maggiefan
Written on Jul 31, 2019
A haunting Victorian ghost story of love, loss and the mystery of death from the bestselling author of THE THIRTEENTH TALE and ONCE UPON A RIVER
'Fabulous' THE TIMES
'This is a ghost story and while it is dark, atmospheric and full of death, what I loved was its life and colour. Setterfield is brilliant at character and setting and can make even a woollen mill fascinating and utterly riveting. A rags -to-riches tale with a spooky twist' Wendy Holden, DAILY MAIL
As a boy, William Bellman commits one small cruel act that appears to have unforeseen and terrible consequences. The killing of a rook with his catapult is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. And by the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, he seems indeed, to be a man blessed by fortune.
Until tragedy strikes, and the stranger in black comes, and William Bellman starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed. Desperate to save the one precious thing he has left, he enters into a bargain. A rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner, to found a decidedly macabre business.
And Bellman & Black is born.
- ISBN10 1409128067
- ISBN13 9781409128069
- Publish Date 25 September 2014 (first published 10 October 2013)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Orion Publishing Co
- Imprint Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 416
- Language English
Reviews
celinenyx
Written on Mar 25, 2014
The story follows the life of William Bellman, a boy that kills a rook when he was young. Apart from William's life, there is barely any plot.
I have the vague impression that I've either (1) completely missed the point of the book or (2) the point was so terribly done that that what I got was all that there was. I think I understand what Ms Setterfield was going for. Bellman and Black tries to be a haunting book about a boy whose life is set in stone after one action. Instead we read a meandering tale about one man that goes through life, does things, with some random dude that pops up once in a while doing absolutely nothing.
Rooks are a huge part of the story, and the author tries to convince us of the awesomeness and cleverness of them. To be honest I don't give a flying Frisbee about birds. The tiny chapters describing the (made up) history of rooks felt forced and admittedly pretty dull.
William is a business man. First he works in a mill where textile is made and dyed, and after a while he becomes manager of the mill and spreads his empire. Huge parts of the book (almost all of it) deals with William doing businessy things. It describes how he treats the employees, how he goes around his note keeping, how he barely spends any time at home... Again, almost no plot here.
I honestly don't know what to make of Bellman and Black. The writing is easy and nice, which is probably the only reason I managed to finish the book. It wasn't even a bad book, just a rather pointless one.
Rinn
Written on Nov 19, 2013
It is rather difficult to write a review for this book for some reason, because not much really happened.
That is not to say that it was a dull book, but the story progresses very slowly. The book begins with a young William Bellman, and slowly takes the reader through his life: from the start of the story where he kills a rook, through his advancement at the mill, through all the deaths and hardships of his life and on to the opening of his mourning emporium, Bellman & Black. And throughout his life, a mysterious figure, dressed all in black.
Although the book is snail-paced, it works very well for showing William’s character and nature: inquisitive and curious, hard-working and dedicated. The reader also gets a feel for how William’s life feels, with the people he loves dying all around him, whilst he still fights on. What’s most interesting is that, despite the book feeling this way, it skips over big chunks of time – one minute William is just a young boy, the next he is nearly twenty years old, then suddenly in his thirties.
The chapters are interspersed with facts about rooks, occasionally hinting at how rooks never forget, creating an eerie tone that looms over William throughout the course of the book. However, this is pretty much as eerie as it gets. There are no big shocks, no horrific moments, even the mysterious Mr. Black isn’t that creepy. For something labelled as a ghost story, it sure doesn’t feel like one.
I wasn’t very satisfied by the ending. I was expecting some sort of big surprise or revelation, some explanation for the previous events: but nothing. However, despite the slow pace of the book, and not much happening, it is when Bellman finally opens his ‘mourning emporium’ that things get much more interesting. I loved the description of the building and all the items within – who knew there could be so many shades of black?!
I also spent the majority of the book working out where it was supposed to be set. It kept mentioning Stroud in the chapters about the wool mill, which is the town where I went to school and used to play a big part in the wool industry, so I assume it is based in Gloucestershire. It also mentions Bristol and Oxford, which widens the area but I’ve just come to the conclusion that it’s set in the south-west of England somewhere!
