Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel
by Susanna Clarke
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Book Reviews of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel
Book Review: Strikingly original but comfortably familiar
Summary: 5 Stars
I finished rereading this book today after the first time a few years ago, and I must say that I'm even more impressed now than I was after the first read.
This book, more than others, I think, will be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing. Set in an alternate Britain, it follows the revival of magic propelled by the fussy Mr. Norrell and the bold Jonathan Strange. The plot is perhaps the most original thing I've read in a long, long time, weaving real history with the convincing tale of magic's rebirth.
Clarke is a master of words. Her humor is dry and impeccable, reminding me of Rowling and Austen (perhaps a British thing?). Every chapter had something that made me smile, if not laugh out loud. Her characterization, which is aided quite a bit by her humor, is remarkable as well. I came to be just as agitated at Mr. Norrell as many of the secondary characters were, and I enjoyed reading about her villain, a malicious and pretty hysterical fairy, more than anything else in the book.
I admit, despite all that, many will be turned off by this book. At times the book really feels like it isn't going anywhere, though, for me, Clarke's writing alone made up for any lulls in the plot. Her sense of humor probably isn't for everyone. But hopefully, you'll get as wrapped up as I did in this history-that-never-happened, enchanted until the last page which will leave you begging for more.
Book Review: Read an actual author from 19th century
Summary: 1 Stars
The first hundred pages of this book, are the sort of writing that makes me want to file a lawsuit against Susanna Clarke for one's life wasted and the trees desecrated to print.
The end part becomes slowly worhty of a novel, but at that point I really couldn't care less about any of the characters.
It's written in a style from 19th century. With all the lovely 19th century bigotry and self-righousness of the pompous English (fat off her colonies in Asia and Africa) the sort of gentelmen that financed slave ships during the day and spent hours in ballrooms of London the rest)
If you actually want a WELL written work in that style, I suggest and actual work from that time, Dickens, Austin etc...
If you want to see a brat of writer try to re-imagine and re-do an imaginary place (English History with all the ugly little moral discrepencies tucked away), then this is the book for you.
There is a deserving writer somewhere being denied her/his chance because this garbage was done by a publishing industry insider (she managed the cooking catalogs prior to this!) and pushed through.
If you are an English lord who has thousands of guineas off your colonial holdings and plantations and have hours upon hours to waste, this might be a lovely diversion for you. If you fancy yourself an intelligent person, this book will waste your life.
Book Review: Magical Disappointment
Summary: 3 Stars
"Logic only gives man what he needs...Magic gives him what he wants." ~Tom Robbins
This book is difficult to rate. At times I loved it, and at other times I just wanted it to end. This book has taken longer for me to read than any other book in recent memory(of course it didnt help that my wife and I watched all four seasons of Lost during my regular reading hours for the first month). I like to try to read approx. 30 books a year and this book is likely to keep me from my goal this year. This urgency may have made me more frustrated with the pace of the book than usual.
I was really looking forward to the book originally. I thought the concept sounded pretty intriguing - magic coming back in early 19th century England via Strange and Norrell. I like the way the author writes, she definitely has a way with words; however, I just felt it fell flat. It didn't really hold my attention very well. Just when it started to get good, it would start what I felt was another boring section. It definitely isn't meant to be a fast paced book, which is alright by me; however, it just felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere for the first 2/3rds of the book. I liked the last third of the book for the most part; however, it wasn't enough to make up for the first part. Reviews on Amazon kept me going but I just didn't feel it lived up to my high expectations.
Book Review: A worthwhile read for the patient
Summary: 4 Stars
During the Napoleonic Wars, Mr. Norrell, the first English magician in several centuries appears and starts using his powers to aid England against Napoleon. Mr. Norrell believes that he is the only person responsible enough to wield magic and proceeds to try to accumulate all of the known books of magic and prevent anyone one else from learning magical skills. However, when Jonathan Strange appears with some strong innate skills, Mr. Norrell feels forced to take him on as a apprentice. Eventually Strange becomes tired of Norrell's restrictive view of magic and goes off on his own, creating a deep rivalry between the two. Strange also faces danger as he tries to contact fairies and the Raven King, a legendary magician who ruled Northern England in the past.
I have mixed feeling about this book. I really enjoyed the wit of it with many individual entertaining scenes. The overall story turns out to be interesting as well. The big problem with the book is its length. It takes forever to get the story moving, and up until about the last third of the book it is very slow-moving. In many ways, it reads like a book that was written in the 19th century, which I sure was the idea, but which can also be somewhat offputting to modern readers. Overall, I found that the strong writing and humor compensate for the slow plot and would recommend the book.
Book Review: Strangely Norrellish...
Summary: 3 Stars
Although I am neither a fan of Austen nor a devotee of Tolkien, I found myself strangely situated on airplane back to Los Angeles with a rather large and ungainly text whose author has been compared to both literary personages. Which makes sense, given the blend of English folklore, alternate history, and fantasy that fill Clarke's pages. Of course, there are footnotes too--sometimes pages of them--as well as frequent tangents and roundabouts. All of which are generally amusing if occasionally overlong.
To call the text slow, however, is somewhat of a misnomer. Clarke is at her strongest when she indulges in historical interludes and careful, detailed studies; for example, the chapter entitled "Heart-break Farm" describes the origins of one of the two title characters in a fashion that is both illuminating and entertaining. In contrast, her action sequences, such as those depicting Norrell and Strange's involvement in the Napoleonic Wars, tend to be lacking in dramatic chutzpah. If you are undaunted by this, then you will be suitably rewarded by the fascinating and peculiar conclusion.
Suffice to say, those who enjoy nibbling on bits of this and that will relish the opportunity to explore Clarke's richly decorated world while those who prefer leaner prose should best look elsewhere.