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Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
Scris de Diane Setterfield
Povestit de Jack Davenport
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As a boy, William Bellman commits one small, cruel act: killing a bird with his slingshot.
Little does he know the unforeseen and terrible consequences of the deed, which is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to be a man blessed by fortune—until tragedy strikes and the stranger in black comes. Then he starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed.
Desperate to save the one precious thing he has left, William enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner, to found a decidedly macabre business.
And Bellman & Black is born.
A Simon & Schuster audio production.
Acțiuni carte
Începeți să ascultațiInformații despre carte
Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
Scris de Diane Setterfield
Povestit de Jack Davenport
Descriere
As a boy, William Bellman commits one small, cruel act: killing a bird with his slingshot.
Little does he know the unforeseen and terrible consequences of the deed, which is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to be a man blessed by fortune—until tragedy strikes and the stranger in black comes. Then he starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed.
Desperate to save the one precious thing he has left, William enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner, to found a decidedly macabre business.
And Bellman & Black is born.
A Simon & Schuster audio production.
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Recenzii
I anxiously awaited this novel by Setterfield because I loved "The Thirteenth Tale" so much, but this was a huge disappointment.
Have you ever listened to someone talk in a monotone and wished for a little undulation and emotion in that voice? That's what this book was like. It was an outline of a story with potential, but it had no peaks and valley, no waves, no feeling, just the bare bones and no meat.
I am as sorry as anyone that it was a dud.
Rating: 2Have you ever listened to someone talk in a monotone and wished for a little undulation and emotion in that voice? That's what this book was like. It was an outline of a story with potential, but it had no peaks and valley, no waves, no feeling, just the bare bones and no meat.
I am as sorry as anyone that it was a dud.
Note: My review of this book is based on an uncorrected digital copy sent to me through NetGalley.Like most readers, I came to this novel because I loved Diane Setterfield's first novel, The Thirteenth Tale. If you have not yet read this book, I'll give you a heads up: Bellman & Black is distinctly different from The Thirteenth Tale. If you head into this story expecting more of the same, you will be disappointed. Additionally, if you go into this story with the subtitle "A Ghost Story" at the front of your mind, you will be disappointed. But if you head into it with an open mind, however, you'll likely find that this book has its own unique charm.Even though the book clocks in at just over 300 pages, it covers the span of William Bellman's life, from age 10 until old age. At age 10, young William uses a slingshot to kill a rook sitting in a faraway tree. Although this seems at first to be a trivial incident, the consequences of his action will follow him all throughout adulthood.At first, William is a young, energetic man working and learning at a nearby textile mill. But then an raging epidemic sweeps through town, and after a series of excruciating losses, William finds himself entering into a macabre business deal with the mysterious Mr. Black. And so, Bellman & Black is born - an emporium of the finest funeral garb & supplies.There isn't much in the way of plot, at least not in terms of suspense or escalating action. What we have instead is a series of decisions and actions made over the course of William's life that ultimately affect the outcome of the novel. There's not much of a climax, not much in terms of suspense. It's a very even and measured story.Setterfield also includes a wealth of historic details, particularly in terms of textile production in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. (It's not entirely clear what time period the novel is set in.) While I don't generally choose novels with such a wealth of historical detail, the information made the story compelling and gave it a rich texture that I enjoyed.William's character is very structured and orderly, and these characteristics transferred well into the reading experience. The measured pace and careful precision of Setterfield's writing made the novel feel like clockwork, which is especially fitting, since much of the novel deals with death and the passage of time. Everything felt less chaotic and I enjoyed that, especially since most of my reading choices are anything but orderly.This is not a book for everyone, and it's not a book I'd suggest if a person told me they loved the Thirteenth Tale. But it will find its readers and is quite enjoyable in its own right. With that being said, however, I do hope Diane Setterfield decides to turn to something similar to the Thirteenth Tale for her next novel!Readalikes (from Novelist):This House is Haunted - John Boyle. Although this novel has more of a supernatural focus, both atmospheric Gothic novels take place in a similar time period and create a slow, yet steady build-up of suspense from subtle supernatural elements.The Woman in Black - Susan Hill. Again, much more of a traditional ghost story with a more formal writing style, but readers looking for an atmospheric Gothic tale that revolves around mysterious figures in black will find much to enjoy here.The House of the Seven Gables - Nathanial Hawthorne. Atmospheric, Gothic novels that focus on the consequences of a person's actions, even years after the event occurred.
