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A review by aceinit
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
2.0
This is another one of those books I wanted to like more than I actually did. Like most readers, I was mesmerized by Setterfield's previous work, "The Thirteenth Tale." Though "Bellman & Black is a thoroughly readable book, it never really pulled me in, never mesmerized me, never made me care about Will Bellman or his clockwork life, about the tragedy that surround him, or the mysterious business partner who plagues him.
The problem with a character like Bellman, who is at all times a step removed from his own story, is that caring about such a character (and subsequently their story) is difficult. I always felt like I was watching the narrative unfold from behind a foggy pane of glass: I could see enough that was happening and understand enough to get the story, but I never connected with the story.
And while Setterfield's narrative was enough to make me keep turning the pages, it was nowhere near enough for me to be impressed.
The problem with a character like Bellman, who is at all times a step removed from his own story, is that caring about such a character (and subsequently their story) is difficult. I always felt like I was watching the narrative unfold from behind a foggy pane of glass: I could see enough that was happening and understand enough to get the story, but I never connected with the story.
And while Setterfield's narrative was enough to make me keep turning the pages, it was nowhere near enough for me to be impressed.