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Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by [Susanna Clarke]

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Susanna Clarke

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Kindle Edition

by Susanna Clarke (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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In the Hugo-award winning, epic New York Times Bestseller and basis for the BBC miniseries, two men change England's history when they bring magic back into the world.

In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, most people believe magic to have long since disappeared from England - until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers and becomes an overnight celebrity.

Another practicing magician then emerges: the young and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two join forces in the war against France.

But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wild, most perilous forms of magic, and he soon risks sacrificing his partnership with Norrell and everything else he holds dear.

Susanna Clarke's brilliant first novel is an utterly compelling epic tale of nineteenth-century England and the two magicians who, first as teacher and pupil and then as rivals, emerge to change its history.

Print length

865 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bloomsbury USA
Publication date

June 5, 2010
File size

5627 KB
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Popular Highlights in this book

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She wore a gown the colour of storms, shadows and rain and a necklace of broken promises and regrets.
536 Kindle readers highlighted this
As to whether or not Mr Norrell was in fact old, he was the sort of man who had been old at seventeen.
486 Kindle readers highlighted this
Gentlemen are often invited to stay in other people’s houses. Rooms hardly ever are.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's 1808 and that Corsican upstart Napoleon is battering the English army and navy. Enter Mr. Norrell, a fusty but ambitious scholar from the Yorkshire countryside and the first practical magician in hundreds of years. What better way to demonstrate his revival of British magic than to change the course of the Napoleonic wars? Susanna Clarke's ingenious first novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, has the cleverness and lightness of touch of the Harry Potter series, but is less a fairy tale of good versus evil than a fantastic comedy of manners, complete with elaborate false footnotes, occasional period spellings, and a dense, lively mythology teeming beneath the narrative. Mr. Norrell moves to London to establish his influence in government circles, devising such powerful illusions as an 11-day blockade of French ports by English ships fabricated from rainwater. But however skillful his magic, his vanity provides an Achilles heel, and the differing ambitions of his more glamorous apprentice, Jonathan Strange, threaten to topple all that Mr. Norrell has achieved. A sparkling debut from Susanna Clarke--and it's not all fairy dust. --Regina Marler

From Publishers Weekly

The drawing room social comedies of early 19th-century Britain are infused with the powerful forces of English folklore and fantasy in this extraordinary novel of two magicians who attempt to restore English magic in the age of Napoleon. In Clarke's world, gentlemen scholars pore over the magical history of England, which is dominated by the Raven King, a human who mastered magic from the lands of faerie. The study is purely theoretical until Mr. Norrell, a reclusive, mistrustful bookworm, reveals that he is capable of producing magic and becomes the toast of London society, while an impetuous young aristocrat named Jonathan Strange tumbles into the practice, too, and finds himself quickly mastering it. Though irritated by the reticent Norrell, Strange becomes the magician's first pupil, and the British government is soon using their skills. Mr. Strange serves under Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars (in a series of wonderful historical scenes), but afterward the younger magician finds himself unable to accept Norrell's restrictive views of magic's proper place and sets out to create a new age of magic by himself. Clarke manages to portray magic as both a believably complex and tedious labor, and an eerie world of signs and wonders where every object may have secret meaning. London politics and talking stones are portrayed with equal realism and seem indisputably part of the same England, as signs indicate that the Raven King may return. The chock-full, old-fashioned narrative (supplemented with deft footnotes to fill in the ignorant reader on incidents in magical history) may seem a bit stiff and mannered at first, but immersion in the mesmerizing story reveals its intimacy, humor and insight, and will enchant readers of fantasy and literary fiction alike.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Susanna Clarke was born in Nottingham, England, in 1959, the eldest daughter of a Methodist minister. She was educated at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and has worked in various areas of nonfiction publishing. She has published a number of short stories and novellas in American anthologies, including “Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower,” which was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award in 2001. Susanna lives in Cambridge with her partner, the novelist and reviewer Colin Greenland.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* It's surprising that this first novel works at all. Readers have to accept an especially fanciful premise but, as it quickly becomes obvious, acceptance presents no difficulty. This novel took 10 years to research and write, according to publicity material; for readers at least, the author's arduous task results in a smashing success--it's an exceptionally compelling, brilliantly creative, and historically fine-tuned piece of work. The brilliance of the novel lies in how Clarke so completely and believably creates a world within a world: the "outside" world being early-nineteenth-century England, as Napoleon the eagle looms over all of Europe; the "inner" world being the community of English magicians. At the story's outset, magic in the land is moribund; magicians, who convene in various convocations, "did not want to see magic done; they only wished to read about it in books." But circumstances arise that cause magic again to become manifest, not simply discussed as an academic subject; this resurrection has extensive consequences for the heretofore stately state of magic in the English realm. History and fantasy form a beautiful partnership in this detailed, authentic, and heartfelt novel, which is part fairy tale and part epic. The inner world it creates is completely furnished and credible; the outside world is exact in its accuracy. Written in a style correlative to the writing and speaking of the time, which the reader will come to find quite mellifluous, this novel is, in a word, charming. Comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable but not distracting, for this novel stands on its own. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“What kind of magic can make an 800-page novel seem too short? Whatever it is, debut author Susanna Clarke is possessed by it.” ―USA Today on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Ravishing...A chimera of a novel that combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien...What really sets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell apart is its treatment of magic. Clarke's magic is a melancholy, macabre thing, confabulated out of snow and rain and mirrors and described with absolute realism ... Clarke has another rare faculty: she can depict evil ... [she] reaches down into fantasy's deep, dark, twisted roots, down into medieval history and the scary, Freudian fairy-tale stuff. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell reminds us that there's a reason fantasy endures: it's the language of our dreams. And our nightmares.” ―Time

“Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty.” ―The New York Times on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the last seventy years. It's funny, moving, scary, otherworldly, practical and magical, a journey through light and shadow--a delight to read, both for the elegant and precise use of words, which Ms. Clarke deploys as wisely and dangerously as Wellington once deployed his troops, and for the vast sweep of the story, as tangled and twisting as old London streets or dark English woods. Closing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel after 800 pages, my only regret was that it wasn't twice the length.... From beginning to end, a perfect pleasure.” ―Neil Gaiman, author of Anansi Boys, American Gods, and the Sandman series

“Immense, intelligent, inventive...Clarke is a restrained and witty writer with an arch and eminently readable style.” ―Entertainment Weekly on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Over the course of nearly 800 pages Clarke channels the world of Jane Austen, the Gothic tale, the Silver-Fork Society novel, military adventure à la Bernard Sharpe or Patrick O'Brian, romantic Byronism and Walter Scott's passion for the heroic Northern past. She orchestrates all these fictive elements consummately well...Many books are to be read, some are to be studied, and a few are meant to be lived in for weeks. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is of this last kind.” ―The Washington Post on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Combining folklore and fantasy with horror-story imagination, [Clarke] creates a Napoleonic-era England alive with the promise--and danger--of uncontrollable forces...Clarke's sober style keeps the fantasy grounded, and meticulous historical research brings the magical episodes to terrifying life.” ―People (Critic's choice, four stars) on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“The most sparkling literary debut of the year.” ―Salon on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Mesmerizing.” ―Harper's Bazaar on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“This 800-page work of fantasy--think Harry Potter sprinkled with the dust of Tolkien and Alasdair Gray--posits an extraordinary alternative history of England where magic, fairies, spirits and enchantments were once part of everyday life...This incredible work of the imagination, which took Clarke more than 10 years to write, ends all too soon.” ―New York Post (four stars) on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Here is a writer who remembers that true fairy tales carry a sting and the creatures themselves were never properly domesticated to the nursery. Her uncanny book is an object lesson in the pleasures--and risks--of enchantment.” ―Village Voice on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Gorgeous...A terrific, phenomenally ambitious book.” ―The Onion on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“An instant classic, one of the finest fantasies ever written.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Extraordinary...Will enchant readers of fantasy and of literary fiction alike.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“A smashing success...History and fantasy form a beautiful partnership in this detailed, authentic, and heartfelt novel.” ―Booklist (starred review) on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Wonderful. At almost 800 pages, it is an immense, densely plotted story, peopled with a a vast cast of extremely well-drawn characters, filled with unexpected events, ancient prophesies,varied and exotic settings, and all manner of human and inhuman conflict, and it is built one splendid scene upon the next.” ―Toronto Globe and Mail on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell comes across as equal parts Jane Austen and Charles Dickens flavored with Rowling and Tolkien. It's inarguably one of the year's best and most original works.” ―National Post (Canada)

“Combines the wit of Jane Austen with the subterranean spookiness of the works of Arthur Conan Doyle.” ―Seattle Times on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“An enthralling, unique read.” ―Baltimore Sun

“Witty dialogue, cunning observations, and intriguing footnotes...[A] sweeping adventure full of telling details, mixing history and fantasy to create worlds of deep imagination that seem as real as our own.” ―San Francisco Chronicle on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“While Jonathan Strange is every bit as whimsical and playful as the Harry Potter books, it is also grave and upsetting, the very opposite of comforting children's entertainment...Clarke has delivered a book of universal truths and unexpectedly heartbreaking acuity.” ―Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Utterly enchanting. [Clarke's] union of historical fiction and fantasy is fresh, it is surprising, and it will appeal to those who want nothing more than to be carried away to a world crafted by a superb storyteller.” ―Denver Post on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“Extraordinary...If Harry Potter is the kind of book that makes you want to be a kid again, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the kind of novel that will remind you that being an adult should be a whole lot more fun.” ―Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“I found it absolutely compelling. The narrative drive is irresistible and I could not stop reading until I had finished it. The narrator's tone is beautifully judged. It's full of wonderfully deadpan humour and its reticence leaves the reader to make up his or her mind about the characters. I loved all the invented scholarship and was fascinated by the mixture of historical realism and utterly fantastic events. I almost began to believe that there really was a tradition of 'English magic' that I had not heard about. The author captures the period and its literary conventions with complete conviction. And a large part of the fun is seeing how an early nineteenth century novel copes with the impact of magic. It's an astonishing achievement. I can't think of anything that is remotely like it.” ―Charles Palliser, author of The Quincunx, on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School - This delightful first novel exerts a strong and seductive pull on readers who might otherwise balk at its length. Like Philip Pullman's work, it is dark, deep, and challenging. It compares dead-on with Jane Austen's novels, and YAs who have underappreciated her wit may find it delicious when applied to magicians. Clarke even tosses in a bit of Dickens and Hardy - with great characterization, subplots, and a sense of fate bearing down hard on us. At stake is the future of English magic, which has nearly dwindled to all theory by the early 1800s, after centuries of prominence. When the book opens, only the reclusive and jealous Gilbert Norrell is practicing. Enter Jonathan Strange, a natural who has never studied magic formally. Norrell resents, then adopts Strange as a pupil whose growth he insists on controlling until the two come to the impasse that nearly leads them to destroy one another. Strange champions the 12th century's "Raven King" as the greatest magician in English history and hopes to summon him from Faerie, an alternate world. Norrell is determined to erase both from English memory - to hide the fact that he himself made a bargain with a fairy that has cost three people their lives, though their hearts go on dismally beating. Expertly written and imagined, the book is a feast for fans of fantasy, historical novels, or simply fabulously engrossing reads. - Emily Lloyd, formerly at Rehoboth Beach Public Library, DE
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From The New Yorker

