Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story

Nothing is as it seems in this tale. But one thing is for sure, not one of us will leave this life without experiencing grief, loss and death. But what are we to do with that fact? One hopes that you would fill your life with joy, reverence, meaning and the things that make this short and fragile life worth living.

Though we find out the fate of William Bellman within the first few lines of this book, what we come to understand is that no matter what he does, he cannot negotiate, buy or work his way out of his fate. None of us can. So the question becomes, how do you want to meet it and what kind of meaning will the story of your life hold when it is retold by the descendants of Thought and Memory?

I found there to be many ghosts in this book. The ghosts for me were the many questions that abounded as I read it. It was also not lost on me that a very close family member of mine was diagnosed with stage IV cancer as I completed this book and was given a specific amount of time to live.

These are just a few of the questions that haunted me. Is William really being unduly punished for a grave mistake he made when he was 10? Is he any more cursed than the next man or woman who loses everyone they love? Can one person really make the kind of bargain that would save another’s life? Why do human beings spend years and lifetimes trying to avoid the most painful of emotions and circumstances? What would have happened to William if he had made peace with his guilt and grief?

The things I took away from this book were:
If you do not deal with grief, it will deal with you.
Merely existing is not living life.
You cannot control or defeat death, but you can control how you live.

This book was beautifully written and I loved every page.

This is a very subtle, haunting and mysterious novel who slowly grips you, builds, and doesn't let go until the very end. Exquisitely written and masterfully read by Jack Davenport (whose voice is reminiscent of Jeremy Irons), this is not a casual read. For someone looking for a light, breezy, entertaining and superficial story, look elsewhere. This novel draws you in and beckons you to self-examination and reflection. Part Edgar Allan Poe ("The Raven"), part Robert Louis Stevenson (Jekyll and Hyde), part Oscar Wilde (The Portrait of Dorian Gray), part Charles Dickens (various novels), if any of those authors are to your liking. The story follows the British William Bellman from boyhood throughout his life, a driven, anxiety-ridden and complex character, with fascinating sub-characters.
I believe that labeling it a ghost story does it an injustice and is somewhat misleading and would estimate that some of the low reviews from readers are attributable to individuals who did not completely finish the novel or were expecting something very different.

From a young age, William Bellman knows the meaning of hard work and enterprise. His mind is never still, his ambitions always climbing him higher. But can an event from his past, a childhood memory, take all of that away? And what will he do to keep it?

I think I am in the minority with Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. I read it when it came out and wasn’t blown away. But the premise of her new book Bellman & Black was so intriguing, I had to give it a shot.

The story begins with William Bellman and a group of friends, out one day with a slingshot and a stone. From that day on, we follow Bellman’s life through his loves, family, successful businesses and most of all, the deaths of those around him. Immediately, I was gripped in the story. Listening to the audiobook on my commute made me happy to spend that time in the car. Happy, I tell you! Now, that’s saying something.

The richness of the story and gentle arc of the plot is well written, weaving the reading in and out of Bellman’s life. The settings, descriptions of the rooks, the mill and eventually the store Bellman & Black, are so beautifully done, I had no problem feeling as if I was right there with them.

I admit, I was disappointed with the ending. After all that life, death, mystery and haunting, I was ready for some big finish. Some final release. The aHa! moment. But instead of an explosion, the ending was a small shrug that left something to be desired.

The audiobook is read by Jack Davenport, who you may recognize from The Pirate’s of the Caribbean films Commodore James Norrington. His artistry really brought the book to new heights. The warmth of his voice, the perfectly chosen inflections and haunting timbre was the perfect pairing for this haunting tale. In fact, if you have before you a chilly winter day and a cup of hot chocolate, I would happily pop in this audiobook just to visit the world again and be comforted by Davenport’s expert voice.

Overall, the book is a mesmerizing tale performed by a fantastic voice actor. I spent many happy hours in the car absorbed in Bellman’s world.

This is not a ghost story! I don’t think it should be advertised as such! The writing is excellent but I wondered throughout the whole story where it was leading. It left me puzzled in the end.

Setterfield is a wonderful writer. This storyline, however, was not as captivating as "The Thirteenth Tale."

‘Without the past to cast its long shadow, might you see the future more clearly?’

Bellman & Black is the story of William Bellman who’s life was irrevocably altered after killing a crow with a slingshot when he was eleven years old. The brief yet ominous event foreshadows his life to come. William leads a prosperous life for many years having a large family and doing wells in business until it slowly begins to decay. A sickness spreads through his family and one by one they die yet at each of their funerals William Bellman is stricken to realize there is a smiling man dressed all in black, watching him. When William finds him one day in the graveyard, waiting with a suspicious proposition.

I think the fact that I actually have not yet read the much touted ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ was a benefit as I didn’t have the lofty expectations that others seemed to have going into this story. Alas, despite my lack of expectation this was still a dreadfully dull and disappointing tale. It had a very ‘Dickens’ writing style to it yet was less adroit. William Bellman even took on a similar feel to Ebenezer Scrooge who was obsessed with his business and making money (except William Bellman had a family to come home to). The attempted moral of this story is one choice can change everything, which is a powerful message, yet the deaths surrounding William Bellman didn’t even seem to be written as a result of him killing the crow but rather it was just an implied assumption. That powerful message was definitely diminished.

The beginning part of the story dawdles along telling the story of an unexceptional man and detailing his factory and the business he conducted. While it was evident that the author conducted the research necessary to make her detailing convincing, it didn’t generate an ounce of interest in me. It was historically interesting but not appealing in the least as it overwhelmed the story completely. I found myself halfway through and realized that I had no interest in any of the characters, there wasn’t a single ghost to be found in this ‘ghost story’ and any sort of plot was completely nonexistent. I was confused and incredibly bored. The second half didn’t get any better and the plot (and purpose of the story) remained absent. The one saving grace of this was my decision to opt for the audio route. Jack Davenport was a fantastic narrator and managed to make this a tolerable tale.