Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Diane Setterfield's Bellman & Black is an eerie ghost story set in England during the Victorian era. William Bellman's business successes are haunted by personal tragedy and in an effort to save his daughter from an untimely death, he enters into a bargain with a rather mysterious figure known only as Black.
Bellman & Black begins with the fateful day that ten year old William Bellman takes aim with his slingshot and kills a rook. We then follow William into adulthood where he becomes a successful businessman running the family mill, marries and fathers several children. He suffers many tragic losses and instead of mourning those deaths, William instead buries his grief in work. When faced with the prospect of losing his entire family during an epidemic, William makes a deal with a figure that has haunted him at various times in his life.
The first half of Bellman & Black is fast paced and quite interesting. William is a fascinating and intelligent character with extraordinary business acumen. He finds happiness in his personal life but he always remains very work oriented. The atmosphere of the story during this part of the story is light and rather hopeful despite William's ominous and unexplained sightings of a rather ghostly figure that appears after he experiences a loss.
It is at the mid-point of the novel that it takes a dark turn and the pacing becomes slow. The story becomes mired down in superfluous details and seems to lose focus after William strikes a vague deal with the ethereal Mr. Black and embarks on another business venture. The rest of the novel centers around the new business and Mr. Black seems to disappear.
Although it is not a typical ghost story, there is a supernatural quality to Bellman & Black. Diane Setterfield's research is meticulous and her attention to detail provides added depth and interest to the storyline. The plot is quite unique and there are some very interesting twists and turn. The ending is well done and answers a few of the questions that haunt William (and the reader) for much of the novel.
Bellman & Black begins with the fateful day that ten year old William Bellman takes aim with his slingshot and kills a rook. We then follow William into adulthood where he becomes a successful businessman running the family mill, marries and fathers several children. He suffers many tragic losses and instead of mourning those deaths, William instead buries his grief in work. When faced with the prospect of losing his entire family during an epidemic, William makes a deal with a figure that has haunted him at various times in his life.
The first half of Bellman & Black is fast paced and quite interesting. William is a fascinating and intelligent character with extraordinary business acumen. He finds happiness in his personal life but he always remains very work oriented. The atmosphere of the story during this part of the story is light and rather hopeful despite William's ominous and unexplained sightings of a rather ghostly figure that appears after he experiences a loss.
It is at the mid-point of the novel that it takes a dark turn and the pacing becomes slow. The story becomes mired down in superfluous details and seems to lose focus after William strikes a vague deal with the ethereal Mr. Black and embarks on another business venture. The rest of the novel centers around the new business and Mr. Black seems to disappear.
Although it is not a typical ghost story, there is a supernatural quality to Bellman & Black. Diane Setterfield's research is meticulous and her attention to detail provides added depth and interest to the storyline. The plot is quite unique and there are some very interesting twists and turn. The ending is well done and answers a few of the questions that haunt William (and the reader) for much of the novel.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you have an hard time with the concept of death, do not read this book. Or do. It might help.
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am not a liberal rater of books with 5 stars and this book solidly fell above 4 stars for me. Its begins slowly but is the kind of book that will leave you thinking on it afterwards. I think this book has great potential for discussion, book clubs, and even for a high school reading list.
The low ratings for this book seems to be related to it not being plot driven. Instead of having the character rushing through a series of challenges and adventures, a guy lives his life (in ~19th century England) through ups and downs and the book has some key points to make to the reader about life and how its lived. These are revealed slowly, creating a mystery (not unlike The 13th Tale) but at enough of a pace that a reader could see where she was going by 3/4 of the way through the text.
The low ratings for this book seems to be related to it not being plot driven. Instead of having the character rushing through a series of challenges and adventures, a guy lives his life (in ~19th century England) through ups and downs and the book has some key points to make to the reader about life and how its lived. These are revealed slowly, creating a mystery (not unlike The 13th Tale) but at enough of a pace that a reader could see where she was going by 3/4 of the way through the text.