Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Vocab bonus: this book taught me the fun word ‘graunched’

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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Non-review babbling: Back in the Before Times, my husband and I made friends with a retired couple who were regulars at a breakfast place we loved. You know how geek calls to geek, so our passing hellos and smiles quickly grew into book recommendations and story swapping and lots and lots of coffee. They’re delightful, and I miss breakfasts out and socializing and finding new readers/friends. SIGH. Anyway, this was a book that would never have made it on my radar, but my breakfast buddy […]

Stories Bring Communities Together

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this novel but entered into it with cautious optimism. I love The Thirteenth Tale but was disappointed with her follow up Bellman and Black.  While it was gorgeously written with lots of interesting historical detail, it lacked the same emotional intimacy as the previous one. While Once Upon a River has a wide cast of characters, they are all easy to get invested in. It’s a slow build, and starts one evening in an old inn on […]

“A curtain was drawn back in every man’s inner theater and their storytelling minds got to work.”

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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First things first, this book is a slow burn. I wish I would have known that going in, I would have started it sooner and read it over a longer time frame. The first half meanders along and nothing seems to be connected, and getting to know the main players is not a quick process. If you’re prepared for that going in, you will probably end up liking this book. And about halfway through, it picks up quite a bit, and keeps getting stronger until […]

Once Upon a Time…

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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Yes! My soul needed a good magical realism book. It was crying out for it you guys. “Once Upon a River” delves into many characters but manages to thread the needle with keeping an eye on the main plot from beginning to end of this book. I absolutely loved “The 13th Tale” so I was looking forward to see what Setterfield did with this. She weaves stories, fairy-tales, and myths together to tie around the Thames River and the people who live alongside it. “Once […]



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