Bellman & Black: A Novel

I'm surprised at how many negative reviews there are of this book. I read The Thirteenth Tale and loved it, but this book is excellent as well. It is the story of a driven man who is a talented businessman. His life is taken up by the pursuit of "busy-ness," and he is a micromanager. This isn't a person who stops to smell the roses; he is unable to appreciate fully his many blessings, and even after a harsh life lesson continues down his obsessive path. I think there is a good analogy there for all of us, and read this with great interest. I am eagerly awaiting the author's next novel.

I absolutely loved The Thirteenth Tale so I was really excited when I saw that Ms. Setterfield had written another book, but I was nervous when I saw all of the negative reviews. I will say the reviews were unfortunately not unfounded. It's hard to say exactly what is wrong with this book. I think it starts in the wrong place and rushes the ending. It follows the course of William Black from the age of 11 when he kills a rook with a slingshot to adulthood and a ghostly encounter in a cemetery one night. This encounter takes place about a third of the way into the novel and it's really where the book should have started. Everything before it was just filler as his personality changed so much as a result of it that everything you learned about him was no longer applicable. I was also really disappointed by the climax of the novel. I really thought if it was something extraordinary that it could make up for the rest of the book but it wasn't. That being said it wasn't all bad. The writing is very good and immersive. I also liked the fact that the book doesn't give you a specific time that it's set in. It's the Victorian era but it feels very contemporary. I would recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of the author or who likes gothic novels. It is worth reading, but it's definitely one I'd get from the library.

Slow, boring, detailed, and tedious to read

This story was completely...pointless. Page after page of nothing really. I love me some dark Victorian gothic, but (someone correct me if I'm wrong), there was never any real establishment of a period in time. Of course I've read many a book that leaves that to the reader's inference, but you never really get a sense of time here. The mill, the workings of which takes up the first half of the book, could be anywhere, existing at any time. Once Bellman & Black (the shop) is established, which takes up the second half of the book, you finally get a sense of Victorian London. The seemingly ENDLESS descriptions of the B&B shop was really a struggle to get through. This was not descriptions and details of which immerses you in the life and times, but tedious, arduous descriptions that did nothing but build frustration and irritation.
I stuck it out and did end up finishing the book, solely because I kept expecting some exciting plot twist (there had to be! I had read through so much lackluster verbiage that there must be some redeeming prize at the end!). Niente. Nada. The [non]ending did nothing but leave me with the question, "What was the point of the whole story?"

A book that I didn't want to end, although it took me about 75 pages to know that. The life story of a man with a hard beginning in a time when family history determined what your limits were. He becomes successful, but there are always the rooks (crows) that haunt him. He killed a rook as a boy, almost by accident, and the shadow falls across his life. The book takes place at the end of the 1800s. Bellman has a difficult life and works so hard that his personal life shrinks as his work life grows. The darkness that he is running from, however, has longer legs than he does.

The book is beautifully written. You know the characters, you live their lives. In the end, when there are no more surprises, it is satisfying. A wonderful read, haunted and beautiful.

I was delivered a different cover than depicted in this listing. It's perfectly fine, but I wanted specifically the other cover. I wish it was disclosed in the description

Dianne Setterfield does not disappoint in this thought provoking novel about dealing with our own mortality while living “successfully”. What is success, really? This thrilling story explores concepts of coming to terms with the reality of death while maintaining life and breath. A dark, cautionary tale of pursuing success at the expense of living a meaningful life is very relevant in today’s culture. I enjoyed this book and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I remain a devoted fan of Setterfield’s work.

I found this book fascinating with an eerie foreboding quality reflecting Poe and other authors engaging in dark things over which we have little control. I have read other works in which ravens/rooks have played an important roll and it all usually ends up poorly. In addition to a setting which appeared to be well-researched and detailed (I learned a lot about early cloth making), the drama supersedes the setting. In a plot in which the actions of youth take a dark turn, the seeds of death are planted early. Death bides its time until a vulnerable moment and leads the unsuspecting target into its web by encouraging natural talents and tendencies. What is left unsaid is more important than what is said as the efforts of the victim dig the hole deeper. The book leaves much unexplained which might be disconcerting, but then, who can read the mind of Black?

This is her second novel and was just as good as her first, "The Thirteenth Tale". Characters are meaty with a lot of depth. The plot is intriguing and will keep you glued to the page. Very unusual plot - I don't want to say more because it would detract from the impact.

Read it!

Overall Rating- 3.25/5

Completely Spoiler Free (I don’t want to talk about this book anymore than I must...)

I began Bellman and Black with no expectations. I was drawn to it only because it had a gorgeous cover and was on the five dollar rack at Barnes & Noble. I have not read Diane Setterfield’s other novel, The Thirteenth Tale, and I was unaware that her first book had been well- received. I was intrigued by the summary… A young boy by the name of William Bellman living in Victorian England made a simple mistake as a child that he would soon forget, but would eventually come back to haunt him and destroy everything nearly everything he holds dear. Normally, I am not inclined to read paranormal thrillers, but the historical aspect of this story peaked my interest, and I decided to carve out a home for it on my bookshelf.

I am not the first, nor shall I be the last to say that this book was severely mislabeled. Not once was I ever under the impression that this was a ghost story. If anything, I found the story to be slow and confusing, dragged on for far too long with random time jumps. Normally, I do not have any issues with slow-burning novels, even those that lead to an anticlimactic conclusion, such as B&B. However, in order for a humdrum book to entertain a reader, it must have a likeable protagonist. William Bellman was no such character. Beginning the book as a perfectly nice young man, he eventually turns into a cold, unloving, middle-aged man who one is automatically inclined to dislike. His business, labeled in the synopsis as “macabre” lacked any sense of disturbia. With such an unlikable focus point, I was nearly tempted to put the book down.

However, I kept on reading, hoping to find a hidden gem among the rubble of this story. Sadly, any potentially interesting character in the story was ignored in order to hear more about the workings of a mill, or the purchasing of Italian silk. Mr. Black, whose name literally appears in the title of the book, rarely makes an appearance, and when he does, reveals no clues as to the “mystery” supposedly ingrained in the story. Bellman’s daughter, Dora, also showed promise, but her potentially fascinating character was pushed off to the side, along with every other female character in this story.

Despite the negative plotline, the writing was exquisite, and I felt that it truly captured the time period. Settefield wrote with an eloquence perfec to the atmosphere of the novel, and helped create vivid imagery that truly transported the reader into Victorian England. I only wish that the story had picked up, and included what more than just confusion and frustration.

Overall,
Positives-
Gorgeous writing
Interesting Premise

Negatives-
BORING, and confusing
Not a “paranormal mystery”
Literally no important female characters
Unlikable Protagonist