Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

published	September 30th 2004 by Bloomsbury USA
binding	Hardcover
isbn	1582344167 (isbn13: 9781582344164)
pages	800
literary awards	2005 Hugo Winner; 2005 Locus Awards Winner (First Novel), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award 2005, World Fantasy Award 2005
description	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 Yorkshi...more [close] 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 It has been several centuries since English magicians were the wonder of the known world. By the 19th century, magicians are only pedantic theoreticians. Then Mr. Norrell, a fusty reclusive scholar, emerges from obscurity and sets London society abuzz when he raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. When Jonathan Strange, a pleasant young neophyte, emerges with the ability to perform magic as well, Mr. Norrell gains an unexpected pupil and rival. From English drawing rooms to European battlefields and the ethereal realm of the Raven King, the saga blends history and fantasy seamlessly for a riveting narrative. [close]
date added	02-07-07 edit book

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | more...

discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

groups with this book

friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 8971)

Martine rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

03/24/08

bookshelves: british, fantasy, historical-fiction, modern-fiction, pseudo-nineteenth-century

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: Jane Austen fans and lovers of original fantasy fiction

You have to give Susanna Clarke props for ambition. In itself, her combination of fantasy and well-researched historical fiction isn’t new. Guy Gavriel Kay has made a career out of it, and a very good one, too. (If you haven’t read any Kay, do yourself a favour and rectify that situation as soon as possible. Seriously, the man is brilliant.) However, to write a huge historical fantasy novel in the language of the time in which the story is set is a different feat altogether, and in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell ...more You have to give Susanna Clarke props for ambition. In itself, her combination of fantasy and well-researched historical fiction isn’t new. Guy Gavriel Kay has made a career out of it, and a very good one, too. (If you haven’t read any Kay, do yourself a favour and rectify that situation as soon as possible. Seriously, the man is brilliant.) However, to write a huge historical fantasy novel in the language of the time in which the story is set is a different feat altogether, and in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Clarke almost pulls it off. Almost, but not quite.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is the story of two wizards who change the course of early-nineteenth-century history while failing to notice the many strange things that are going on in the lives of those around them. The first quarter of the book centres on Mr Norrell, a reticent old man who believes he is the only practical magician in England and longs to do something great and useful with his powers. After a bit of a struggle for recognition, he is employed as a weapon in England’s struggle against France, which is just then getting a bit uppity in Europe. Then, suddenly, a second magician appears on the scene -- the much younger and more likeable Jonathan Strange. Mr Norrell takes Strange on as his pupil, and for a while the two magicians work side by side, until, in the grand tradition of such things, their relationship turns sour and master and student become rivals. What follows will determine not just their fates, but many people’s, and indeed the fate of magic in England.

Clarke tackles many themes in her 800-page book, both genuine and fantastical. First of all, there’s the pseudo-historical angle in which Strange helps the Duke of Wellington beat Napoleon, tries to cure the madness of King George III and meets other interesting characters of the time. Secondly, there are various social issues, such as the relationship between the classes and the art of knowing one’s place in the greater scheme of things. Last but not least, there’s a spooky alternate universe with which the magicians get to deal, for as they find out rather late in the book, the good old Celtic world of Faerie is far from dead in nineteenth-century England. Clarke doesn’t go in for the kind of thorough world-building many other fantasy authors favour, but her scholarly take on Faerie (set out in weird but oddly entertaining page-long footnotes and journal articles) is consistent, intriguing and original -- a word one doesn’t often come across in reviews of fantasy books.

