What do readers think of Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield? Write your own review.

"Ivy and Mary was here."

Those words are the beginning, the ending, and the basis of NECESSARY LIES. Those five words go full circle in this incredible, haunting book.

You will be transported to another world as you read NECESSARY LIES. A world of poverty and illiteracy as well as pity for the way the families had to live.

Jane, a physician's wife, was the new social worker dealing with the Hart and Jordan families. The families worked on a farm owned by Mr. Gardiner who had connections with both families - connections that were not on the up and up. The Hart girls, Ivy and Mary Ella, were the biggest problems for the family and definitely the social worker. Together each family told a lot of secrets and "necessary lies" to the social worker.

The book's characters were genuine and will tug at your emotions. One thing after another happens to the family, and the social worker gets drawn into the family's plight even though the social services agency told her some of things she was doing for the family were not acceptable.

The book flowed very nicely and was divided into chapters told in the voice of the main characters. You will become attached to the characters as I did and will be staying up late to "turn the pages" of this well-researched and beautifully written, poignant book based on a true program implemented in North Carolina.

NECESSARY LIES is the perfect title because lies were necessary for the characters to survive. It is heart wrenching yet informative as you follow the characters through their inadequate, restricted days. I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful, sensitive first book I have read by Diane Chamerblain. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

First I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It held my attention and taught me quite a bit about the businesses that Mr. Bellman threw himself so completely into. It is beautifully written. However, there were a few flaws (dare I use that term?) that held me back from giving it five stars.

If you are a fan of Edgar Allan Poe I suspect you may enjoy this book as much as I did. It has a hint of darkness -- not a raven, but a rook (same family, I believe). But overall "Bellman and Black" seemed to be more a novella than a novel (although a bit long for a novella).

A novel generally has a main plot with several subplots going on at the same time to add complexity; a novella is not as complex. "Bellman and Black basically has one story throughout the entire book. Only one character is thoroughly developed in "Bellman and Black". With only one character developed this lends to only one point of view. There is a lot of detail regarding the work that Bellman oversees. I suspect that will bore quite a few people. I actually found those parts very interesting.

The full title of this book is actually "Bellman and Black: A Ghost Story". I'm not sure why it is called a ghost story. Yes, like Poe's stories there is a dark side but I would not put it in the category of ghost stories. Yet, even with all my negative criticisms, I did enjoy it very much.

I was so looking forward to reading Setterfield's second novel, a long time in coming. But I'm sad to say it did not, for me, create that totally wonderful envelopment that happened when I read her first novel. The eerie foretelling of William Bellman's daunting future in the prologue grabbed me right off, but as I read on, and on, that grip steadily loosened its hold. I still respect Setterfield as a fine writer and one able to create strong atmospheric historical settings. And I found her "&" interludes on rooks sprinkled throughout the book delightful. But I never could forge a connection to Will Bellman and I confess I forced myself to finish her second book.

I still grant it 3 stars - for the writing, the gothic atmosphere and historical color. And I still have a niggling feeling that perhaps I overlooked the real core of this novel and maybe I will read it again.

I have to say that I loved "Thirteenth Tale" but only liked this book.
Setterfield's writing is excellent and I enjoyed the first half of the novel. The rest of the book dragged for me. I found it rather contrived that William Bellman should pay such a steep price for the incident from his childhood. The punishment doesn't fit the crime.

There is no denying that Diane Setterfield is a good writer. Her prose is eloquent and atmospheric, and she does a good job in Bellman & Black of bringing Victorian England to life. Unfortunately, I found the characters to be largely flat and uninteresting, and the entire plot hinged on a childhood event that seemed too inconsequential to bear the weight of future events. The first part of the book held my interest but then the plot flagged and my interest along with it. In addition, I thought the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. I expected that there would be more to the childhood story on which the plot hinged and that the revelation of the additional details would explain the plot satisfactorily, but unfortunately no further details were forthcoming. I can't say that I would recommend this book to anyone.

"Bellman and Black" by Diane Setterfield author of "The Thirteenth Tale" has provide us with another great read. A ghost story not what I thought.
I did find the story gripping from the start. The pages kept turning until I was finished.

The descriptive writing made me feel that I was right there in the time period. Historical fiction giving light to the lives and business of milling cloth. You felt the pride of the townspeople, their grief and rebuilding of lives. The use of the Rook throughout the story was intriguing as well as informational. Loved the Rook point of view.

Did not read it as a ghost story and did not find it as a ghost story...was disappointed that it was called "a ghost story".

The book is written with well-chosen words and descriptive passages evoking the industrial age in England. However, these passages do not tell a ghost story as promised by the jacket and cover blurbs. Instead we get a story of a man haunted by an internal demon, the memory of an event from his childhood. I enjoyed the book because of the author's narrative skill and the time period. I left it though with the lingering impression that she had an interesting idea for a tale but tried too hard to force it into the gothic supernatural category while forgetting to include the actual supernatural element.

I'm not sure I would recommend the book, although I enjoyed reading it, for the most part. I was somewhat disappointed in the second half of the book and its predictability. I like books that are descriptive and this one was.