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    Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
    Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
    Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
    Audiobook9 hours

    Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story

    Written by Diane Setterfield

    Narrated by Jack Davenport

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    #1 New York Times bestselling author

    “An astonishing work of genius.” —Bookreporter
    “Magically transformative.” —Bookpage

    Can one moment in time haunt you forever?
    From the instant #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Tale comes a “poetic and mysterious” (Booklist) story that will haunt you to your very core.

    Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget…

    Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

    And Bellman & Black is born.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateNov 5, 2013
    ISBN9781442364394
    Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
    Author

    Diane Setterfield

    Diane Setterfield is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Tale, and a former academic, specializing in twentieth-century French literature, particularly the works of Andre Gide. She lives in Oxford, England.

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    Reviews for Bellman & Black

    3.5/5

    633 ratings107 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I admit I kept reading to see if it would ever reach resolution. It just kinda ended.After reading The Thirteenth Tale I expected a lot more out of this book. I was disappointed.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I really wanted Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield to be as good, if not better than The Thirteenth Tale. Unfortunately I did not enjoy Bellman & Black, which is not to say it is in any manner poorly written. Setterfield is an exceptional storyteller; unfortunately this story is just not one that grabbed me.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Too little plot. This book would have benefited from a natural plot progression
    • 4/5
      Finished Bellman and Black. I liked it but not until the second half of the book. It's a little slow to get into and the subject matter (a clothing mill) just does not measure up to her first book, The Thirteenth Tale. Now that I have finished the book, I find myself liking it more and still thinking about the message. You just have to stick with it until midway when it starts to get better.
    • 5/5
      Eerily evocative of the Victorian era’s obsession with death and the spirit world. Like “The Thirteenth Tale”, this is a book for lovers of well-crafted words and descriptive narrative, rather than dialogue. I couldn’t put it down.
    • 2/5
      I got Bellman & Black from Netgalley a while ago, without really knowing anything about it. It turned out to be a smooth, easy read, but it didn't really get any emotional hooks into me. The narration is very straightforward after the opening chapter, which seemed to promise more by way of emotion -- the main character's courtship of his wife takes barely a chapter, and a short chapter at that! So with all that it's very hard to get involved in the rest of the novel. Despite all the death and so on, it felt... bloodless.It was interesting that Diane Setterfield clearly spent quite a long time on the research for this, and wove the life of the mills into the story. That was somewhat compelling to me, but like everything else it slid by so fast...There's nothing major wrong with the novel as a whole, really, but I have very little to say about it -- perhaps it'd be good for a train journey, or a flight, or something like that. I'm somewhat interested in Setterfield's first novel, though partly because I'm told it's quite different and some people seem to consider it better.
    • 4/5
      Between a 3.5 and a 4 really. I am quite pleased that I listened to this book narrated by Jack Davenport - it may be the best way to experience a dark gothic mystery such as this, with this man's fine voice and accent that made me feel transported to setting's time and place. I had been worried when I read a few of the not-so-good reviews, but I needn't have been. The detail of millwork was interesting, and William's success in seemingly single handedly making mourning over into a thriving industry was a bit thrilling. The portrayal of his business sense was quite fun. The climax falls a little flat, but the ending that follows is almost lyrical. I enjoyed this one.
    • 4/5
      This is kind of a strange book that I don't think will appeal to everyone who read 'The Thirteenth Tale.' It sort of feels like the difference between say the Brontes and Poe. On the surface, they seem similar, but underneath the are quite different. I only mention those as examples. Though one may find elements of earlier writers in this book, Setterfield has way of telling the story that can be no one's but hers. It's quite beautiful, though it takes the whole book to get to the point.
    • 3/5
      The cover and the blurb on the inside flap intrigued me to by this book. It had the sound of an unusual mystery. It turned out to not be what I expected, but it was an interesting read.The story is of William Bellman and his life. An event from his childhood had a bearing on his life, but he didn’t know it.Bellman was a hard worker who applied himself to anything he took on. This helped him to be successful in almost anything his whole life; personal and business.He came from a low class level, but got a chance for a good job. Hard work, dedication and being a good learner took him to becoming the owner of the business.He met a girl and was immediately taken with her and she with him A successful and happy marriage and family was the result, but an epidemic took all but one daughter.During this down period he met a strange man dressed in black. Life was at a low point for Bellman, but after a conversation with the man, Bellman’s life took an upswing. It appears two have struck a bargain.Over time, Bellman’s success is incredible but there is something in the back of his mind. He can’t quite remember any details of the conversations. There is nothing in writing regarding any contract.The story is told in two voices; the narrator and a rook. The rook tells of life in the rook world — current and past. These are short, standalone sections. Some is history or legends and etymology These sections do tie into the story. The main theme is about thought and memory. How things in the past can have bearing on one later in life. How memory can be a factor in remembering these events and how they affect life.A very interesting read.
    • 5/5
      Best novel I have read in a time. Just don't go in expecting a particularly spooky ghost / horror story.
    • 3/5
      Aren't folktales supposed to be short? Diane Setterfield's “Bellman & Black” (2013) may not be a long novel, but it is still a novel, yet it has the flavor of a folktale. It should begin with, "Once upon a time ..." It all seems like too much for too little.As a boy William Bellman kills a rook with a catapult. Rooks, Setterfield tells us, never forget such things, and they will eventually get their justice.Bellman grows up to become an uncommonly successful businessman, first in the textile business and then in the funeral business. Like Midas, everything he touches turns to gold, even though he no longer has any use for that gold after most of his family dies in a fever plague. He lives in his office, working practically around the clock. His surviving daughter gives up expecting him to visit.The story takes place in England during a time when formal mourning lasted a year or more, funerals were lavish, and the sale of black garments, flowers and other accessories was big business. Bellman succeeds not just because of his timing and his bard work, but also because of a mysterious Mr. Black, who seems somehow responsible for Bellman's one surviving family member. Bellman makes Black a partner, even though he doesn't know why or who Mr. Black is or even if that is really his name. He seems to run into the man only when a death occurs. So is Mr. Black the Devil, Death itself or perhaps a human representation of those rooks that never forget?“Bellman & Black” may disappoint readers who enjoyed Setterfield's first novel, “The Thirteenth Tale.” It just reads like a swollen short story.
    • 3/5
      I couldn't put this book down until near the end when it just got too sort of silly, as though the author didn't know what to do with the story and got tired of it. But her descriptions of running the business were fascinating.
    • 3/5
      Diane Setterfield's Bellman & Black is an eerie ghost story set in England during the Victorian era. William Bellman's business successes are haunted by personal tragedy and in an effort to save his daughter from an untimely death, he enters into a bargain with a rather mysterious figure known only as Black.

      Bellman & Black begins with the fateful day that ten year old William Bellman takes aim with his slingshot and kills a rook. We then follow William into adulthood where he becomes a successful businessman running the family mill, marries and fathers several children. He suffers many tragic losses and instead of mourning those deaths, William instead buries his grief in work. When faced with the prospect of losing his entire family during an epidemic, William makes a deal with a figure that has haunted him at various times in his life.

      The first half of Bellman & Black is fast paced and quite interesting. William is a fascinating and intelligent character with extraordinary business acumen. He finds happiness in his personal life but he always remains very work oriented. The atmosphere of the story during this part of the story is light and rather hopeful despite William's ominous and unexplained sightings of a rather ghostly figure that appears after he experiences a loss.

      It is at the mid-point of the novel that it takes a dark turn and the pacing becomes slow. The story becomes mired down in superfluous details and seems to lose focus after William strikes a vague deal with the ethereal Mr. Black and embarks on another business venture. The rest of the novel centers around the new business and Mr. Black seems to disappear.

      Although it is not a typical ghost story, there is a supernatural quality to Bellman & Black. Diane Setterfield's research is meticulous and her attention to detail provides added depth and interest to the storyline. The plot is quite unique and there are some very interesting twists and turn. The ending is well done and answers a few of the questions that haunt William (and the reader) for much of the novel.
    • 2/5
      Rook, raven or crow? Didn't finish this book - so many people die in the first half that I didn't have the energy to read more about the Victorian funeral business founded by Bellman and a ghost.
    • 3/5
      The concept of this book is eerily smart. Yet I failed to be truly dedicated to the story. I believe my ties to the characters were not strong. Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and Once Upon A River are both well loved escapes for me. I finished Bellman but did not have a great fondness for the story.
    • 5/5
      It’s hard to give an arbitrary star value to a book that leaves you with lots of thoughts and feelings. The first book of Setterfield’s that I read was Once Upon a River, and I fell in love with her writing and its storytelling elements. It flows effortlessly, and as a reader you find yourself enraptured by a story, caught up in its twinkling descriptions and meandering pathways. This story was no different in that her writing captured me, as always. Is it my favorite of hers? I don’t think so. It didn’t have the twists and quick, breath-catching moments she’s managed with the others. But is her writing among my favorite styles of all time? Yes. I get so pleasantly lost in the language. It’s like escaping to a different time and place where a storyteller spins me a tale and I happily hang on every word. There’s not much more to say.
    • 3/5
      Certainly not as wonderful as The Thirteenth Tale, one of my favorite books. Enjoyable, but too long.
    • 5/5
      Will Bellman is growing up in Whittingford, England, when, on his tenth birthday, playing with his cousin Charles and two other local boys, he makes a really excellent catapult and, in a moment of bravado, says he's going to use it to hit a rook sitting on a tree branch a good distance away.

      It's so improbable a feat that all the boys, including Will, are laughing at the idea--but the stone he launches does hit, and kill, the bird.

      It's a small incident, surely of no lasting significance. Yet it will subtly haunt Will for the rest of his life.

      We follow Will through the seemingly charmed first part of his life and career, an assistant to his uncle at Bellman's Mill, a happy marriage, the arrival of healthy, happy, much-loved children.

      And then we are with him as things change.

      This is a beautifully written story, with characterization of subtlety and depth, and marvelous evocation of mood. Will's success is not the operation of outside forces; he's smart, insightful, inventive, hard-working. He's impetuous at first, but learns from his mistakes, and has real consideration for others. No, his success is not unearned.

      Yet there's an accidental act of cruelty back at the very beginning of it. The consequences will catch up with him--yet that, too, will be subtle, and thoughtful, and a surprise, not the payback the reader may expect until very near the end.

      Bellman & Black is a really fine ghost story to read and savor as the darkening end of the year closes in on us.

      Highly recommended.

      I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 4/5
      Very different from The Thirteenth Tale. This is not a plot-driven book. It kind of has a Daphne Du Maurier quality to it.
    • 3/5
      It took me two attempts to start reading Bellman and Black, at first I could not see a sense, it felt boring and I felt struggling with every next page. Then I picked up the book second time and determined to read at least 100 pages to see how I like the book and I read till the very last page of the book. Which means, you have to find something that intrigues you to read it. I have read the author's other popular book "The Thirtieth Tale" few years ago and it is one of my favorites. Bellman & Black is written about very popular theme, being bound to Death, Evil and other interpretations, although the cover says it's a ghost story, for me it felt more fitting as "a mystery", the reader shall read to the end to see the whole picture more clear. I don't think it's for everyone, it has the dark and sad combination that you need and ability not to sum those feelings to your mood, not getting affected. The book starts with rather innocent, but poising a bad kid's action, it's about a smart mind and misfortune birth, about believing and aiming for what you like, gaining respect and finding family and loosing it all. It's about person who switches to calculations in order to avoid the pain and loss feelings, about missing the picture, but at the same developing a successful company and believing in mystery itself! It's different read, I am sure it was meant to be this way and I enjoyed the writer's ability to write something so completely different!
    • 1/5
      It could easily have been a fantastic short story, finished in 3500 words and should have been. As a lover of The Thirteenth Tale, I wanted more but I easily could have accepted this as an entirely different novel if it had a story I could get behind. What was the point of the tale though?

      As a parable, I hated it. Bellman does an act unthinkingly (as many kids do) and it has ripple effects throughout his life. Did "bad" things happen "because of" the childhood action or would they have happened regardless? Who knows, because the books ends without conclusion on the topic.

      While I would never condone killing anything in such a wanton way, the punishment feels too harsh for the action. Bellman, as a man seems decent enough. He cares for people, finding them work when he could, looking out for his workers by providing meals. That the meals/housing/clothing were given because they were good business, doesn't negate their goodness, in my mind. Nor, is he despicable. He doesn't prey on others or take advantage of them. He provides a desired service, employs many and seemingly does it in a benevolent way.

      On a different level, this is about control, with Bellman's avoidance, other's acceptance and Dora's resignation of it. Bellman can't control Nature or Death so refuse to think about or doesn't like them "[Bellman] never liked birds". This is a foolish way to live your life, but again, I don't fault him for doing it. Dora isn't so much more enlightened since she is not in control eiter. Yes, she paints and observes but just because she is an artist doesn't mean she is somehow a better person. That Bellman refuses to remember and acknowledge his past tragedies, is regrettable but not so horrible. He didn't strike out at others, become mean spirited, villainous or sink into ennui.

      The tale seems to be cautionary but I still cannot fathom about what exactly. Therein lies why the book fails.
    • 2/5
      Disappointing
    • 2/5
      Beautifully written with impressive attention to detail, but lacking an even remotely interesting protagonist and any sort of motivator for the reader to finish the book. A Victorian-era novel that follows the ambitious yet painfully dull businessman William Bellman throughout his life as he expands his illustrious empire and gradually witnesses the deaths of nearly everyone in his life. The lone survivor of this wave of tragedy is his eldest daughter Dora who happens to be the most interesting character of the entire novel, but unfortunately to whom only a few sparse passages are devoted. An altogether unsatisfying and underwhelming novel that is only slightly redeemed by the reams of fascinating tidbits about the textile industry and Victorian mourning practices.
    • 2/5
      I anxiously awaited this novel by Setterfield because I loved "The Thirteenth Tale" so much, but this was a huge disappointment.
      Have you ever listened to someone talk in a monotone and wished for a little undulation and emotion in that voice? That's what this book was like. It was an outline of a story with potential, but it had no peaks and valley, no waves, no feeling, just the bare bones and no meat.