That said, it took me a bit of time to get into the book. The main problem (as so often with me) was of a linguistic nature -- to wit, the faux-Austenesque quality of the writing. Clarke has an excellent shot at Austen’s dry, witty brand of English, but for the first one hundred pages I simply wasn’t taken in. Rather than being transported straight to Regency England, I was acutely aware of the artificiality of the language, to the point where I occasionally felt like I was reading an unintentional Austen spoof. It didn’t help that the early part of the book centred on a prim, petty, vain old man to whom I couldn’t relate and that the writing was rather detached. I persevered, though, and I’m glad I did, for about 150 pages into the book things began to fall into place. Not only did I get used to Clarke’s language, but I began to enjoy it, finding pleasure in her subtle satire and in such throwaway phrases as ‘there is no word in the English language for a magician’s garden two hundred years after the magician is dead’, which evokes all sorts of things without actually describing them. Even better, Jonathan Strange finally entered the picture, and suddenly the novel got a whole lot better. It got youth. It got flamboyance. It got fabulous feats of magic. It got rivalry. It got loyalty and betrayal, madness and obsessions and characters being redeemed from zombie-like existences. It got a pretty entertaining take on history. It got a cameo by Lord Byron (a boon to any historical fantasy novel -- see The Anubis Gates). And most of all, it got a heart, although the writing continued to be a bit more detached than I liked. Thanks to all these things, I ended up quite enjoying the book, laughing out loud at some of Clarke’s more entertaining notions, such as generals wishing to replace their cavalry’s horses with unicorns so as to gore Frenchmen through their hearts, or Jonathan Strange temporarily moving Brussels to America to get it out of Napoleon’s way because ‘[America] always looks so empty on the maps’. Jane Austen never came up with anything like that, and that’s a compliment.

In the end, then, I enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell quite a bit. I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped, but I certainly admired it. If only Jonathan Strange could have entered the story a bit earlier and if only the writing could have been a bit less detached, I'd probably have given the book five stars. Not bad, given my initial frustrations with it.

(One day I’ll learn to write concise reviews. Sigh.)
...less

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

8 comments

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

06/20/07

bookshelves: brit-lit, fantasy, favorites, fiction, worth-rereading

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: Fans of gothic, Victorian, Jane Austen or fantasy literature.

Without a doubt the best book I have read this year. I write that without hesitation and with a beaming smile on my face. Incredible. Enthralling. Amazing. The book was over 800 pages long and it did not seem long enough. I wanted more of the page length footnotes. When I finished the book, I immediately turned out the light and tried to drift off to sleep, because I knew nothing else I did that night was going to top the feeling I got after blowing through the last 100 pages like a madwoman. I ...more Without a doubt the best book I have read this year. I write that without hesitation and with a beaming smile on my face. Incredible. Enthralling. Amazing. The book was over 800 pages long and it did not seem long enough. I wanted more of the page length footnotes. When I finished the book, I immediately turned out the light and tried to drift off to sleep, because I knew nothing else I did that night was going to top the feeling I got after blowing through the last 100 pages like a madwoman. I want to start it over again, immediately.

The book is like reading Dickens, with the dialogue of Jane Austen, and the best writing of every classic fantasy I've read. All at once. Clarke manages to pay her homage while being entirely original herself. And the pages just keep turning and turning. You almost don't notice as 200 pages go by in less than two hours. This is a book to devour. Again, and again, and again. For those who have never been interested in the fantasy genre before, do not be put off. It's not even about the fantasy, though of course it is a major presence and the plot focuses around it. History geeks: There are three delightful, hilarious appearances by Wellington, George III and Lord Byron, as well as various Cabinet ministers of the time period.

The prose is wonderful, dead-on. Clarke has the ability to shift seamlessly from witty, sarcastic, detached prose and dialogue in the style of Jane Austen or Oscar Wilde:

These ladies and gentlemen, visitors to the city of Venice, were excessively pleased with the Campo Santa Maria Formosa. They thought the facades of the houses very magnificent- they could not praise them highly enough. But the sad decay which buildings, bridges and church all displayed seemed to charm them even more. They were Englishmen and, to them, the decline of other nations was the most natural thing in the world. They belonged to a race so blessed with so sensitive an appreciation of its own talents (and so doubtful an opinion of any body else's) that they would not have been at all surprised to learn that the Venetians themselves had been entirely ignorant of the merits of their own city- until Englishmen had come to tell them it was delightful."

... and then shift into lines that would do any fantasy author proud: "Spring returned to England. Birds followed ploughs. Stones were warmed by the sun. Rains and winds grew softer, and were fragranced by the scents of the earth and growing things. Woods were tinged with a colour so soft, so subtle that it could scarcely be said to be a colour at all. It was more the /idea/ of a colour- as if the trees were dreaming green dreams or thinking green thoughts."