This vast début fantasy novel, cast somewhat in the Harry Potter mold, is set in early-nineteenth-century England, where two men, Gilbert Norrell and his pupil Jonathan Strange, revive the once-thriving practice of the dark arts. After aiding the British against Napoleon, the magicians fall out over interpretations of wizardly philosophy. Meanwhile, a malevolent fairy accidentally set loose by Norrell enchants, among others, Strange's wife. Clarke's ability to construct a fully imagined world—much of it explained in long, witty footnotes—is impressive, and there are some suspenseful moments. But her attempt to graft a fantasy narrative onto such historical realities as the Battle of Waterloo is more often awkward than clever, and the period dialogue is simply twee. Worse, the tension between the forces of good and evil—crucial in any magical tale—is surprisingly slack; the arch-villain is a cartoonish fop whose petulant misdeeds lack menace.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

BOOK SENSE BOOK OF THE YEAR
A PEOPLE MAGAZINE "TOP TEN" BOOK
WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD
WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD

"Ravishing…Combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien."―Time

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England―until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.

Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

"What kind of magic can make an 800-page novel seem too short? Whatever it is, debut author Susanna Clarke is possessed by it."―USA Today

"From beginning to end, a perfect pleasure."―Neil Gaiman

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Artist

Susanna Clarke; Read By Simon Prebble --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

BOOK SENSE BOOK OF THE YEAR
A PEOPLE MAGAZINE TOP TEN BOOK
WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD
WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD

Ravishing...Combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien.--Time

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England--until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.

Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

What kind of magic can make an 800-page novel seem too short? Whatever it is, debut author Susanna Clarke is possessed by it.--USA Today

From beginning to end, a perfect pleasure.--Neil Gaiman

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

'This is, in both the precise and the colloquial sense, a fabulous book ? a highly original and compelling work' --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From AudioFile

In 1806, Mr. Norrell, a plodding pedant, claims to be the last magician (wizard) in England. To prove it, he animates gargoyles and promises to help defeat Napoleon's forces. Jonathan Strange, an up-and-coming magician and the antithesis of Norrell, becomes his pupil. Their friendship and fantastical exploits make up much of the rest of the book. Oxford-educated Susanna Clarke invents a magical nineteenth-century England, replete with the dark, musty smell of old libraries and the stuffy diction of pedagogues. Narrator Simon Prebble creates an impressive gallery of personalities, each distinctive, each believable. Yet even with Prebble's outstanding performance, listening proves difficult. Clarke's copious "faux scholarly" footnotes force Prebble to interrupt often enough that the narrative flow suffers. This is probably best listened to with text in hand. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Author

Née à Nottingham en 1959, fille aînée d'un pasteur méthodiste, Susanna Clarke a enseigné l'anglais en Italie, puis en Espagne. De retour au pays, en 1992, elle commence la rédaction de Jonathan Stange & Mr. Norrell. Si ce texte est son premier roman, Susanna Clarke a déjà publié sept nouvelles, toutes saluées par la critique, avant d'être primées. Durant les dix années nécessaires à l'écriture de Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke a été éditrice de livres culinaires chez Simon and Shuster.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003RRXXMA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA; 1st edition (June 5, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 5, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5627 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 865 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #9,634 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #15 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #15 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Books)
- #26 in Movie Tie-In Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4,364 ratings

About the author

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Susanna Clarke

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Susanna Mary Clarke (born 1 November 1959) is an English author best known for her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004), a Hugo Award-winning alternative history. Clarke began Jonathan Strange in 1993 and worked on it during her spare time. For the next decade, she published short stories from the Strange universe, but it was not until 2003 that Bloomsbury bought her manuscript and began work on its publication. The novel became a best-seller.

