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angelamichelle's review
4.0
Not for everyone, but I loved it. Witty, sadly charming, strange, but sweet. Mr. Chartwell is a huge black dog who personifies (literally)...well, read and find out.
lyndacclark's review against another edition
4.0
Reminded me somewhat of Meet Joe Black. This is a far more intelligent offering of course, but the personification of depression and the sense that beneath the surface he is not entirely happy in his work definitely had parallels with the film. Makes you think without being an overly taxing/excessively 'literary' read.
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is brilliantly unique; a fascinating literal interpretation of Winston Churchill and his "black dog". The way the dog manifests for Churchill and for Esther is markedly different and highlights how depression can hit so differently.
There's a dark humour running through the story (and I love that the Chartwell cat Jock has his part to play). Winston and Clementine's fictional counterparts are beautifully wrought. Esther's story entwines well with Winston's and I loved how they come together at the end.
This manages to face a difficult subject head on, but with an underlying thread of optimism. A really clever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
mikewa14's review
4.0
Quirky and thought provoking book - review here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/mr-chartwell-rebecca-hunt.html
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/mr-chartwell-rebecca-hunt.html
cathyatratedreads's review
3.0
I'd definitely give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. Great read and a very clever, even unique (don't get to say that often) premise. Winston Churchill described his depression as a "black dog," and in this book, Rebecca Hunt makes depression a huge, monstrous, talking, bothersome black dog who hounds those he's assigned to visit.
In the novel, Churchill is on the eve of retiring from his 64 years of public service, and Black Pat is busy torturing him. His only breaks come when the dog is working on young librarian Esther, who is experiencing the second anniversary of her husband's death. Churchill would like to rid himself of the dog's involvement in his life, but as his momentous occasion briefly intersects with Esther's difficult day, he sees that he has an opportunity to encourage someone else to be rid of the dog. Depression may have settled in permanently for one character, but it might not have to be an ongoing presence for another, if she has the strength to combat it.
Hunt's novel is a clever and intriguing examination of depression and how it can settle into one's life. The conversations Esther and Churchill have with Black Pat are insightful and fascinating, giving form to what is usually shapeless. The dog is persuasive, intelligent and derisive. But, as the book eventually shows, however insistent Mr. Chartwell is, there is hope.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mr-chartwell-clean-fiction-book-review/
In the novel, Churchill is on the eve of retiring from his 64 years of public service, and Black Pat is busy torturing him. His only breaks come when the dog is working on young librarian Esther, who is experiencing the second anniversary of her husband's death. Churchill would like to rid himself of the dog's involvement in his life, but as his momentous occasion briefly intersects with Esther's difficult day, he sees that he has an opportunity to encourage someone else to be rid of the dog. Depression may have settled in permanently for one character, but it might not have to be an ongoing presence for another, if she has the strength to combat it.
Hunt's novel is a clever and intriguing examination of depression and how it can settle into one's life. The conversations Esther and Churchill have with Black Pat are insightful and fascinating, giving form to what is usually shapeless. The dog is persuasive, intelligent and derisive. But, as the book eventually shows, however insistent Mr. Chartwell is, there is hope.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mr-chartwell-clean-fiction-book-review/
meghan111's review
3.0
Winston Churchill referred to his depression as "the black dog." This novel imagines if that was a real, literal dog. In 1967, on the eve of Churchill's retirement from Parliament and public life, a giant black dog (who goes by the name Mr. Chartwell or Black Pat) comes to stay with a quiet library clerk named Esther, who has a room to rent. This talking dog has a job to do that involves Churchill somehow.
The extended metaphor is funny but never really resonated with me as a way of envisioning the effect of depression on someone's mind. The wispy library clerk, described in terms of flyaway cardigans and stained work dresses, is the only character with whom I felt a connection. A connection with her, as well as another metaphor for depression the author keeps returning to: a wave of blackness, ebbing and flowing, while the swimmer tries to keep sight of a distant tiny light on the shore. Those were the highlights of the novel for me.
It's an odd book, and it didn't seem quite like "magical realism", more like allegory.
The extended metaphor is funny but never really resonated with me as a way of envisioning the effect of depression on someone's mind. The wispy library clerk, described in terms of flyaway cardigans and stained work dresses, is the only character with whom I felt a connection. A connection with her, as well as another metaphor for depression the author keeps returning to: a wave of blackness, ebbing and flowing, while the swimmer tries to keep sight of a distant tiny light on the shore. Those were the highlights of the novel for me.
It's an odd book, and it didn't seem quite like "magical realism", more like allegory.
magicacat's review
4.0
"That's not love. It's possession."
I loved the analogy of the Black Dog insinuating himself into lives and disrupting them until they're unrecognisable.
I loved the analogy of the Black Dog insinuating himself into lives and disrupting them until they're unrecognisable.
nicoralation's review
2.0
I can't wait to read this something else by this writer. She has a talent for language and consistency that I admire. This particular story intrigued me, but didn't fully engage me but I will be watching for her next novel.
carrieliza's review
4.0
A really inventive, engaging look at depression. It's especially interesting through Esther's eyes, as the reader experiences her introduction, confusion, and triumph with it.