Those quotes don't do it justice, they were just ones my eyes came across when I randomly opened pages. The writing is just beyond fantastic, to say the least.

That, on top of an intrguing, well developed, /incredibly/ well researched portrait of England at the time of the Napoleonic wars? It manages to cover all the major areas that british literature is known for, all at once, in one book, and do them all justice. Clarke is also able to touch on a lot of serious issues that were present in England at the time: (racial relations, the problems of a hereditary ruling class..) She makes you aware of them as a background, but doesn't push them in your face. It's just another way she's able to make her evocation of the time period that much more perfect.

... I should perhaps have written this review with a greater distance from finishing the novel. But I think I'm justified in doing it now, if only to give an idea of the kind of amazing feeling that the book gives you from reading it and finishing it.

Books like this are why I love literature.

Read it. End of story.

(... finally.)...less

Like this review? yes (14 people liked it)

23 comments

David rated it:

04/30/08

Read in January, 2006

Fantasy literature has come a long way since J.R.R. Tolkien normalized the genre in the 1950s. Once the domain of math club nerds and D&D dweebs, fantasy has gained at least a smidgen of respect, if not quite acceptance, from popular audiences in recent years. The silver screen adaptations of Tolkien's work, and the work of his friend C.S. Lewis, have been met by both popular and critical approval. And the themes of epic fantasy, particularly the struggle of well-defined good against well...more Fantasy literature has come a long way since J.R.R. Tolkien normalized the genre in the 1950s. Once the domain of math club nerds and D&D dweebs, fantasy has gained at least a smidgen of respect, if not quite acceptance, from popular audiences in recent years. The silver screen adaptations of Tolkien's work, and the work of his friend C.S. Lewis, have been met by both popular and critical approval. And the themes of epic fantasy, particularly the struggle of well-defined good against well-defined evil, seem to resonate with twenty-first century audiences, perhaps as a reflection of the war-on-terror world we live in, perhaps as an escape from its more morally ambiguous elements.

But fantasy literature as a genre remains rather stratified. The core works of Tolkien and Lewis can be found on the 'literature' shelves, but their peripheral works, and the derivative worlds of dragons and dwarves dreamt up by legions of imitators, remain firmly shelved in the 'sci-fi' isle, beyond the borders of respectable browsing.

Susanna Clarke's first novel is also among the first post-Tolkien works to deal unselfconsciously in the material of the fantasy genre while staking an unabashed claim to a spot on the literature shelves. Clarke achieves this literary escape by treating the fantastic subject of her novel - magic, and the men who practice it - in a distinctly unfantastic manner. The world of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a world of rapidly expanding scientific knowledge in which the received wisdom of scholastic study has given way to the exciting and challenging discoveries of self-taught amateurs and casual societies. Clarke's wonderful conceit is that magic is simply one among the many new sciences being discovered and explored; it is not, as Rowling would have it, an alternate and nearly limitless reality, but a discipline existing alongside electricity and medicine, one that requires just as much investigation and education and that engenders just as much scholarly disagreement and debate.

Clarke adds to the effect with a series of footnotes to invented scholars and fictional journals, a creative touch that hints at the depth and reality of her imagined subject. And she completes the impression with a sort of insistence, through her text, that her subject be taken seriously, not only by her readers but by the characters who inhabit her world. Magic, in Clarke's work, is not a fix-all; there is no magic ring control of which empowers the bearer beyond all. Instead, magic, like any science, is a thing to be used where useful, as far as possible; and the most successful moments in Jonathan Strange are those that explore the limits of the new science and the frustrations of those who study it.

But the book is not without its unsuccessful moments, and these come when Clarke allows the fantastic elements of her story to overwhelm the realism that she has so carefully created. What begins as a story of scientific and scholarly competition becomes, towards the end of the novel, an abstract journey into an under-realized fantasy universe whose boundaries lack the pseudo-scholarly definition that grounds the early part of the text. And what begins as a truly compelling treatment science and scholarship becomes a more routine attempt to construct a universe alternate to our own.

