Post by geminii on Sept 15, 2021 10:47:44 GMT
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
" 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 ”
" 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 ”
Unfortunately, as our Volunteer for Q4 has been pulled away from their reading with lots of family things, I have looked at their High Scoring books on Goodreads and chosen this on their behalf ..
At around the 500 page mark it is a bit chunkier than I would normally put forward, however, many of you either own a copy or have it on your radar, so I hope you decide to join in .. also, by revealing it 2 weeks early, you've got until the year end (or beyond) to read it ..
The synopsis also makes me think this could be an ideal book as we start to think about snuggling down into Autumn and ultimately Winter .. I am definitely looking forward to getting started ..
At around the 500 page mark it is a bit chunkier than I would normally put forward, however, many of you either own a copy or have it on your radar, so I hope you decide to join in .. also, by revealing it 2 weeks early, you've got until the year end (or beyond) to read it ..
The synopsis also makes me think this could be an ideal book as we start to think about snuggling down into Autumn and ultimately Winter .. I am definitely looking forward to getting started ..
I hope you all Enjoy !!
