I normally quietly close a book and move on when the pages don't exactly captivate me or warrant a response however when I saw this novel was receiving so much praise and attention from certain reading review platforms, I couldn't stop shaking my head and decided to write out my full thoughts then reevaluate my feelings for this novel lauded as "gothic and twisty". First let me say, I applaud anyone who can write and complete a full novel, it's not an easy thing to accomplish and this author certainly has her well-deserved list of accolades. I have read The Thirteenth Tale and Bellman & Black and Ms Setterfield knows how to weave a dark tale filled with the unexpected and has a distinct easily recognizable style to her writing so that only puzzles me more why Once Upon A River failed to capture my imagination and felt more like an unpleasant chore to finish versus something I couldn't wait to share with others and collect for my permanent shelves. I'm going to refrain as much as possible to avoid certain specific details that would spoil the novel for others if they are curious to read this story for themselves. These are just my personal thoughts and I'm clearly in the minority on the overall impression of this work. To note first, although the cover is gorgeously designed and the premise holds so much promise with the mystery of the identity of a small child pronounced dead then miraculously awakening while a grouping of townfolk look on with disbelief at in inn where storytelling is popular, this novel went everywhere and then nowhere after that. Told in a quasi-historical fantasy fashion of storytelling characters are paraded forward with elaborate back stories (the next more outrageous and unbelievable than the last) and then set forth to travel on the river for answers to the child's identity and if she has any connection to their own personal tragedies or secret regrets. It's at this point when a large majority of the central characters are out questing for answers that certain phrases and points of symbolism are repeated ad nauseum to the point of distraction, a clear lack of historical details are noticed (as well as the wonky choices of dialogue which are so far away from the late 19th century it's almost comically bad) and it all becomes a long tiring read that I wished would end already as I couldn't take one more chapter about character's various "problems". When an ending was mercifully in sight, it felt only silly and forced into the pages for the sake of an expected twist. You are never supposed to say out loud, "thank goodness that is over" when completing a highly anticipated read but that's exactly what happened and finishing this final examination up, I still feel that way: "thank goodness, it's over". *I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Once Upon A River -EGP/July 2019 Comments are closed.
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