Clarke's alternate universe, it must be said, is quite enjoyable in its own right, and the reader who picks up Jonathan Strange notwithstanding the 'fantasy' label will likely find much to enjoy. But ultimately Clarke's foray into straight-up fantasy writing betrays the great promise of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: a book about fantastic things that is not, or not only, a mere fantasy novel. You'll find Jonathan Strange on the literature shelves, but its heart is still half on the 'sci-fi' rack....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Kristen rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

09/19/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: Harry Potter fans, Phillip Pullman fans, Jane Austen fans, fans of European history.

My father picked out this book for me. I went home to the beach for a week and read all three books I took in 3 days. On day four, I needed a new book. My father took me to the mainland bookstore (only about one room in size) and picked out this book with the words "This is a nice big heavy book. I'm sure you'll love it."
And he wasn't wrong. From the very first page I was hooked. I myself am never a fan of sycophantic hyperbole, but in this case it is nothing but the trut...more My father picked out this book for me. I went home to the beach for a week and read all three books I took in 3 days. On day four, I needed a new book. My father took me to the mainland bookstore (only about one room in size) and picked out this book with the words "This is a nice big heavy book. I'm sure you'll love it."
And he wasn't wrong. From the very first page I was hooked. I myself am never a fan of sycophantic hyperbole, but in this case it is nothing but the truth. The opening line "He never spoke of magic and when he did..." sets the mood and tone in wonderfully easy way. The book is, like my father observed, big and heavy. At 844 pages, it's a lot of a book, with many linear sub plots that seem to have no connection, until the very last 20 pages, when the careful pacing and studied lesiure the author took with her characters and their adventures, ramps up to 90 mph and answers all the questions you didn't even realize you had.
The title characters, Mr Gilbert Norrell and Mr Jonathan Strange are some of the mosty perfectly flawed protagonists in modern fiction. Both men are developed within an inch of their lives, an unlike most heroes, I found my opinions changing on them as the book progressed. Mr Norrell, adorable and crochety in the beginning, becomes a villian of cirsumtance, when he chooses self advancement over another's happiness. Jonathan Strange, so charming and likable in the first of his chapters, soon turns to a man who compromises his principles and beliefs all the while fooling himself that on such thing has happened. Unlike so much contemporary fiction, where the characters remain the same despite the fact that their cirsumstances have changed, here the cirsumstances change, the characters adaprt to that, and in doing os change their cirsumstances again. And all done so fluidly that you barely notice a thing is different until you say to yourself under your breath "I can't beleive he did THAT."
The supporting characters and their subplots are so richly drawn that sometimes it is hard ot tear yourself away and return to the plot proper. The msot compelling of all of these subplots is the one regarding a servant in an upper class British household named Stephen Black. From his introduction to his fate, Stephen's story is so marvelously told, his characrter so reliably solid, that I found myself wishing and hoping for a book of just Stephen Black. Likewise, Arabella Strange, the title character's wife, John Segundas, a theoretical magician, and social climber Drawlight all have fascinating journeys and play important roles in the main story.
Kudos to Clarke for her well furnished History of magic. The clever footnotes and imemdiate references to historical magic, all presupposign that we already know what is going on, not only compliment the intelligence of the reader, but serve as a deeper link straight into the story. Fans of fantasy who crave more than just epic battles and funny creatures, but feel most comfortable in the greatly established words of Hogwarts and the Shire and Lyra's Oxford but crave books with a little more subtle humor, ala Austen and Dickens, will find themselves pleasantly surpirsed with this book, as it is almost impossible to pin it down in a genre and why would you want to when you could spend your time actually reading it.
...less

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

add a comment

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

11/02/07

f I asked you to name a modern fantasy novel by a British woman that clocks in at 800+ pages and has as its subject magic in England, you'd probably give me a title that begins with Harry Potter and... and I could hardly blame you, though these are also characteristics of Susanna Clarke's debut novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