      I am as sorry as anyone that it was a dud.
    • 4/5
      This was an interesting book. Though it was billed as a ghost story, it isn't one in the traditional sense. To keep the spoilers to a minimum, the book revolves around William Bellman, who kills a rook with a slingshot as a child and then as an adult notices a man in black dogging his steps.

      I started this book looking for a creepy, ghostly read and did not find it. This book is not about chills and creepiness but rather about mortality. It was not a bad book, and the writing style was well-done and readable, but it wasn't the kind of book I was expecting.
    • 3/5
      As a novel about a Victorian man who makes his fortune by clever planning in business, I liked it okay. The book dealt kindly with aging and grief and the trauma of grief on a large scale. But I thought it was supposed to be a ghost story, so I kept waiting for that aspect, and kept being disappointed. Fundamentally, I suppose I just didn't get it. Wonderfully moody though.

      Personal copy
    • 4/5
      Bellman & Black is the much anticipated second novel by Diane Setterfield, author of The Thirteenth Tale.

      When he was ten years old, William Bellman was out playing with a group of friends. He aimed his slingshot at a rook on a dare, fully anticipating he would miss. He didn't. He remembers this foolish act the rest of his life. And the rooks do too. When William grows up he joins his uncle in his textile business. He is a natural at business with a fine eye for detail, and helps the family business succeed among their competitors. William marries, starts a family and it seems his life is set. Except there is a enigmatic man dressed in black who always seems to be there, in the background someplace, as are the rooks.

      As death begins to take people around him, William alone is the only one who perceives the man in black to be ever present at every funeral, or watching from the distance or out of the corner of his eye. Eventually, William talks to him and makes a mysterious deal with Mr. Black and sets his sight on opening Bellman and Black, a shop in London specializing in mourning and funerals. Even while his business is wildly successful, William Bellman mental health is slowing starting to fragment, and Mr. Black is always on his mind, unseen, or perhaps just a fleeting glimpse in the distance.

      Bellman & Black is an atmospheric Gothic novel set in the Victorian Era when funerals and mourning were an important ritual in society. Setterfield did an excellent job setting the novel in this time period and historical context. Her research is commendable. But, then, as shown in The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield is a phenomenal wordsmith who can write descriptions that will resonate with you throughout the whole book. She sets the tone exquisitely in Bellman & Black. Tidbits of folklore/information about rooks that will slowly facilitate the sense of dread and foreboding as you are reading are interspersed after chapters.

      The atmospheric tension present in Bellman & Black is not of the breathless-galloping-action type, but, rather, the dread and foreboding very slowly build and the reality of the presumed menacing threat is unclear and hazy. This does make Bellman & Black a rather slow read, which in itself is not bad. The actual haunting is more subtle and subjective than most ghost stories. While we are aware of the implied mythology behind the rooks and their appearance in the story, the haunting of William based on his childhood action seems cryptic and vague.

      Highly Recommended

      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Atria/Emily Bestler Books via Netgalley for review purposes.
    • 3/5
      This ghost story follows William Bellman from carefree youth through his rise in commerce, first at the Bellman Mill and then at Bellman & Black, his London department store dedicated to the business of death and mourning in Victorian England. William becomes obsessed with death after a dreadful family tragedy and, in seeing his daughter saved, devotes himself to repaying what he sees as his debt to the Reaper. Setter field uses the raven as the harbinger of death and as the metaphor of the inevitability of death. William Bellman is an impossibly talented man drawn into a life of constant business achievement and ultimately completely separating himself from his family as he descends into what I think is madness.A good picture of how obsession, in any field, can drive someone to question all that they do and all that they are. Not very scary, though.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed the trip, although it seemed a bit anti climatic at the end. The prose was very lyrical, and maintained a good pace throughout, but it just wasn't an exciting story. Intriguing, you keep reading to find out what's going on, but all in all, its a story of life and death.
    • 4/5
      The sanctity of life, work life balance, empathy and class differences are only a few of the themes that are explored in this story. Set in Victorian London, this tale is about the seemingly inconsequential killing of a rook (crow) by a young boy and the consequences to follow including many tragic deaths that haunt the adult William Bellman. He is consumed by the work of building his business empire, foresaking other aspects of life including a relationship with, his daughter Dora, the soul survivor in his immediate family. He is constantly haunted by the mysterious Mr. Black. Although this is not a spinetingling, edge of your seat thriller, it is a compelling read. The details of Bellman's textile and funerary businesses are interesting in their own right but may be a bit too detailed for some readers.
      I received this book free from netgalley.com.