The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
by Susanna Clarke
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Read in October, 2006
THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU AND OTHER STORIES BY SUSANNA CLARKE: While Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is not required reading for this short story collection, it provides a fuller and more complete background to the stories you are reading, nevertheless, one can certainly enjoy them and understand what’s going on without having read the aforementioned 600+ page book.
Clarke spent a decade writing Jonathan Strange, so it is not surprising that in her spare time she wrote some stories set in...more
Clarke spent a decade writing Jonathan Strange, so it is not surprising that in her spare time she wrote some stories set in...more
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Read in December, 2007
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The author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell offers an enchanting little volume of eight stories that will delight the reader, especially those with a fondness for fairy tales. The vibrant characters contained within the pages include none other than Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and an untold number of fresh yet familiar faces in the forms of Mary Queen of Scots, the Raven King, and th...more
The author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell offers an enchanting little volume of eight stories that will delight the reader, especially those with a fondness for fairy tales. The vibrant characters contained within the pages include none other than Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and an untold number of fresh yet familiar faces in the forms of Mary Queen of Scots, the Raven King, and th...more
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Read in March, 2008
Any and every negative review I've ever read for the brilliant novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell has placed emphasis on the weightiness and long-winded nature of the book. The prose is brilliant, the premise enchanting, but it is an 800 page novel that takes the long way 'round the story of two of the greatest magicians of the age seeking to bring back magic to England during the Napoleonic war.
This collection of short stories takes us back to that world, where Faerie is very r...more
This collection of short stories takes us back to that world, where Faerie is very r...more
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This book is esentailly a collection of (mostly) original fairy tales of the classic variety. "On Lickerish Hill" is a straight-forward retelling of "Rupelstiltskin", though the rest of the stories are original. Some of them are so traditionally plotted and structured (Ms. Mabb, Mr. Simonelli) that I couldn't tell if Clarke had invented the stories or was retelling fairy tales I had never read, and some are obviously original, though perfectly set within the older English &q...more
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It isn’t fair to compare an author’s second book to their first, particularly when it must follow the phenomenal Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but the comparison is inevitable when Strange returns for a cameo appearance in The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Susanna Clarke’s collection of short stories (now available in paperback). One title character (Strange) meets the others in the first of these stories set in the same England/Faerie as Clarke’s debut novel. The Duke of Wellington and Jo...more
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When I first read <b>Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell<b> a year or two ago, I wasn't exactly sure what to think. I mean, it's a 700+ page book about dueling magicians with absolutely no cute kiddie Harry Potterish stuff, or any of the usual si-fi/fantasy genre trappings. It's an actual novel written for reasonable adults with the main conflict concerning the opening and closing of Fairy roads. Did I mention that it's undeniably well-written? With <b>The Ladies of Grace Adieu<...more
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Read in February, 2008
This is a perfectly charming set of fairy tales done by the writer of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It is impeccably written, I'd almost say flawlessly, to produce the appropriate tone for the various stories and their status as fairy tales. One of the tales, On Lickerish Hill (a retelling of Rumpelstilskin) for example, is written in archaic 18th century style English, which is a lovely touch. I would read these to kids, if I had any to read to, my only reservation being that the writing is...more
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This collection of stories expands upon the margins of the world of English magic Clarke creates in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I don't think reading that book is a necessity to read this one, but it would probably help. The stories here tend to be less about plot (one is a thinly veiled retelling of Rumpelstiltskin) and more about savoring the atmosphere, voice, and, of course, lengthy footnotes that Clarke employs. Her powers of storytelling and wry sense of humor are still present, a...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone
I had first read Susanna Clarke's "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" when it first came out and was blown away by it. I have always been a fan of faerie and the approach taken by Clarke in her debut novel was innovative and slightly gimmicky in that it observed the novel from a slightly academic perspective. "The ladies of Grace Adieu and and other stories" does not at all disappoint as a second approach for two reasons. It packs in her approach on the wonderful world of faer...more
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Read in March, 2008
This is a collection of stories set in the world of her novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Mostly fairy stories, 'tis true, but they are decidedly not nice fairies. You get the sense of a truly different race, alien to us, and not friendly.
Some of the stories feel more like nice imitations of form rather than great in themselves. Mostly, I got this impression from the last story, "John Uskglass and the Caumbrian Charcoal Burner." Clarke puts as an editorial discl...more
Some of the stories feel more like nice imitations of form rather than great in themselves. Mostly, I got this impression from the last story, "John Uskglass and the Caumbrian Charcoal Burner." Clarke puts as an editorial discl...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2007
recommended to Angela by:
Garrett Forsgrenrecommends it for: Brad Hart
Before cozying down with this book it would help the reader to know a little about british folk lore. In particular that fairies where not thought to be tiny winged creatures who flew around granting the wishes and whims of humans. They were thought to be immortal creatures who resembled humans and interfered in the lives of mortals more as entertainment for themselves. However they where believed to have a ting of respect for the human who was magically inclined and could be of help to morta...more
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The critics who have written so far about Susanna Clarke s story collection The Ladies of Grace Adieu have returned, by and large, only one verdict. Well, they all say shaking their heads, it is no Strange & Norrell. This is true. Indeed, there is no disputing it. The studious reader will be able to discern this fact for himself after the careful observation of several facts. The title of the book, for example, is different. It is The Ladies of Grace Adieu: A Collection of Stories a...more
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Read in January, 2008
As soon as I finished Clarke's first novel, I couldn't wait to see what else she would write. Alas, as Strange/Norrell took 20 years to write, I was not particularly hopeful that I'd see anything new for a while.
So imagine my surprise when I came across "The Ladies of Grace Adieu" in my local bookstore! I actually bought it, sure that it would be worth my hard-earned cash (actually, I used a gift card). "Ladies" very much lives up to her first work. Now don't get too exci...more
So imagine my surprise when I came across "The Ladies of Grace Adieu" in my local bookstore! I actually bought it, sure that it would be worth my hard-earned cash (actually, I used a gift card). "Ladies" very much lives up to her first work. Now don't get too exci...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Readers of fairy tales, fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
I loved some of these stories, I forced myself to get through others. Not all of these are stories in the sense of having a story arc, some are little incidents with interesting characters.
All take place in the world of Susana Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but as they are short stories, she can't twist and turn like she does in the novel.
The title s...more
All take place in the world of Susana Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but as they are short stories, she can't twist and turn like she does in the novel.
The title s...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of Jonathan Strange
I'd heard that "The Ladies of Grace Adieu" was disappointing, a result of Susanna Clarke's publishers rushing her to publish again after "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" was so successful. It might be true that she was rushed to publish, but I can't agree that it effected the quality of the book. The stories in "The Ladies of Grace Adieu" are such good fun and personally, I liked "Jonathan Strange" so much that I'm just happy to get to spend a little mo...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Lexi by:
Jess, kindarecommends it for: Laurie, Jess, and Shannon
My friend Jess recomended CLarke's first novel, Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norell. This was unavailable from my library online--since I'm in Jordan I require e-books or e-audio books. So I downloaded this one on e-audio. Wow, it is a hoot!! Clarke writes her stories from a victorian sensibility that I adore. A few are a bit slow--I've figured out the trouble long before the characters do and am waiting for them to catch up and do something about it--but enjoyable none the less. It is a bit...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
people who enjoy 19th century novels, fairy tales, and fans of Jonthan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Like her earlier novel "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" I really, really enjoyed these stories by Susanna Clarke, which in some cases dealt further with themes brought up in the far longer work. I felt that each story was interesting, with styles very well evocative of their 19th (or in some cases earlier) century literary inspirations, complete with footnotes. Each takes the theme of faeries and, in very different ways, show the often times strained relationships between the "s...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
fairy tale lovers
I suppose I was looking for a continuation of sorts to "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell", which I thought was just a perfect novel, and I was disappointed. The writing style is still the same, but the small/short plots of these stories just aren't as satisfying as the novel (which admittedly is 600 pages long).
Which is not to say that the stories are bad or boring -- they're good, but too short. And in some cases the characters aren't allowed enough room to stretch. In one of the s...more
Which is not to say that the stories are bad or boring -- they're good, but too short. And in some cases the characters aren't allowed enough room to stretch. In one of the s...more
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Read in January, 2008
I have to say I much preferred Susanna Clarke's 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell' novel to this collection of short stories, all published separately before S&N. These random glimpses into the world she's created were not as satisfying as the long, consistent exposure given in her novel. It sort of felt she was just warming up and working on getting the tone right in these shorter earlier pieces. However, one cool aspect of reading these short stories was to imagine that this book was ta...more
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Read in November, 2007
Very readable and enjoyable--which is why I rated it so highly--but ultimately not as good as Jonathan Strange. Clarke's sense of humour, her slyness and whimsy and charm, are all still in evidence. But I think she needs a longer format to really let her talents shine through; while some of the individual stories like 'Antickes and Frets' were really lovely (and give a great kick to anyone who's interested in Mary Queen of Scots), others like 'On Lickerish Hill' were a little dull and for...more
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