Once Upon a River Audiobook By Diane Setterfield cover art

Once Upon a River

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Once Upon a River

By: Diane Setterfield
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.49

Buy for $22.49

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

From the instant number one New York Times best-selling author of the “eerie and fascinating” (USA Today) The Thirteenth Tale comes a richly imagined, powerful new novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious.

A body always tells a story - but this child’s was a blank page.

Rita reached for the lantern on its hook. She trained its light on the child’s face.

"Who are you?" she murmured, but the face said as little as the rest of her. It was impossible to tell whether, in life, these blunt and unfinished features had borne the imprint of prettiness, timid watchfulness, or sly mischief. If there had once been curiosity or placidity or impatience here, life had not had time to etch it into permanence.

Only a very short time ago - two hours or not much more - the body and soul of this little girl had still been securely attached. At this thought, and despite all her training, all her experience, Rita found herself suddenly in the grip of a storm of feeling. All the old rage at God - for not being kind, for not being fair, and finally for just not being - swept her up all over again and she felt tears of anger on her face. She took the child’s hand in hers - the perfect hand with its five perfect fingers and their perfect fingernails - and the words fell out of her that she had not known were there:

"It should not be so! It should not be so!"

And that is when it happened.

©2019 Diane Setterfield (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio
Fiction Genre Fiction Gothic Historical Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Scary Rage Heartfelt

Featured Article: The Best Historical Fiction Audiobooks


Often based on real people, events, and scenarios, historical fiction gives us the opportunity to learn about worlds and times we will never experience while introducing fascinating characters and stories set in their midst. Sometimes, the genre can even give us a peek into hidden storylines that routinely go unmentioned in traditional history books, showing us that those of ages past are perhaps not so different from ourselves.

Editor's Pick

Swept in the current of a spellbinding story
"The events of Once Upon a River take place around the Winter Solstice in the late 19th century, and listening to it truly evokes that sense of sitting by the fireside on cold, dark night and listening to a story that’s at times hard to believe, but impossible to walk away from. It could almost be a lost Canterbury Tale, had it not been set a few hundred years later. Juliet Stevenson’s narration enhances the undercurrent of warmth and intrigue that keeps you glued for "just another hour" until the entire night has escaped you in the grip of transportive story. Diane Sitterfield’s previous novels have been on my "to-listen" list for months now; if she’s always been as gifted a storyteller as she is in Once Upon a River, they’ll be moving to the "listened and loved" list in no time."
Lavina K., Audible Editor

Masterful Storytelling • Richly Developed Characters • Beautiful Descriptive Prose • Intriguing Mystery Elements
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
This book was so fantastic I cried when it ended. I will replay it at some point, which is rare for me- but I just don't want it to end. The depth of each character, the artistry of word play, the emotional depth, the narration- just superb. I can't wait to visit the river, and investigate the true life characters that inspired some of this tail. I love you Diane Setterfield and Juliet Stevenson- how incredible you both are.

Best book I have read in years!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Juliet Stevenson's immaculate performance does so much to heighten Setterfield's intricate and intriguing tales. This is one listen that I wanted to go on forever!

Perfect pairing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

When you start a book of over 12-15 hours it is a commitment. Trust me when I say this book is a commitment you will not come to question. The many branches of the story tree all have roots and make into a beautiful tree. The author has woven every twig in and left nothing hanging. The reader is just perfect. This books only flaw is that it wasn't twice as long as it is.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The story is all the things you want a story to be. Transporting, sweet, unexpected, and thrilling. But the performance was nothing short of magical. Juliet Stevenson is a master storyteller who brought every character to life in crisp detail through her voices and acting. Lovely in every way.

Brilliant performance by Juliet Stevenson

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Loved everything about it. The narrator was remarkable, the story compelling and magical , i might even listen to it again

Swept me away

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener’s will be transported...guided on a mystical, mesmerizing journey. With her story the author guides readers along, meeting interesting characters, hearing exquisitely crafted tales and enjoying the journey from beginning to end. Beautifully read and interpreted by the narrator, it was as if I had watched a movie, but I was left with a more rich and memorable experience, fully immersed in this wonderfully written story.

Magical journey

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

With such an enthusiastic heading, why only (4) stars ? Well, in spite of the all the wonderful things about this book (heartwarming characters/dastardly villains, intricate plotting, gorgeous writing and, above all, the NARRATION=perfection), the story had so many slow points, and needed a trim to drive the plot forward. This is a book to read when you can settle in and let yourself "follow the river".

Splendid prose, superlative narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Settterfield is an old-fashioned storyteller and wordsmith. A tale as beautiful and rich as the river itself. I was amazed at the range Juliet Stevenson showed here. At one point I thought there might be multiple actors performing the voices. Perfection!

Beautifully written and performed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I really loved listening to this. It was mysterious and thinky, with rich characters and storytelling.

Loved everything about this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A tale within a tale. Setterfield & Stevenson are masters of their craft. Truly sublime!

One of my top 5 favorite audiobooks of all time!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews