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nickjonesreadsbooks 's review for:
Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
I am not sure of what to do with this book. It took me forever to reach the halfway mark. Then I decided to buckle down and finish it (and did so in 2 1/2 days). Setterfield kept me reading--though I don't know why. There weren't any hooks or cliffhangers. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. I want to say great things about it because I see what Setterfield is trying to do here, and it is haunting in a way, but this book lacked emotional connection, much suspense, and a whole lot of satisfaction.
The novel leaves me with a sense of melancholy. It also left me with a feeling that I had missed something. An author of Setterfield's gifts had to deliver more than I was taking away from this. One reviewer had commented on a "vicious twist" at the end, but I wasn't getting that. Upon reading a review from Christine Cavalier ( http://www.purplecar.net/2013/11/review-bellman-black/ ), I saw part of my mistake. The problem is that it would seem that Diane Setterfield is to blame for me (and many others) missing the point because she goes to great lengths to emphasize everything else. Ms. Cavalier's take on the novel makes perfect sense, but upon rereading earlier chapters I realize that the novel is not constructed to point to these conclusions. If Setterfield is trying to make this point (and I'm not going to spell it out for you or go to the work of hiding spoilers) then she should have edited things to make these conclusions more obvious.
Several reviewers have commented on how distant the characters are. This was a problem for me too. The main character is William Bellman and I had a really hard time caring all that much about him. I think Setterfield would have done us all a favor if she would have taken some time at the beginning of the book and made us connect with him emotionally.
Honestly, this book feels like a really well written rough sketch. But...that's kind of the point.
My advice to readers is to read the first 26 pages twice to get them firmly in mind before continuing with the rest of the book. Perhaps, then, it would make for a stronger ending. I don't know. This book has an interesting concept, but I'm not sure Setterfield quite pulled it off.
The novel leaves me with a sense of melancholy. It also left me with a feeling that I had missed something. An author of Setterfield's gifts had to deliver more than I was taking away from this. One reviewer had commented on a "vicious twist" at the end, but I wasn't getting that. Upon reading a review from Christine Cavalier ( http://www.purplecar.net/2013/11/review-bellman-black/ ), I saw part of my mistake. The problem is that it would seem that Diane Setterfield is to blame for me (and many others) missing the point because she goes to great lengths to emphasize everything else. Ms. Cavalier's take on the novel makes perfect sense, but upon rereading earlier chapters I realize that the novel is not constructed to point to these conclusions. If Setterfield is trying to make this point (and I'm not going to spell it out for you or go to the work of hiding spoilers) then she should have edited things to make these conclusions more obvious.
Several reviewers have commented on how distant the characters are. This was a problem for me too. The main character is William Bellman and I had a really hard time caring all that much about him. I think Setterfield would have done us all a favor if she would have taken some time at the beginning of the book and made us connect with him emotionally.
Honestly, this book feels like a really well written rough sketch. But...that's kind of the point.
My advice to readers is to read the first 26 pages twice to get them firmly in mind before continuing with the rest of the book. Perhaps, then, it would make for a stronger ending. I don't know. This book has an interesting concept, but I'm not sure Setterfield quite pulled it off.