Rating: 4Disappointing
Rating: 2A pretty disappointing novel. Boring characters, and not a whole lot of plot beyond the somewhat formulaic Faustian rigamarole. Some of the details on clothmaking and the mourning industry were very interesting, but that's about the best I can do.
Rating: 3if you loved the thirteenth tale as I did this book will disappoint. I skipped along the final half just to see what the suspense was based on and what happened.
Rating: 2I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.There are several things I liked about this book: I love Diane Setterfield's precise language, and it was mostly her skillful wording that kept me reading. I also enjoyed some aspects of the story, including the detail given about the rise of the "mourning" industry. I liked the slowly building sense of doom. And I was also pulled into the theme of a life that is so controlled and successful suddenly shown as fragile and flailing. What I found disappointing was the lack of engaging characters. None of the characters seem fully developed, and none were especially interesting. This book is called a "ghost story" but the ghost aspect is so vague, and only hovers around the story, never really developed. I loved The Thirteenth Tale by Setterfield, and hope she is able to create another book as engrossing as that one was.
Rating: 3Setterfield's second book concerns death and a man who is obsessed with it (or maybe with him) .Full marks for a unique,if depressing tale which is unlike anything you will have come across before. Many reviewers have compared 'Bellman & Black' unfavourably with her first book, 'The Thirteenth Tale' . This to my mind is rather unfair as they are so unalike in tone and style.
Rating: 4I think I may have enjoyed an advantage that people who did not like this book did not have. This is my first Setterfield book. I have not read The Thirteenth Tale so I had nothing to contrast and compare. Since everyone raves about it, I'll definitely add it to my queue.That being said, I loved Bellman and Black. It was a sad, mournful and gray book, melancholy in its delivery but beautifully written. It was absolutely a ghost story, but not necessarily of the usual variety. It moves with a solemn reverence. It makes you remember that which is important to you. The audiobook is well done. Jack Davenport is an excellent narrator and his voices are well delineated. Thoroughly enjoyed his work and I look forward to hearing more of him.Recommended.
Rating: 4Several years ago I read Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, a book with books on the cover, a main character who is a biographer, and her subject who is a reclusive author. It was billed as gothic and mysterious, which are two adjectives from which I generally shy away. But the connection with books and the buzz it was generating was too hard to resist. And I liked it. I liked it enough to pick up Bellman and Black, the second offering from Setterfield, despite the fact that it is billed as a gothic ghost story. And although its subject matter is further afield from what usually read, it promised to be an interesting look into the height of the industrial revolution and the morbid Victorian celebration of death. Rooks are incredibly intelligent birds. They have been documented making and using tools, they are thought to have long memories, and they are often found in myth as birds of prophecy and as symbols of death. There is something preternaturally intriguing about them for sure. When young William Bellman wants to show off his new catapult to his friends, he chooses to shoot a rock at a distant rook, killing it on impact. After admiring the true shot, he and his friends all go home and forget about the dead rook. But the parish, building, clamour, parliament, storytelling, or whatever collective noun you choose, of rooks do not forget their fallen comrade. Life goes on for William though and he seems to live a good and charmed one at that. He learns his uncle's cloth dyeing textile business. He marries happily and has several children. He is wildly successful, well liked, and intelligent. But then tragedy overtakes him. First some of childhood friends die untimely deaths. Then his wife and all but one of his children succumb to an epidemic. As he lays in the graveyard consumed with grief and worry about his final living child who is clearly dying as well, a mysterious stranger who had appeared at all of the funerals William himself has had to attend over the past few years happens upon him and plants an idea, an opportunity arising out of the ashes of the dead, in William's head. William agrees to this deal and his