Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lookingglassreader 's review for:
Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
I have not read Setterfield’s highly acclaimed novel, The Thirteenth Tale, and so had no real expectations going into her most recent published work, Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story. Upon finishing this book, I had to gather my thoughts and think for a bit about what I had just read. It made me think and opened me up to a whole new type of ghost story that I had never seen nor imagined before.
Bellman & Black begins with the event that spins the entire plot into motion; three boys playing a game of slingshot near their home and one of them with impeccable aim. From then on, we follow the boy, William Bellman, as he grows up and makes a name for himself, all the while being shadowed by this mysterious figure we know only as Black.
There have been some bad reviews of Bellman & Black, and I can understand why some people wouldn’t take to the story. It is incredibly unique and not at all like any ghost story you have ever read. I went into the book expecting to be creeped out and not able to read it in the dark. No, this is very much not that type of ghost story. This is partly what I loved about it. It is a bit of a slow read, so be aware of that. Personally, Setterfield is a magician of storytelling for me and I could read her prose for days.
There was a good bit of obscurity in this novel. Several times, I had to reread and process certain passages. At the end, I had to sort through all of the events of the story to capture the closure at the end. Once I realized things however, it was marvelous. I am so glad that I chanced reading Bellman & Black despite the bad reviews I had seen of it.
My advice is to at least give it a try. It might not be for you, but you might also love it like I did. And if you are the latter, you will be so happy you tried it.
Bellman & Black begins with the event that spins the entire plot into motion; three boys playing a game of slingshot near their home and one of them with impeccable aim. From then on, we follow the boy, William Bellman, as he grows up and makes a name for himself, all the while being shadowed by this mysterious figure we know only as Black.
There have been some bad reviews of Bellman & Black, and I can understand why some people wouldn’t take to the story. It is incredibly unique and not at all like any ghost story you have ever read. I went into the book expecting to be creeped out and not able to read it in the dark. No, this is very much not that type of ghost story. This is partly what I loved about it. It is a bit of a slow read, so be aware of that. Personally, Setterfield is a magician of storytelling for me and I could read her prose for days.
There was a good bit of obscurity in this novel. Several times, I had to reread and process certain passages. At the end, I had to sort through all of the events of the story to capture the closure at the end. Once I realized things however, it was marvelous. I am so glad that I chanced reading Bellman & Black despite the bad reviews I had seen of it.
My advice is to at least give it a try. It might not be for you, but you might also love it like I did. And if you are the latter, you will be so happy you tried it.