Faerie is never as far away as you think. Sometimes you find you have crossed an invisible line and must cope, as best you can, with petulant princesses, vengeful owls, ladies who pass their time embroidering terrible fates or with endless paths in deep, dark woods and houses that never appear the same way twice. The heroines and heroes bedevilled by such problems in these fairy tales include a conceited Regency clergyman, an eighteenth-century Jewish doctor and Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as two characters from "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: Strange himself and the Raven King".
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'An unholy alliance of Austen and Angela Carter' Daily Mail 'These tales read as if Jane Austen had rewritten the Brothers Grimm ... wonderful' Spectator 'Witty rejoinders and genteel manners to contrast nicely with the darker tones of hauntings, shape-changing and black magic ... Clarke is a natural storyteller' Sunday Telegraph 'It is the poise and lightness of Clarke's prose that draws the reader in' Daily Telegraph
About the Author
Susanna Clarke is the author of the international bestseller Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It was published in over thirty countries, shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Guardian First Book Award and the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award. It won the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award in 2005. Susanna Clarke lives in Cambridge.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ladies, ladies!,
This review is from: Ladies of Grace Adieu (Paperback)
Susanna Clarke made a dazzling debut with "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell," which was the sort of fantasy story that Jane Austen would have written, had she lived around magic and fey.
Still fresh from her first bestseller, she presents a new array of captivating stories in "The Ladies of Grace Adieu." But expect it to be more whimsical and varied, rather than a sprawling fantasy-historical epic -- these are more like nuggets. The title story takes place in the magical Regency period of her debut: dull Mr. Field remarries after his wife died, and his pretty second wife, his niece, and a friend soon become good friends. When Mr. Strange passes by on a family errand, he discovers that there is more -- these ladies are all magicians, and have quietly escaped the boundaries placed by society. From there on, Clarke trips through a series of strange, fantastical stories: when a young newlywed finds that her rich hubby expects her to spin flax, she asks for help from a nasty little fairy, who will kidnap her if she doesn't guess his name. Think a Regency "Rumplestiltskin." Then a young lady tries to regain her boyfriend from the mysterious "Mrs. Mabb"; a Duke changes his destiny with a pair of scissors and a needle; a Jewish doctor and a fairy nobleman travel through England; the Queen of Scots becomes fascinated by an embroidered figure; and a young pastor finds himself enmeshed with a cruel fairy lord. One of the stories is even set in the world of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust." "The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories" is more fantasy and less history than the full-length novel, although it leans more heavily on history. But then, most of these short stories may not be in the same universe, and they range from whimsical little fluff pieces to almost-horror. Clarke still writes with the solid nineteenth-century style, flavoured with shimmering descriptions of "Pharisees" and odd creatures, although Clarke occasionally skimps on the more exotic descriptions -- just what do "goblin babies" look like? The second story is also amusingly written in much-mispelled English ("...lookes at me with his bewtiful Eyes..."), and Clarke peppers the other stories with older words like "shewed." There are also some deeper moments, where Clarke approaches the lack of freedom given to women (magical or not) where they only have marriage to a well-off dullard to look forward to. And though the shorter stories are not much more than fables, the longer ones have intriguing characters who are likable in an understated way -- including some very familiar, quirky ones. "The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories" is a solid little collection, more whimsical than Clarke's first book. Very pleasant Regency "Pharisee" tales, from a modern master.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle edition review,
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This review is from: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (Kindle Edition)
Do not buy this book for Kindle, the editing is so poor that it becomes effectively unreadable. I have found this to be a slight problem with other ebooks but never so bad as this. I will try to obtain a refund.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grown up fairy tales you'll love!,
By Kisane (Singapore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ladies of Grace Adieu (Paperback)
My first introduction to Susanna Clark and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed her book. Some clever wit likened the prose to 'Jane Austen meets the Grimm brothers' and I have to agree.
This is a collection of eight good old-fashioned English fairy tales, written in a style and language that many Austen fans would recognise. Lovers of faerie and fantasy would appreciate the almost historical manner of their telling. Clark gives a new twist to the Rumpelstiltskin tale and Shakespeare's Queen Mab. She even sets one in a Neil Gaiman universe. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows; like Grimm's tales, there's a darker undercurrent afoot. Fairies are not the 'little people', or 'fair folk' we remember from childhood tales. They are lustful, mean-spirited and cunning. Their interactions with humans nearly always spell disaster for ordinary folk. But this book is far from that. It's a quick easy read, done in one long afternoon.
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