Two years later, she published a collection of her short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (2006). Both Clarke's novel and her short stories are set in a magical England and written in a pastiche of the styles of 19th-century writers such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. While Strange focuses on the relationship of two men, Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell, the stories in Ladies focus on the power women gain through magic.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Patrick Nielsen Hayden from Brooklyn, New York (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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3 star		10%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Valerie Ponce

I've read a lot of reviews of the kindle version of this book stating that it is boring, (as if it were a fact

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

The following review is written by my 15 year old daughter for whom I bought this book:

I've read a lot of reviews of the kindle version of this book stating that it is boring, (as if it were a fact.) Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but to flat out say it's boring is an insult to what I consider to be a masterpiece. “Not my cup of tea” would be the better thing to say. For me, it was a page turner, and I actually wish it were longer. I'm inclined to think that if it were infinitely long, I'd just keep on reading and reading!
Why do I love this book so much? The writing, for one thing. It's beautiful, and I just love the way the author described things. I almost laughed out loud at some of the comic descriptions of characters, but other times the descriptions were just plain creepy or haunting.
The plot was also very interesting to me. The characters are fully fleshed out, and I came to feel as if I knew them. A lot of the book is spent describing things and on conversations between characters, without a lot actually happening, per sey, but to me, it just never got boring. Most of the actual action happens near the end. It's not a thriller, but to me, it's infinitely better. And no, this is not “Harry Potter for grown ups.” I personally prefer it to Harry Potter, but if it's two magicians flinging fireballs at each other you're looking for, this isn't it. The magic tends to be things like walking through mirrors, making it rain, and conjuring up visions.
Like I said, everyone's entitled to their opinions. This is mine. In short, this is a wonderfully well written book that is sometimes creepy, sometimes comic, and sometimes serious. It's not for someone with a short attention span. The length never bothered me, but if you're willing to commit, it honestly doesn't take that long to read. I have already HIGHLY recommended this book to some of my friends, and over the years, I will go back and read it over and over again.

307 people found this helpful

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Waites Family

*Review from The Illustrated Page*

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

In 1806 magic is believed to be dead in England until a society of theoretical magicians uncovers Mr. Norrell, the first practicing magician of hundreds of years. Mr. Norrell is firmly in the public eye when another magician, Mr. Strange, emerges to become his student. Together, these very different magicians are tasked with returning magic to England.

That is a very rough description of a 1000 page book. Truthfully, there’s a whole lot more going on but to say too much would be leading me into giving away spoilers.

As already mentioned, this is a very long book. In fact, it’s divided into three books, each named after the important magicians in the story (Strange, Norrell, and the long ago Raven King). A warning here – Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is slowly paced and slow burning. The action and pace don’t pick up until the climax in the last hundred pages or so.

So why, might you ask, would I read a book with 900 pages of build up? Because that build up is so enjoyable. Susanna Clarke is an excellent writer (she’s using the style of classic nineteenth century authors), and her writing is not without humor. I was not at all expecting it, but often I would laugh out load upon reading a line. Take this quote for instance:

“Houses, like people, are apt to become rather eccentric if left too much on their own; this house was the architectural equivalent of an old gentleman in a worn dressing-gown and torn slippers, who got up and went to bed at odd times of day, and who kept up a continual conversation with friends no one else could see.”

I love the footnotes as well. Sometimes they’re just explaining a reference to a magical text, but often they are stories within a story, like the fairy tale about the Master of Nottingham’s daughter and her quest to retrieve the magic ring. Other times she uses footnotes (as well as in text commentary) to skewer the prejudices of the age. There’s a certain irony in that Strange and Norrell are acceptable magicians because they are gentlemen, even though others such as Childermass would probably make just as good or better magicians.

If you pick this one up, you’ve got to have at least some interest in history or a liking of classic English writing like Jane Austin. If you’re looking for the usual action adventure, medieval world type fantasy, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is not for you. If you’re looking for something different, an original fantasy book, than this is the book for you.

160 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Karen Cobb

One of the finest books I've ever read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is without doubt one of the finest books I've ever read. I was a little unsure at first. The style is (deliberately) old-fashioned and the pace very slow. If you haven't the patience for that, then this is not the book for you - I suspect that every one of the 1star reviews are due to style. It hasn't been sliced and diced by an editor to hit the modern profit sweetspot of 70-80k words (and thank you so much Bloomsbury for understanding the need to leave it be. Cutting it to the desirable size for a new author would have destroyed it).