Overall, definitely an interesting story and concept, although with some rather dull moments – however these aren’t too common – though I would have liked more of a resolution.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Oct 22, 2013
The tale begins when we meet our protagonists as he revisits the summer he and his friends were eleven. It was a summer of magic, of boys being boys, of limited possibilities. It was also when, with his well crafted sling-shot, he took aim and made an impossible shot; killing a black rook. It is a deed that will haunt him and overshadow events throughout his life. Described as a ghost story, it is more than that, as our protagonist William Bellman struggles with the demons that dance in his self-conscious. This was an odd tale of one man’s life, reminiscent of Charles Dickens and perhaps written in an attempt to capture the dark beauty that is, Edgar Allen Poe.
William Bellman is an odd man, complex, driven, haunted and an unreliable narrator. The man was haunted, in particular by events and a mystery man named Black. Tragedy and loss, success and restlessness, haunt our protagonist. While I cannot say I ever warmed up to William, I certainly experienced his emotions. I couldn’t help but wonder if William was simply disturbed, or if he was truly plagued, making the tale compelling and unsettling. We meet his family, and other characters that help shape our opinions and reveal sides of William. The characters William interacts with aren’t fleshed out, including his daughter who herself was an odd creature. I was intrigued by her, and wish her presence was more in-depth. There are love interests, but even those are overshadowed by William’s thoughts and drive.
Bellman & Black was beautifully written, wholly character driven and deliciously strange. Fans of Hitchcock and Poe will enjoy its odd nuances. The tale takes us through William’s life from the darkest to the brightest moments. We get caught up in his emotions, drive, fears and perhaps paranoia. The plot itself moves at a meandering pace, with heightened moments as we travel towards meeting Black. Throughout the book, we are given information about the Rook all of which I found fascinating. As I read I had a sense of foreboding, and constantly wondered as to William’s state of mind. This book was never boring, but the pacing may disappoint some. I am a huge fan of Poe and Dickens and some of the author’s dark and atmospheric passages regarding death and loss captured their essence. This is not your typical ghost story, and I am even hesitant to mention that, since I feel it will mislead the reader. Refreshing and different Bellman & Black was a tale that I enjoyed but fear it will only appeal to a unique audience. I would be selective as to whom I would recommend it.
Bellman & Black was a dark tale that will unsettle and fascinate the reader. It is not one you will read at a maddening pace, or become euphoric after reading. Instead it will make you ponder, and the next time you see a Rook, you might stop and pause.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Lianne
Written on Oct 14, 2013
Instead, I found myself trudging through the novel. It wasn’t quite what I expected it to be compared to the premise provided: the novel focused a lot on William’s backstory and family affairs and everyday business dealings. I don’t mind backstory as it gives the reader a sense of who the character is but 30% into the novel, I found myself wondering when Mr. Black and the “macabre” side of the story would start. And when the macabre/Gothic elements did kick in, it felt rather mute compared to the rest of the story.
Bellman and Black I think would make a visually interesting movie but as a novel, it felt like a miss to me: something was missing to make it really interesting for me (especially compared to her first novel, which I loved). Maybe my expectations were too high but the novel lost my attention somewhere halfway.
You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/10/14/review-bellman-and-black/
Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews
Written on Oct 12, 2013
The rise of his business was interesting but I wish there had been more of those moments, instead I found Scrooge counting his money late into the night, but unlike Scrooge his heart of ice never melted. Bellman and Black was the story of William Black's life, I understand that life is not eventful from beginning to end but I felt like there was something missing. While Bellman and Black did contain the elegant writing that was expected I felt the storyline did not match and just fell flat.
I recieved a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
violetpeanut
Written on Sep 16, 2013
Fans of historical fiction - particularly Victorian era - may enjoy this as the descriptions of the mill and the mourning rituals are very well researched and were fascinating.
Overall, this is not a bad book. It's just not what I was expecting and I wish there was a little more excitement to the plot. I found this to be a very slow read with lots of details and some repetition in the descriptions of William's daily routines. Some readers will love this and rate it much higher than I have. I would recommend this as a book club read or to fans of historical fiction but I would not necessarily recommend it to fans of the author's first book.