrome. Many  children with Downs are literal.  I'm guessing that that is why she has Jonathan not able to tell stories....until he experiences Alice/Amelia/Ann. Downs children have difficulty making things up/using an imagination.  They know what is in front of them.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content)

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.