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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
Összességében azért csalódás volt a regény, mert míg az alapötlet kiváló lett volna, az írónő stílusa pedig továbbra is nagyon hozza a korszakot, addig a megvalósításban valahol valami félrecsúszott. Annyira misztikus lett, hogy képtelen voltam kitalálni a ködből és nem szeretek elveszett olvasó lenni. Márpedig ez a történet valahogy elveszett maradt számomra.
Részletek: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2013/12/05/diane-setterfield-bellman-black/
Részletek: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2013/12/05/diane-setterfield-bellman-black/
While I liked the book, (to an extent) I have to say that it wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. Bellman & Black was well-written albeit a little slow. There was a lot of detail in both time and place for the setting which was on the one hand very nice and interesting but on the other hand it felt just a little...cluttered.
From reading the back/inside cover summary, I thought that the enterprise was going to be a little more sinister. Instead, it was just something that wasn't really the most popular, even though it was needed. I'll admit it was a little menacing, but not macabre, the way it was alluded to in the summary.
The story opens on William Bellman who, in a moment of boyhood competition kills a rook resting on a branch. After a while, the event fades into the background and William moves on and up in the world. He takes over running of his family mill from his uncle, marries and has children. Sitting on top of the world, tragedy soon strikes William, taking friends and family alike. At each funeral, he sees a mysterious man in black who eventually becomes his partner in Bellman & Black.
There was an undercurrent of a tense buildup to Black, and when he was finally revealed, I was just a little confused as I thought there was more to come. Figuring out who he was made sense although the buildup kind of fell flat. It was interesting to see William as he figured out who Black was.
I did like Dora's story line. She held herself high despite her health and it was nice to see that her future was in front of her. She seemed to have some good skills as an artist, but I was a little confused about her obsession with birds, especially seeing William's fear of them.
I did really like the various roles/tales of rooks that were talked about at various points throughout the book. It was all very interesting, especially when the mythology and lore got thrown in as well. Although, I have to say those were just a little more interesting than the rest of the book...There are numerous collective nouns for rooks
In exchange for my review, I received this book through an ARC giveaway held through Goodreads
From reading the back/inside cover summary, I thought that the enterprise was going to be a little more sinister. Instead, it was just something that wasn't really the most popular, even though it was needed. I'll admit it was a little menacing, but not macabre, the way it was alluded to in the summary.
The story opens on William Bellman who, in a moment of boyhood competition kills a rook resting on a branch. After a while, the event fades into the background and William moves on and up in the world. He takes over running of his family mill from his uncle, marries and has children. Sitting on top of the world, tragedy soon strikes William, taking friends and family alike. At each funeral, he sees a mysterious man in black who eventually becomes his partner in Bellman & Black.
There was an undercurrent of a tense buildup to Black, and when he was finally revealed, I was just a little confused as I thought there was more to come. Figuring out who he was made sense although the buildup kind of fell flat. It was interesting to see William as he figured out who Black was.
I did like Dora's story line. She held herself high despite her health and it was nice to see that her future was in front of her. She seemed to have some good skills as an artist, but I was a little confused about her obsession with birds, especially seeing William's fear of them.
I did really like the various roles/tales of rooks that were talked about at various points throughout the book. It was all very interesting, especially when the mythology and lore got thrown in as well. Although, I have to say those were just a little more interesting than the rest of the book...There are numerous collective nouns for rooks
In exchange for my review, I received this book through an ARC giveaway held through Goodreads
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.
My review is at the following link: http://booksandbowelmovements.com/2013/10/25/a-beta-club-of-rooks/
YAY. I really didn't love this one...at all....sorry, guys.
YAY. I really didn't love this one...at all....sorry, guys.
another fabulous book by Diane Setterfield! she always keeps you guessing. I am still hoping I didn't miss something. I may need to re-read. I listened to this version and it was wonderful.
What a disappointing follow up. The Thirteenth Tale was charming and brilliant, and this simply isn't. The premise is that William Bellman kills a rook as a boy that haunts him for the rest of his life, but the majority of the book is just his family and friends dying and his building a business. The characters aren't fleshed out enough to be interesting, and in the beginning it was difficult to sort out how everyone was related. I am sorry to say that I would not recommend this book, re-read The Thirteenth Tale instead.
This is the perfect book for snuggling up on a winter's evening. I really did not want to stop reading at any stage. It has a gripping plot and wonderful characters. I loved the ending and the little myths about ravens dotted throughout the chapters.
Highly recommended. Pour yourself a glasss and dive in. x
Highly recommended. Pour yourself a glasss and dive in. x
Not my usual thing, but this simple re-telling of the Faust story is well-written and will appeal to lovers of Victoriana. Good enough to recommend to a teenager.
Setterfield's "The Thirteenth Tale" is one of my favorite books. "Bellman & Black" missed the mark for me. I had great hopes and was drawn into this dark tale quickly The writing is beautiful. Unfortunately, about halfway through I was ready to move on. The ending left a lot of questions and really dropped my rating of the book. I almost feel that this could have best been told as a short story rather than a full novel.
I loved, loved, loved The Thirteenth Tale. I knew this one would be nothing like that one. And it isn't. It's not bad. It's slightly creepy, but it's a bit too vague to be super creepy. Like, you know how being vague is a way to make a story really creepy? You don't describe something entirely. You leave important pieces of information out. In this case, there's so much vague and left out that it's just not as creepy. Like, you could convince yourself that it's coincidence.
To start things off, William Bellman is an 11-year-old boy who kills a rook with a slingshot. You know. A rook. Like a crow, but a little different, apparently. Anyway, then all the rooks rooky friends come and spirit him away. The end. Only it's not.
Will becomes a fabulously efficient businessman and does a bang-up job of revitalising the mill in his little Victorian town. He gets married, starts a little family. Then it starts to fall apart as you knew it would because it is a nebulously creepy book.
Don't get me wrong. I liked it. I just won't read it every year, like I do [b:The Thirteenth Tale|40440|The Thirteenth Tale|Diane Setterfield|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346267826s/40440.jpg|849453].
To start things off, William Bellman is an 11-year-old boy who kills a rook with a slingshot. You know. A rook. Like a crow, but a little different, apparently. Anyway, then all the rooks rooky friends come and spirit him away. The end. Only it's not.
Will becomes a fabulously efficient businessman and does a bang-up job of revitalising the mill in his little Victorian town. He gets married, starts a little family. Then it starts to fall apart as you knew it would because it is a nebulously creepy book.
Don't get me wrong. I liked it. I just won't read it every year, like I do [b:The Thirteenth Tale|40440|The Thirteenth Tale|Diane Setterfield|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346267826s/40440.jpg|849453].