Dark, mysterious, beguiling, and beautifully written. It transported me to a different world

This book is so rich in detail, the rainforest so immersive, and the characters so wonderfully odd, that I was sucked into its dark beating heart and wasn't spat out until I'd turned the final page

Darkly comic and thrilling

What a hot and sticky, feverishly Lord Of The Flies-style debut! The whole novel excels in rich detail - I wouldn't be surprised if English teachers use it as a masterclass in descriptive prose

A claustrophobic compelling read that'll suck you into its heart of darkness

The book abounds with lurid descriptive passages revelling in tropical ickiness ... competent and assured

Phenomenally disturbing . . . With consummate imagination and technical flair, Salam contrives a crescendo of queasiness that reaches a 'tumult of madness' and manages to make Somerset Maugham's 'Rain' seem like a picnic

An excellent, blackly funny debut ... a novel whose growing environmental and psychological horrors you can feel crawling across your skin

A vivid account . . . The island setting and the rainforest are compellingly evoked, along with the claustrophobic backdrop of religious mania and a dysfunctional marriage - an impressive debut

Thrilling . . . oozing with vivid descriptions and a deeply claustrophobic atmosphere, this debut is quite unlike anything else you'll read this year

Delves in directions you won't see coming, swallowing you like the darkness of the jungle, with a captivating narrative brimming with wonder, trepidation and wit

Examining the true nature of religious missions and a marriage in crisis, this is a vividly drawn and powerful novel

A richly textured novel. Darkly humorous and atmospheric, this debut about fanaticism and marital crisis is one to watch out for

Atmospheric

A wonderfully crafted story of action, history, and secrets that is as imaginative as it is compelling

A brilliant debut thriller. He knows how to hook a reader and keep them hoovering up pages

An enchanting mix of mystery and folklore.

This pungently atmospheric, quietly smoldering thriller sensitively mixes superstition, oral storytelling and the emerging psychology movement of the 19th century.

Once Upon A River succeeds in doing what you hope every book will do - pull you in from the first page, hold you captive in the middle, then leave you satisfied and thoughtful at the end. I loved it.

This enchanting historical story is full of folklore and intrigue.

Though Setterfield writes emotions with marvellous truth and subtlety, her most stunning prose is reserved for evocative descriptions of the natural world, creating an immersive experience made of light, texture, scent and sensation.

Like Setterfield’s earlier novel The Thirteenth Tale, Once Upon a River is very much a story about the spellbinding power of storytelling...a deeply satisfying read.

As the story progresses - by turns slow and melancholy, fast and furious, like its river setting - Diane Setterfield dips beguilingly into the intertwined lives of her vibrant characters.

This dense, absorbing, beautifully atmospheric novel weaves a truly hypnotic spell.

Setterfield is a master of the medium. Like the river at its core, her plot twists and turns with ease and confidence, and her writing is beautiful.

Setterfield brilliantly captures a time and place on the cusp of modernity, plays bleakness and warmth off against each other to create a life-affirming tale of what it means to be human.

An exquisitely crafted multi layered mystery.

Once Upon a River is one of the most pleasurable and satisfying new books I've read in a long time. Setterfield is a master storyteller, her language flowing with a dark magic very like the river at the heart of her tale: swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful. Give yourself a treat and read it!

Once Upon a River is a delight, just marvellous. I devoured it in gulps.

Once Upon A River succeeds in doing what you hope every book will do - pull you in from the first page, hold you captive in the middle, then leave you satisfied and thoughtful at the end. I loved it.