daughter Dora slowly starts to recover. He stops caring about the dyeing industry and turns his attention to the business of death and mourning, building an enormous monument to the grave, a funerary emporium, death's department store. He creates Bellman and Black, purveyors of all things needed to mourn and to die. Setterfield has written an unsettling story that is no traditional ghost story. Certainly Bellman is haunted by the death he caused so long ago and the losses he suffers in his own life but there is something more, something subtle, dark, and somber to this tale than just a simple ghost story. Almost half of the novel details the charmed life that William leads, going into detail about the processes in the cloth industry. He seems truly to be "to the good" until his own grief threatens to pull him into the grave that so many of his beloved already inhabit. And then he changes, becoming melancholy, obsessed with death, gloomy, and cold. He is driven to make his new business a success and he does that even as the narrative tension starts to tauten with an ominous unease. As those around him wonder about the shadowy Mr. Black, the reader must wonder too if he in fact exists or is just the tortured image of Bellman's increasingly unsettled mind. Setterfield skillfully evokes the Victorian sensibility with her writing. Through the characters of William and the mysterious stranger, she offers half hidden and obscured intentions that make the story a degree more menacing than it might be otherwise. The interspersed passages about rooks and the mythology behind them are interesting, especially as they are symbols of memory, and these bits certainly add a creepy fascination to the reading. And yet there is little here to keep the reader turning pages beyond Bellman's torments as few of the other characters are well enough described to hold the reader's attention. Setterfield is a writer who knows how to use and manipulate language beautifully but this novel just doesn't have the fullness of an intriguing story behind it on which to hang those elegant and precise words.
Rating: 3Yep, had to give up on this one.
I thought the writing was beautiful - rich, descriptive, and evocative - but I could not get with the story. Page after page of this guy in his mill. How not exciting.
And I'm all for the character building novel, but give me a character that is getting built. All I got was an endless litany of how a clothing mill operates.
Next...
Rating: 1I thought the writing was beautiful - rich, descriptive, and evocative - but I could not get with the story. Page after page of this guy in his mill. How not exciting.
And I'm all for the character building novel, but give me a character that is getting built. All I got was an endless litany of how a clothing mill operates.
Next...
Another e-book that spent a year unreviewed. See a theme here? Also I should start with a note - I am not a fan of supernatural storylines. And I did really enjoy another of Setterfield's novels, The Thirteenth Tale, though there was a strong homage tone there.William Bellman kills a rook with a catapult at the age of 11, and for years it seems to bring him good luck. Slowly his wonderful life is eroded and he spends more and more of his time at funerals, where he always sees a ghostly stranger. The stranger has a business proposition for him...This reminded me very much of another book, and I cannot think which one it is (I think it's a Philippa Gregory one?), in which the women are very conscious of the circle of fortune - sometimes a family is at the top, and sometimes at the bottom. Really well written, though like Life After Life, could have done with some of the chapters having been cut down. I wasn't a fan of the supernatural aspect and in fact found the non-resolution of it quite frustrating. But, it didn't bother me as much as it might have.
Rating: 4I loved "The ThirteenthTale" and was looking forward to Diane Setterfield's second book. "Bellman & Black" is quite a disappointment. William Bellman killed a rook when he was a child and this cruel action haunted his whole life...
Rating: 2Like a bizarre (and more original) Mr. Selfridge.
Rating: 3Great mystery novel. About a guy who goes from black sheep of the family to becoming the owner of the family imperium. He gets dragged into it more and more deeper only to find out he was wrong all the time. I found the story line sometimes moves a bit too fast. Still a good read.
Rating: 4While Setterfield's beautiful, vivid writing is as engaging and atmospheric as it was in The Thirteenth Tale, the plot of Bellman & Black bogs down as it meanders toward an unsurprising end.
