Once Upon a River (Diane Setterfield)

I was anxiously awaiting getting my hands on a copy of Diane Setterfield's Once Upon a River. I adored The Thirteenth Tale and had mixed feelings about Bellman & Black, so I was interested to see where her latest would fall. The answer is square in the middle.

It's very difficult to even do a synopsis of Once Upon a River. Some of it is fantastical, some is tragedy, and part of it is romance. One night, an injured man opens the door to a packed inn on the Thames. In his arms is a little girl; she is pronounced dead but miraculously awakens, later to be claimed by three different families as one of their own. There is a large cast of characters to keep straight as the story unwinds to its conclusion; some are far more interesting than the rest.

Once Upon a River is terribly long-winded. It's an ambitious read and one of those books that you feel guilty for not liking as much as you did. But when it all comes down to it, Setterfield writes exquisitely and is always eager to take you on her journey with her.

MY RATING - 3

Bellman & Black (Diane Setterfeld)

One of the best books I’ve ever reviewed on this site was Diane Setterfeld’s The Thirteenth Tale.  I referred to it then as “psychological terror that just drips with suspense.”  Since Ms. Setterfeld waited seven whole years before publishing her second novel, Bellman & Black, I thought for sure that it would be just as good.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  The cover advertises it as a ghost story, but I really don’t think that’s the case.  It’s more a character study than anything, and I think fans of The Thirteenth Tale are going to be a little disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong…Setterfeld writes just as beautifully and has an interesting concept going here.  When William Bellman was a young child, he killed a rook with his catapult in front of some other boys.  This incident seems to have been forgotten, and as a young man, it seems everything he touches turns to gold.  He becomes owner of a local mill, and through his hard work and planning skills, it is ultra successful.  He marries a local girl, has a few children, and really seems to be living a charmed life.  Then the deaths start happening, and at every funeral, William sees the same man.  After speaking to this man (whom he calls Black) late one night at the cemetery, William seems to remember making a deal with him to open a “mourning” warehouse.  The man disappears, but William carries on with developing the, of course, extremely successful business, calling it Bellman & Black.  As the suspense builds, the reader knows that Bellman will eventually see Black again but in what capacity?

I’m not going to put it mildly…the ending to Bellman & Black is atrocious.  It doesn't make sense to me at all, and I’m still confused as to how William killing the rook has much to do with the rest of the story.  But even though this book is nothing like The Thirteenth Tale, Setterfeld writes in such an atmospheric way that it’s still worth a read.  Let’s hope that it doesn’t take her another seven years to write her next book…and that the third book is more like her first.

MY RATING - 3

The Secret Keeper (Kate Morton)

I wholeheartedly and without reservation recommend Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper as the best book of 2012 (so far).  Not many people I know are familiar with the Australian’s work, and I wouldn’t have been either if I had not gone looking for similar books to Diane Setterfeld’s The Thirteenth Tale.  The Distant Hours, The Forgotten Garden, and The House at Riverton all received a well-deserved 5 from me for their unbelievable depth and layering.  Even though The Secret Keeper is not Morton’s usual “Gothic English mystery” genre, it’s still historical fiction and absolutely jam packed with breathtaking suspense.

Weaving effortlessly and seamlessly between present day and World War II England, The Secret Keeper is the story of secrets, betrayals, and utter heartbreak.  It begins in the early 1960s with teenage Laurel lazing the day away in a treehouse.  While the rest of her family is a little ways away having a birthday party, Laurel sees Dorothy, her mother, who is carrying Laurel’s baby brother, stab and kill a strange man.  Due to Laurel's lies, the matter is swept under the rug with no repercussions for Dorothy.  Fast forward to present day, Laurel and her siblings are called back to their hometown to be at their dying mother's bedside.  However, Laurel desperately wants to solve the mystery of the man's murder before Dorothy passes away. 

The Secret Keeper, as are all of Morton’s books, is one giant puzzle.  Morton plays tricks on the brain, and if you don’t pay attention to each and every detail, she will get you!  There were so many little nuances and questions throughout this novel that I kept thinking to myself there was no way Morton would answer them all.  But she never, ever leaves a stone unturned.  By the time you finish, you are left with a story that completely makes sense and has you asking yourself why you didn’t see it coming all along.

MY RATING - 5

Sister (Rosamund Lupton)

Deciding what book to read next (out of the millions out there) is a task in and of itself. In addition to 1776books, I also review for Bookloons and review books related to education for the Summit Series for Families website. At any given time, I am reading 4-5 books, usually of different genres so I don't confuse myself. For 1776books, I rely on a few trusted publications for suggestions. Sister got monster reviews from most of the "big guys", with author Alafair Burke saying that "Sister is an absolutely stunning debut. The ending will leave you reeling." Not really, Ms. Burke.

Having just read SJ Watson's truly stunning debut, Before I Go to Sleep, I jumped right in to this one. Beatrice is a woman living the "high life" in the States, with a boyfriend, designer clothes, and a great job. One day, she receives a nightmare call that her sister, Tess, is missing in London. Lupton tells the story of what truly happened to Tess in a highly creative way, setting much of the novel in the future, and having Beatrice relive the events in her testimony to a lawyer.

For the first three-fourths of Sister, I could not put it down. However, then I found myself putting it down more and more. By the last chapter, I was anxious to read this "ending" that Burke speaks of. Unfortunately, rather than have the effect that Lupton probably wanted, I was let down.

For a truly great book about sisters, read The Thirteenth Tale.

MY RATING - 3

The Little Stranger (Sarah Waters)

Staying with the theme of "The Thirteenth Tale" (http://1776books.blogspot.com/2009/07/thirteenth-tale-diane-setterfield.html), "The Little Stranger" is a Victorian, English thriller that drips with suspense. We are first introduced to our male narrator, Dr. Faraday, who will competently take us through the story. He is called to Hundreds Hall, which once sang with grandiosity and now is just wasting away, to check on a new patient. Dr. Faraday has a history at Hundreds, as his mother worked there as a maid many years before.

Mrs. Ayers and her two grown children, Caroline and Roderick, own Hundreds and have vastly different opinions of what should be done with it in its ruin. The suspense builds as unexplained happenings begin to abound in the house. Caroline's dog, who has always had the easiest temperament, bites a child. Marks that cannot be explained begin to appear on walls. Fires begin with no cause. These events occur as Dr. Faraday finds himself increasingly entwined with the Ayers family at Hundreds.

"The Little Stranger" is not one of those books that need to be read with the doors locked and the lights on. The reader feels that something is just not quite right and has an eerie sense of foreboding....something is going to happen at some time, but what? Waters keeps the reader guessing throughout as her characters slowly drift into what possibly could be madness.

Don't expect the author to answer all of your questions. If you want to feel satisfied, this is not the book for you. It is purely psychological, and you are left to your own devices to figure things out.

MY RATING - 4