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madmooney's review against another edition
4.0
Quick thoughts: I enjoyed Setterfield's ability to give her story a placeless and timeless feel (much like she did in The Thirteenth Tale) Its difficult to effectively describe the plot of the book without describing the 1st half of it. Basically, it is a "man makes a deal with with force(s) he doesn't understand when tragedy strikes" sort of story...but it is so much more than that. I never would have guessed an author would have been able to make the textile industry sound interesting enough to read about...good on you, Diane!
s_l's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amcc92's review against another edition
2.0
this book didnt come close to The Thirteenth Tale, which is amazing! i was honestly disappointed with this book, and i wouldnt suggest it to anyone. while there was a couple aspects i liked, such as the main character, it didnt make up for the blah plot line.
coffee_and_wool's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
nancy33's review against another edition
1.0
I kept waiting for the Ghost story or at least some plot twist! It was a long, slow plot that ended exactly nowhere. If the ending was decent, I would have give it 2 or 3 stars, as the writing was enjoyable at times. The poor ending just left me so annoyed that the rating was reduced to 1 sad star.
cheekylaydee's review against another edition
4.0
A solid 4 stars, but with the standard of Dianne Setterfield's writing it couldn't be anything less. The thing is, for those of us that started with her debut, The Thirteenth Tale, anything else is going to pale in comparison.
The Thirteenth Tale is literally literary perfection and so when she came out with that as a debut, the bar was set almost impossibly high.
Having said that, Bellman and Black has all the creepy hauntedness of your typical Victorian Gothic novel. A man, who on the surface of it, seems to have made a success of himself but on the inside he's a torchured soul who can no longer connect to the people around him which makes him an empty vessel.
This is a great character study, where you see the rise and decline of a man who grapples with his own sense of loss whilst at the same time accumulating material wealth. But what ultimately counts?
Gripping, compulsively readable. Recommended.
The Thirteenth Tale is literally literary perfection and so when she came out with that as a debut, the bar was set almost impossibly high.
Having said that, Bellman and Black has all the creepy hauntedness of your typical Victorian Gothic novel. A man, who on the surface of it, seems to have made a success of himself but on the inside he's a torchured soul who can no longer connect to the people around him which makes him an empty vessel.
This is a great character study, where you see the rise and decline of a man who grapples with his own sense of loss whilst at the same time accumulating material wealth. But what ultimately counts?
Gripping, compulsively readable. Recommended.
sjruskin's review against another edition
2.0
Really wanted to like this book, but when I was done my only feeling was "Huh." felt like there must be something I'm missing.
freckleduck's review against another edition
2.0
I’m confused. I read this book because I love the authors writing style and although I finished the book. I found it to be confusing and to be honest not concrete enough.