Rating: 3The story begins with William as a young boy killing a rook with his slingshot. Then, moves to his young adulthood where he is gifted and blessed with wealth, family, etc. However, when tragedy strikes, he becomes obsessed with death creating a large emporium to meet the needs of those grieving. I really loved Setterfield's Thirteenth Tale, so I was excited to begin this book. The overarching theme of rooks with memory was strong but I found the book too choppy and too long to be cohesive.
Rating: 3I admit I kept reading to see if it would ever reach resolution. It just kinda ended.After reading The Thirteenth Tale I expected a lot more out of this book. I was disappointed.
Rating: 2Great disappointment. Wonder if she blew it all in the Thirteenth tale.
Rating: 2Not at all as good as The Thirteenth Tale but still gorgeously written and exquisitely told. Diane Setterfield writes like an artistic magician. Recommended for the writing if not the story itself.
Rating: 4Rooks and the industrial revolution.This novel was an interesting book for group discussion because, like The Thirteenth Tale, there were aspects of the narrative that were left to the discretion of the reader to unravel. It also contained passages of sheer brilliance; Ms Setterfield has a wonderful way with words. Unfortunately The Thirteenth Tale had a finale that left me blown away and that was missing from Bellman and Black. Our book group was also a bit underwhelmed by all the references to rooks.The introduction suggests that this is a ghost story, but I think readers would be disappointed if that is what they are hoping for. It's a painting of a man in the industrial revolution, who comes from a lower middle class family but makes good through sheer hard work and determination.William Bellman is an absolute workaholic. He starts out employed at his uncle's mill and eventually opens a one-stop-emporium for the sale of funereal items. I admired the author's descriptions of his work ethic, I almost felt exhausted just reading about how much he fitted into a day!Although the story opens with William shooting a perfect curve and slaying a young rook, it was questionable as to how this fitted in with the rest of the narrative. Did the rook haunt him throughout his life, or was it just an inspiration for all the shades of black that are later available in his mourning goods business? His life had its share of sorrows too - were these pay-back for the death of the rook?I loved the descriptions of industrial life in the textile mill, William's interactions with the staff and his dedication to the job. Then he opens his emporium and pours all of himself into that. Partly this is a reaction to the grief that is in his life, partly, I think, his whole work ethic. I had expected more to come of Girl 9, I had hoped for some denouement. Who was the man lurking at the funerals and later named Mr Black? (My book group had a theory about that but no spoilers here!)The Thirteenth Tale was a hard act to follow and this fell a bit short. I shall still be rushing out to get a copy of anything else Diana Setterfield writes, but next time I hope we'll get a stunning ending :)
Rating: 5After reading and raving about Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, I was excited to get a chance to read her latest novel, Bellman & Black.In the English countryside during the reign of Queen Victoria, a ten year old boy, trying to impress his friends, kills a rook with a slingshot. Although William Bellman feels remorse, he soon forgets this incident. But rooks, apparently, never forget. As Bellman grows, his life seems charmed. He goes to work for his uncle, who owns a mill. William becomes the manager, and the mill grows more and more successful. He spends his evenings at the local pub, and is popular with all.When William's mother Dora dies, he notices a mysterious stranger at the funeral. Thereafter, he encounters this man at every funeral he attends. William marries and eventually has four children. When his uncle dies, William takes over the mill and the business grows and strengthens. When a devastating disease spreads through the town, Bellman's wife and three youngest children (as well as many villagers) die. His eldest, Dora, is dying. At the churchyard, Bellman sees the mysterious stranger. Bellman comes to an agreement with him. Dora is spared, but not unscarred. Bellman goes on to open a successful London emporium, which he names Bellman & Black. This macabre store caters to all things funerary. Mourning clothes in shades of black; coffins; stationery.Bellman sees "Mr. Black" the night before the store opening. Although he sets aside a generous portion of the profits from the store for him, Bellman does not see Mr. Black for many years.This is quite a bizarre story. It is interspersed with facts and lore about rooks. William Bellman is as strange a character as the mysterious Mr. Black. He works relentlessly, rarely sparing time for his beloved family. In London, he owns several homes, but lives at the store. And for such an intelligent man, it just takes him too long to realize who Mr. Black actually is.So-did I like this book? Yes, but I didn't love it. The concept is bizarre, and the plot is nowhere near as interesting as The Thirteenth Tale. But I would definitely look forward to reading anything that Diane Setterfied writes, as her style is so elegant and precise.