That's where the similarity ends, however, except for both being novels I didn't particularly want to put down. The style is reminiscent of Jane Austen and ot...more f I asked you to name a modern fantasy novel by a British woman that clocks in at 800+ pages and has as its subject magic in England, you'd probably give me a title that begins with Harry Potter and... and I could hardly blame you, though these are also characteristics of Susanna Clarke's debut novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

That's where the similarity ends, however, except for both being novels I didn't particularly want to put down. The style is reminiscent of Jane Austen and other writers of that era (sort of). It's actually been cleaned up (or watered down) to give hints and flavors of that style (the footnotes that add depth to the tale with sometimes-lengthy asides, the general tone). The setting is England in the early 1800s (sort of). This is not just England of the 19th century plus magic. In this England, magic is infused throughout England's history from at least a few centuries before the Renaissance, when the legendary Raven King established a kingdom in the north of England and ruled for centuries. He's long gone, and now [i.e. in 1806 when the novel begins] magic has been lost and no one does magic any more. People who are called magicians are either charlatans or scholars who study the history of magic rather than its practice.

That is, until Mr. Norrell hits the scene. He's a bookish man who's been study magic for many years and has determined to bring the practice of magic back to England. However, he's determined to do so on his own terms. He has bought up all of the books of magic spells in England and gets the government to help him regulate who can and who cannot be a magician.

We don't actually meet Jonathan Strange until we're a couple hundred pages in. He is a dilettante, a gentleman who's never settled on anything. He discovers is sold a spell which, it turns out, works for him, and he determines to become a magician. Of course, he can't find any books to learn from because Mr. Norrell has bought them all. So, he must go to Mr. Norrell to learn magic. Surprisingly, Norrell annd Strange take a liking to one another and together begin the restoration of magic to England, performing amazing feats with their mystical abilities. Norrell, despite his great affection for Strange, cannot bring himself to share all that of his books or all that he knows because Norrell believes that he knows what magic should be revived and what shouldn't, as well as what magic is safe and what is not.

Strange, though, has the advantage of an aptitude for magic which allows him to create new spells and he is also afforded some freedom to develop his talents when he goes to Spain to help Wellington in the fight against Napoleon. Eventually, Strange and Norrell have a falling out, but I will say no more about the plot, lest I leave you nothing to read.

The novel may seem as though it develops slowly. Well, it does. However, don't make the mistake of thinking that the early portions are mere filler. In fact, Clarke is carefully building up both her fantastic England in is richness and complexity and laying the foundation for plot elements which will be wound up by the end of the novel. She shows us many interesting characters, hints of the rich world they inhabit, and engaging plot, and intelligent, witty writing. She mimics something of the 18th and early 19th Century's humor and wit to very nice effect.

Besides being named Book of the Year by Time Magazine and Book Sense, it won this year's Hugo award given out at the World Science Fiction Convention, something of a rarity for a fantasy novel....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Luis rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

