Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story

by Diane Setterfield Narrated by Jack Davenport

Overview

#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.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

As a child, William Bellman nastily kills a bird with a slingshot but doesn't suffer the consequences until decades later when all his good fortune starts crumbling away. Soon, a black-garbed stranger arrives, and William finds that he can save what little he has left if he agrees to enter into the spooky business concern that becomes Bellman & Black. You expected something lighthearted after the dark and intriguing knottiness of Setterfield's No. 1 New York Times best seller, The Thirteenth Tale? Lots of anticipation; over 800 folks have already proclaimed their interest on Goodreads.

NOVEMBER 2013 - AudioFile

Eerily told and prosaically performed, this ghost story recounts what appears to be the simple life of William Bellman and his subsequent rise to fortune. Little does he know that a chance act of childhood cruelty will shift his life into the realm of the macabre. Narrator Jack Davenport superbly captures the ambiance of rural Victorian England, a setting that has echoes of Thomas Hardy's works. Davenport captures life in a textile mill with an admirable ease of expression, pacing, accent, and tone. The plot slips into the gothic when a mysterious stranger appears, altering William's life, and Davenport's performance reflects the shift with a deeper and darker tone. The black rook that weaves throughout the story adds a bleak and haunting presence. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170567621
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	11/05/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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