Rating: 4The purpose of this book totally escapes me.It is advertised as a ghost story. The only ghost here must be the writerSurely not the same writer who penned The Thirteen TaleWhat a disappointment!
Rating: 2Terribly disappointed in Setterfield. Loved The Thirtheenth Tale and was so excited to see her new book. I couldn't get into it. It was exhausting. There were hints of some ghostlike/otherworld activity promised but wasn't enough to keep me clued in.
Rating: 1I-- like so many others-- loved Diane Setterfield's first book, The Thirteenth Tale; however, do not make the mistake of reading Bellman & Black expecting it to be more of the same. It most decidedly is not. If you're the type of reader who wants "something to happen" on a regular basis throughout the story, this may not be the book for you. Also, in some places online I've seen this book subtitled "A Ghost Story." The ghosts in this book are not ones we've come to expect from stories with this label. At the rate that I'm throwing up caution signs, you're going to think that I didn't enjoy the book. You would be wrong. It all boils down to a matter of reader expectations. The fewer you have, the more likely you are to enjoy this book. What were mine? I expected to read a very special story, and I did.Bellman & Black is firmly rooted in Victorian England. As William's responsibilities grow at the textile mill, Setterfield makes us right at home in that world. Through William's knack for business, engineering, and innovation, we see the burgeoning power of an industrial nation. When he completely switches gears and turns his talents to the retail trade, we see how a nation concerns itself with death and all its trappings. The author's research gives us a very firm foundation upon which to view her main character's world. And into this world of success is woven fairy tale-like elements of unease. Of something not being right. Of someone, or some thing, always looking over William Bellman's shoulder. Rooks-- those English cousins of American crows-- figure into the story from the very first page. Their appearance, their behavior, how they've played a role in the stories man has told throughout the millennia. They come to represent thoughts that William does not want to think, to represent memories that William wants to forget. The ghosts in this story are not moaning specters carrying clanking chains, although Bellman is caught in his own hellish version of A Christmas Carol. They are the ghosts of regret and pain and fear... all the nasty things that happen to us that we want to shove in a closet and keep there.I rapidly became immersed in this quiet story. The world Setterfield creates is a very Dickensian one, and I felt at home in the language and the visual feast she put before me. William Bellman is a complicated man, but throughout his somewhat misguided life, I cared what happened to him. Throughout the book, time flows in its own pattern. A year can take chapters, or in the space of two pages, several years can pass. Floating along in the gentle current of the narrative, I was never thrown to shore. Bellman & Black has a much narrower field of vision than Setterfield's first book, but in its own way, it is every bit as powerful.
Rating: 4I first encountered Diane Setterfield with her first book, The Thirteenth Tale. It was amazing and wonderful and I loved it so much that I bought my own copy. The one I read was from my friends at the library. Well, my friends at the library have supplied me with yet another fix from this wonderful writer.I have read some of the reviews posted online for this book. I suppose all I can say is everyone's taste is different. I can see how many would not find this book to their liking. And there are also those that are upset that it is so different from The Thirteenth Tale. But, I believe the fact of how different it is shows how good of a writer Diane Setterfield is.The story is beautiful, slow and haunting. Its rather "slow" by today's standard. Far more belonging with the Gothic tales of the Victorian Era. Much more a study of the characters and how a person's interpretation of one incident can relay the chart of their lives.The story begins with the murder of a rook by a flawless shot of a child. And the rooks haunt the story throughout. The boy grows to manhood and masters all he touches, till one day it all comes crashing back down. And unnamed bargain is made with the man in Black, a bargain that is assumed but never defined. And it is upon this that the new world is built and the web of mystery woven.Its a fascinating look into the mind of obsession, of human frailty and how foolish we humans often are. I think my favorite line is we are, "an entertainment of humans".
