For September, the Thursday Morning Book Discussion Group will be discussing Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield.

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, this is “a beguiling tale, full of twists and turns like the river at its heart, and just as rich and intriguing” (M.L. Stedman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light Between Oceans).

Copies of Once Upon a River are available to borrow from the library one month in advance at the front desk of the library. Meetings will be offered in a hybrid format in the South Burlington Public Library Board Room. Email [email protected] for more information, or to request the Zoom link for the meeting.