Everyone read the book. It was a good intriguing story. The plot kept driving us forward as we wanted to see what happened in the end. It was a great combination of fantasy and historical literature. The book had great description which we all related to.

Everyone in the group enjoyed this book. The language was great, as were the characters. It is a complex story with different storylines, which meant you often had to flick back in the book to reacquaint yourself with what happened previously. A great read.

Unanimous agreement from us: this book was a wonderful read, full of dark mysteries surrounding the separate drownings of.. how many people The river Thames and an ancient inn are the settings for this beguiling story, and the book is rich with a vast range of vividly imagined characters. We liked the fact that, to some extent, newly emerging science explained some of the mysteries. But not all. The ferryman, a pervasive but ethereal presence, is central to the tale, and he defied explanations. The theme of the book is story-telling, and Diane Setterfield is a masterful exemplar of that craft.

We all enjoyed this complex gothic tale. The combination of realism and fantasy in its mid Victorian setting with a large cast of varied characters was engrossing.

Like a river this book meandered, got wider and picked up depth and pace as it went along. Initial reaction was the book was 'okay' but as we talked and discussed it, the feeling shifted and increased our stars! Much discussion about ghosts and gypsy children at the end (no spoiler alert).

Really fascinating and well-written book. Engaging characters and the ending lived up to the rest of the book. Definitely recommend.

The book was very well liked by all - many couldn't put it down and look forward to reading her other novels. The atmosphere of the book seeps through the pages. Every character has a reason for being introduced and it all comes together. Very satisfying.

It's rare that we all read and LOVE a book! This was one of them. Stories within stories, strongly written characters ( including the Thames itself), the fantastic and the everyday woven together.

Mixed reaction to this book. Some felt the pace was slow, and did not come to grips with the unexplained referred to as "magic". Others absolutely loved the theme of storytelling, the characters and development of these, the central role of the river, and the beautiful writing that carried the stories.

This is simply written but a true story. Poetic and mysterious to the end. We all enjoyed reading it.

Our holiday read enjoyed by all. We felt it was a slow start but all became absorbed as it developed. A fabulous evocation of place, beautifully written.

The book was a wonderful tapestry of characters and storytelling combining folk lore, science, magic and myth set in the late 1880s. We found the rich cast of characters convincingly illustrated the best and worst of humanity. The influence of the River Thames and storytelling at the Swan is fundamental to the story, and we all felt the writer did a wonderful job of evoking the atmosphere of the old inn and bringing the characters to life. We all thoroughly enjoyed the book and the discussion that followed.

An enchanting book enjoyed by all of us. We detected a Dickensian flavour. The author was unflinching in descriptions of the gulf between rich and poor. The otherworldly nature of the novel made wonderful use of the river and used storytelling to blend myth and reality.

Everyone loved this book. Wonderful storytelling. Gripping from 1st page. Highly recommended.

Opinions were divided and engendered much discussion. All agreed it was beautifully written, as it meandered along its watery course. We were left with divergent opinions on whose the child was.

Rated 5 by all members - best read of this year's selection.

Enjoyed by the majority. A magic read written by a consummate storyteller. Most of the members could not put this book down. An excellent tale.

Only one of our group had problems with being engaged with this book. The rest loved the storytelling, the character development, and the role of the Thames as a foundation and metaphor.

Most enjoyable; perhaps the ending was a little predictable, but overall an interesting trip on the upper Thames.

This was a great read - loved by all.

So many stories in this book, folklore, science, magic and myth. Wonderful descriptive passages. Well-written and a great storyteller. A big success with our group.

Loved by all.

A mixed response. Some loved it and others found it confusing. All agreed the writing was evocative, atmospheric and clever, and admired the plot unfolding with so many twists but coming together at the end. An animated discussion was held.

Everyone really enjoyed this book, even the people who normally enjoy non-fiction more than fiction.

Nearly every member loved this book. We felt the author was a very masterful storyteller, her descriptions were lovely - the two pages on the tributaries of the Thames I found outstanding. We found it quirky, original, unexpected and not predictable. All in all, a most enjoyable read that we thoroughly recommend, and has inspired some to look for other books from this author. One of the best we have read in the last 2 years.

All twelve of us loved this book; delicate, well-developed characters, concise clear writing.

This beautifully told story, 'Once Upon a River'. was indeed a definitive "5 stars" from each of us. Poetic writing and a tale that meandered as did the river, had us all enthralled and entwined with each character. The writing was quite breath-taking at times. We thoroughly enjoyed every word of it.

Spirited discussion, most loved the book. Some loved the book. Some loved the river imagery, characters and other-worldliness. We all loved 'The Thirteenth Tale', and were not disappointed.

Enjoyable read, animated discussion.

A long but relatively easy read. Those that read it liked the flow of the story like the river - and the mysticism mixed up with the mystery of false/mistaken identities. An insight into the grimness of life in those times...There was a rhythm or pattern to the book that was soothing.

An engaging book in which the various stories and characters took on a credible and satisfying reality of their own.