11/05/07

Read in July, 2007

It turns out when I opened this book I was in the mood for a bit of magic and mystery after finishing the Harry Potter series. It turns out the book takes place in the same country, different time period, and magic is a little darker than Rowlings version. It gives a picture of England at the beginning of the 1800's in a case when magic is commonly accepted as part of society and history of England. In the book the northern part of the kingdom was once ruled by a Wizard king who disappeared in ...more It turns out when I opened this book I was in the mood for a bit of magic and mystery after finishing the Harry Potter series. It turns out the book takes place in the same country, different time period, and magic is a little darker than Rowlings version. It gives a picture of England at the beginning of the 1800's in a case when magic is commonly accepted as part of society and history of England. In the book the northern part of the kingdom was once ruled by a Wizard king who disappeared in the past leaving the southern king as steward of the North till his return.
One of the best part of the book is how social and historical commonalities are assumed during the writing of the book little footnotes are put in that clear many of these assumptions. These little gems are scattered throughout the book giving the reader some of the folklore and history of the magic that is the basis for the book. Some of the little stories are the best parts because it gives you not just a better understanding of the book but gives you an overall picture of what the writer is trying to create. The story starts with a few men getting together trying who call themselves magicians which is only the type of affairs that men of certain bearing and education can hope to achieve. In other words only the rich and pompous study magic and all it mysteries. As to the practice of Magic well that seems to be something that is frowned upon within this social circle. They come across rumors of a man with a vast library of magic books at his disposal and go in search of him. The discover that Mr. Norrel in fact has the most extensive library in England curiously enough practices magic. Mr. Norrel is then challenged to provide proof of magic's existence, but for him to do this he contends that after that day he should be known as the sole magician in all of England. As he emerges from his home and moves into society his story of magic and its renewed practice create quite a stir in the entire country. Yet he wishes to create himself as the sole magician and works towards disarming or thwarting all those who call themselves magicians. During this process he happens to unknowingly create the other magician Jonathon Strange who as the book progresses is the ideal of what a magician should be. The book takes place over a number of years as their prominence and magic become more powerful. At one point they Strange fights in the Napoleonic wars using magic to aid the British through the war. Very good stuff and only works to create a bigger rift between the characters.
The book sets up a rivalry between these two mages that is created not by their personalities but more of the society around them. Their main differences is that Mr Norrel wishes to control the study of magic and ensure the safety of the wielder. Strange wishes to explore magic for its everyday use and its power. Both of them it turns are way off the mark, but it is amazing journey as to who their characters come to the right conclusions.
There is an amazing subplot with an interfering Faerie king who watches over them plotting and manipulating events to his fancy not realizing exactly what his actions and consequences are. The most interesting character is the Raven King who appears throughout the footnotes and in conversations between the two main characters. Mystery and power surround the character and ultimately he is the most important character in the book. Ah the genius of Susanna Clark.... Rivalries, intrigue, mystery, magic, and war all forced into these pages. Great read....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Brett rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

06/30/08

Read in April, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This is actually a trilogy of books that I picked up at a large chain bookstore for $5. For the most part, it was a well spent $5. If you like fantasy novels or stories set in worlds where magic is a factor, or even if you're into historical fiction, this could be a good read for you. Set mostly in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars and the years after, this story takes place in a world where Magic has been a known force in history, although it waned from the land centuries before. "Theore...more This is actually a trilogy of books that I picked up at a large chain bookstore for $5. For the most part, it was a well spent $5. If you like fantasy novels or stories set in worlds where magic is a factor, or even if you're into historical fiction, this could be a good read for you. Set mostly in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars and the years after, this story takes place in a world where Magic has been a known force in history, although it waned from the land centuries before. "Theoretical" magicians have kept the study of magic alive, but only as scholars who no longer believe in even attempting magic. Then, two "Practical" magicians appear in Britain- two very different people whose methods and approaches to magic clash, but whose talents are on par with each other.

There are two things that fascinate me with this story- one is the real historical setting, which describes the state of Europe during Napoleon's reign and, more specifically, England's landscape and society during that time. The world of upper-class gentlemen, their etiquette, fashion, business and pass-times are all well researched, described, and incorporated into the novel to give the whole story a firm believable base in reality.

The second factor that I found ultimately interesting is the way Clarke infuses magic into this historically based reality. This is no completely foreign world where everything is new and strange- this is a familiar world where magic is as freely acknowledged a thing of the past as The Roman Empire. The practical magic is almost casually described, without the glitz and flare of a Las Vegas magic act, if indeed described at all. Many of the magical feats accomplished by the magicians Strange and Norrell in this book are discussed after the fact, with only the end product being named. Clarke often chooses not to describe how the spell happened and what it took to accomplish the magic, giving the events an air of both mystery and reality at the same time, as if it's enough to say, "The gun went off," without needing to understand the chemistry of gunpowder and the physics of ballistics. This approach seems to heighten the motivations of the characters, making the story more about the relationship between two fascinating men during the rise of their power. The idea of magic is more of a backdrop than a highlight.

