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theladydoor 's review for:
Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
Diane Setterfield's debut, The Thirteenth Tale, was one of my favorite reads in the last few years. I recently reread it, in light of the new television movie which aired last year, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Sophie Turner. I snagged Bellman & Black at the library, hoping it would live up to the elegant Gothic style of the first, and I do believe it did.
The book is centered on a man named William Bellman, son of a poor and unloved second son. After his father leaves him and his mother Dora, Bellman begins working at the fabric mill of his uncle, and soon makes himself indispensable to the operation. His work ethic and innovations help the mill to become even more successful than it already does, and it's not long before his uncle begins to think of him as another son. Bellman's good fortune continues as he meets and marries a beautiful and kind woman, Rose, who gives him two daughters and two sons in quick succession.
Bellman's life is darkened, however, by the shadow of a careless and cruel act he performed as a young boy. While with his cousin and friends in a field, he picks up a stone and uses his carefully built sling to fire it at a tree where many rooks come to nest. The stone kills a young rook, and Setterfield implies that that action is at the heart of a ripple effect that eventually brings death and destruction to William's life. After undergoing terrible tragedy, Bellman decides to start a new business with a mysterious man he has seen at too many family funerals. Fittingly, that business is named Bellman & Black, and it is a funeral outfitter, providing all services that may be necessary in the wake of someone's death.
Setterfield spends a great deal of time in the novel talking about Bellman's businesses, the mill and the Bellman & Black, delving into great detail on every aspect. I loved reading these sections, as they were engaging and also informative, Setterfield clearly did her research on Victorian era mills and businesses. At the same time, she inserts small interludes about rooks, who are all descended from Thought and Memory, the companions of Odin. I had never known much about the animals, except that they are supposed to be quite clever, even able to use tools. But Setterfield wrote about them in a way which made them seem dark, mysterious, and brilliant.
This novel has cemented Diane Setterfield in my authors to watch list. When her next novel comes out, I will definitely pick it up as soon as I can.
The book is centered on a man named William Bellman, son of a poor and unloved second son. After his father leaves him and his mother Dora, Bellman begins working at the fabric mill of his uncle, and soon makes himself indispensable to the operation. His work ethic and innovations help the mill to become even more successful than it already does, and it's not long before his uncle begins to think of him as another son. Bellman's good fortune continues as he meets and marries a beautiful and kind woman, Rose, who gives him two daughters and two sons in quick succession.
Bellman's life is darkened, however, by the shadow of a careless and cruel act he performed as a young boy. While with his cousin and friends in a field, he picks up a stone and uses his carefully built sling to fire it at a tree where many rooks come to nest. The stone kills a young rook, and Setterfield implies that that action is at the heart of a ripple effect that eventually brings death and destruction to William's life. After undergoing terrible tragedy, Bellman decides to start a new business with a mysterious man he has seen at too many family funerals. Fittingly, that business is named Bellman & Black, and it is a funeral outfitter, providing all services that may be necessary in the wake of someone's death.
Setterfield spends a great deal of time in the novel talking about Bellman's businesses, the mill and the Bellman & Black, delving into great detail on every aspect. I loved reading these sections, as they were engaging and also informative, Setterfield clearly did her research on Victorian era mills and businesses. At the same time, she inserts small interludes about rooks, who are all descended from Thought and Memory, the companions of Odin. I had never known much about the animals, except that they are supposed to be quite clever, even able to use tools. But Setterfield wrote about them in a way which made them seem dark, mysterious, and brilliant.
This novel has cemented Diane Setterfield in my authors to watch list. When her next novel comes out, I will definitely pick it up as soon as I can.