Rating: 4The first half of this story has potential in terms of background, supporting characters, time and place, and then all potential is just discarded in favor of Bellman and Black. Perhaps that is the entire point of the book--if it's not, I don't know what is.
Rating: 2I really wanted Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield to be as good, if not better than The Thirteenth Tale. Unfortunately I did not enjoy Bellman & Black, which is not to say it is in any manner poorly written. Setterfield is an exceptional storyteller; unfortunately this story is just not one that grabbed me.
Rating: 3Bellman and Black is the first book that I have read by Setterfield, and I found it to be a well written haunting tale. Bellman & Black is not written as your typical ghost story, but it does haunt the reader just the same. William as a young boy kills a rook, and that moment ends up haunting him the rest of his life even if it is not always in the forefront of his mind. William leads a full life with a wife and his children until tragedy strikes, and William enters into a deal that changes things dramatically. Black is never really present in the book except for a few moments here and there, but William is constantly awaiting his return. Building his new business, William tries to bury himself in work, but nothing can stop what haunts him for long. Setterfield does deliver a compelling tale that proves hard to forget.Received a copy of Bellman & Black through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3(I received an early release galley copy from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley!) First I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It held my attention and taught me quite a bit about the businesses that Mr. Bellman threw himself so completely into. It is beautifully written. However, there were a few flaws (dare I use that term?) that held me back from giving it five stars. If you are a fan of Edgar Allan Poe I suspect you may enjoy this book as much as I did. It has a hint of darkness -- not a raven, but a rook (same family, I believe). But overall "Bellman and Black" seemed to be more a novella than a novel (although a bit long for a novella). A novel generally has a main plot with several subplots going on at the same time to add complexity; a novella is not as complex. "Bellman and Black basically has one story throughout the entire book. Only one character is thoroughly developed in "Bellman and Black". With only one character developed this lends to only one point of view. There is a lot of detail regarding the work that Bellman oversees. I suspect that will bore quite a few people. I actually found those parts very interesting.The full title of this book is actually "Bellman and Black: A Ghost Story". I'm not sure why it is called a ghost story. Yes, like Poe's stories there is a dark side but I would not put it in the category of ghost stories. Yet, even with all my negative criticisms, I did enjoy it very much.
Rating: 4Diane Setterfield's award winning, debut novel - The Thirteenth Tale, was a lovely, atmospheric 'ghost' story. Her second novel is Bellman and Black. Set in the past in England, Bellman and Black opens with young William Bellman launching the perfect slingshot volley - unexpectedly hitting it's target - a young rook. (a member of the crow family) That seemingly innocuous event forever marks young William's life. It isn't even an event he remembers. But he is afraid of birds..... Initially seen as a bit of a ne'er do well, young William finds his place in the world, successfully moving into a family business, marrying and having a family. But misfortune enters William's life as friends and family members die. And at each funeral William sees a mysterious man in black. A man with whom he eventually partners with in a new venture - a funeral emporium. Bellman and Black. I was very much looking forward the this second novel. But, I found myself somewhat disappointed. The story is slow to evolve, with much detail included in building both time and place. I did find the historical details included interesting, but I wanted more. I wanted something to happen. The man in black is mysterious, but there isn't enough of a build-up to the final reveal for me to be even remotely chilled. The role of rooks in history, myth and lore is discussed at the beginning of many chapters. Paying attention to that precluded any surprises that came with the final chapters. British cover versions of this book have added the sub-title of "A Ghost Story". This was not included on the North American cover. And wisely. While it's eerie, it doesn't cross into ghost territory in my opinion. Instead I found myself thinking of Poe's The Raven and Hitchcock's The Birds. Good, but not great for this reader. I found I was too easily able to put the book down. However, Setterfield's prose are excellent - I would pick up the next book by this author.
Rating: 3