If you have the patience, or are a fan of 18th and 19th century fiction, then buy it! Buy it now! It's fabulous. There's a rich fictional history that is slowly exposed through footnotes, alongside a story of two deeply flawed men, each blundering along a magical path they believe they understand, but which is utterly obscured from their view. There are no obvious heroes or villains here. No clearcut moral values. Mistakes are made and consequences felt.

It's rare I'll read a book that has me exclaiming aloud at the actions of a character, knowing that it will cause mayhem and yet having only the dimmest notion what the consequences will be. It's even rarer to read something where I truly don't know where it's going. There's no wellworn literary path here, no tired story tropes.

Without saying too much and spoiling it I don't know what else to say. Just buy it. Do it now.

88 people found this helpful

RazorGrrl

Wonderful book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2019

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Dazzling. Beautifully written and an extraordinary story - a real masterpiece. One of the best things I've read in ages. Steeped in magic to the point where it stays with you all day long, and colours the whole world around you in its image. I loved every one of the characters - even the villainous and overtly venal (Lascelles and poor, pathetic Drawlight, and the petty, spiteful Mr. Norrell. Every one of them, human or faery, is thoroughly well rounded and believable, and the whole thing sparkles from beginning to end. Loved every minute of it, and I actually feel bereft now that I have finished reading.

19 people found this helpful

Luis

Gave up

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

I tried very hard to like it, but life is too short (and there are too many books) to force myself to read the whole of this unnecessarily lengthy boring book. I have no problem with the style of writing, it being a very effective tool to complement the era in which it is set, but the footnotes are a complete pain in the proverbial (especially on a kindle when having to chop and change between 'screens'), long-winded, don't add to the story or any sense of context, and the pace of the overall narrative is glacial to say the least. Spare yourself.

17 people found this helpful

Peter Milner

A Magical Frightener to stand beside Gormenghast in Weirdness

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2016

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Captivating, fascinating, scary. Some aspects almost believable in that you wish they were true, others so frightening that you are very glad the life that might lie around the corner can never creep out to whisk you off to that appalling ballroom. Almost impossible to review seriously because it is so unusual it can only be compared with 'Gormenghast' in modern English literature, I'd like to know how much of this false magical history is true in some weird way about ancient legends and the beliefs of early 19th century mystics and sorcerers? I enjoyed it so much on my Kindle and on TV that aI went and bought the hardback 1st edition because I wanted the 'thing' of the book itself. It is really meaty and attractive in the hand and even has illustrations; they don't quite compare to Mervyn Peake's in artistic terms, but they belong to the story's period and add greatly both to the volume's atmosphere of dreadful fascination and to my hunch that it might be seriously valuable in twenty or thirty years. A real five star achievement for Susanna Clarke (and the TV actors and producers) can we have more magical frighteners of this quality please?

23 people found this helpful

Chris Rust

Some good ideas but not engaging

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2020

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I like the idea of the book, the plot is a good one but it is too long and Susanna Clarke treats her characters as puppets or pieces in a board game, I never feel properly engaged with them.

The book goes on and on, at some point I wondered if each new layer of the cake was being piled on to avoid considering what the characters introduced in the previous layer were actually about. I kept reading because I was interested enough to see how it would work out, but it felt like the author was adding ever more complexities as a way of avoiding the messy human stuff.

And there was just too much hopping around, Mr Strange goes from being a sceptical layabout to a highly competent magician without apparently taking a breath, the author never drops her amused detachment. Her characterisation of the Duke of Wellington and other figures of the Peninsular War was deft and amusing but Bernard Cornwell could make those figures come to life, as bit part players, with equal economy but far greater emotional value.

It's a shame. I really wanted to like it.

4 people found this helpful

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