I left two stars unmarked for a bit of a bumpy, halting rhythm to the story. Clarke uses footnotes extensively to describe a history to her world that doesn't directly relate to the story. I found this very distracting at times, as I chose to take the time-outs to read the back-stories and anecdotes she invented to enrich her world. It seemed obvious that Clarke is attempting to build a world that goes beyond the story of Strange and Norrell, much like Tolkien did with The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, or Rowling did with the Harry Potter series. It's one thing to develop a rich world in which to tell a story. It's another thing to try to create a sensation where fans will want to buy peripheral books and accessories based on things only hinted at in the original novels, things that don't drive the story itself.

These books aren't exactly page-turners, and at times seem tangential and a little slow, but over all, they are a good read for fantasy fans, as the approach to the use of magic is both original and effective. If you can find the box set of $5, give it a shot....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Eric rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

07/13/07

Read in January, 2005

I so wanted to like this book. The idea is just wonderful. I was so pleased for a while to be in that world, a historical England. I love the dialogue and descriptions. And I love the idea of magic in an otherwise real setting, as though it were a normal part of our actual world. But it was so frustrating to read after a while. The footnotes, auuuugh, the footnotes. They were cute at first, because the book is written sort of like a history book from that period. But after a while they were jus...more I so wanted to like this book. The idea is just wonderful. I was so pleased for a while to be in that world, a historical England. I love the dialogue and descriptions. And I love the idea of magic in an otherwise real setting, as though it were a normal part of our actual world. But it was so frustrating to read after a while. The footnotes, auuuugh, the footnotes. They were cute at first, because the book is written sort of like a history book from that period. But after a while they were just so long and so unrelated to the main story that they became seriously cumbersome. And just when the story would be getting involved, she'd fast forward 2 years or 10 years and the last part of the story, though unresolved, would be pretty much forgotten. Boooo!

The end was annoying, or rather the way the main characters reacted to it. It's fiction, it's fantasy, but when you're writing about basic human beings who have otherwise behaved consistently throughout the book, and then they react to something in a way you know isn't consistent and isn't how people would act, it pops the bubble of your suspended disbelief and sort of ruins the story. Another annoying thing is that we keep waiting to learn more about why Mr. Norrell acts the way he does, but we never do learn. He's just a pill and that's it. That's poor writing, No motivations for him, no insight into his character. So really he just serves a function in the book that could have been served by an inanimate object.

Overall the book is just filled with too many things that seem to have no point. It's not that they aren't interesting by themselves or couldn't have been made into something wonderful, it's just that they are tossed out there randomly and not connected to anything. In that way, the cold, dispassionate history book style disappoints, because what we really want is a story. We want to care about the characters and see resolution of some kind. Booo!

There will apparently be more books set in this world, but I won't be reading them. It's just too much of a time investment in a seemingly great idea that doesn't pay off....less

Like this review? yes (13 people liked it)

6 comments

Joel rated it:

06/13/07

Read in August, 2006

recommends it for: Fans of Dickens and Harry Potter

Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is much like reading an adult Harry Potter novel by way of Charles Dickens. Set in England in the early 1800s, the novel tells of the rise, divide, and eventual destiny of two magicians who bring magic back to England. This is not the magic of parlour tricks and sleight-of-hand, but real honest to goodness magic: ships made of rain, prophecies, Eternal Nights, Fairies, and that sort of thing. The novel spans just over a decade--and at 782 pages...more Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is much like reading an adult Harry Potter novel by way of Charles Dickens. Set in England in the early 1800s, the novel tells of the rise, divide, and eventual destiny of two magicians who bring magic back to England. This is not the magic of parlour tricks and sleight-of-hand, but real honest to goodness magic: ships made of rain, prophecies, Eternal Nights, Fairies, and that sort of thing. The novel spans just over a decade--and at 782 pages, there is plenty of detail to fill up that time period. The book is footnoted extensively with references to fictional histories, letters, tales, cross-references, and so on. Some of these elements--such as Britain's Northern Kingdom and the 300 year reign of the Raven King--are entirely fictional. Others--like the Duke of Wellington and the country's struggles with Napoleon and the madness of King George--are based in fact. When woven together, Clarke creates a deep and richly textured world.

And don't let my refernce to Harry Potter fool you. The magic in JS&MN is not cutesy magic with silly names and punning gags. It is treated in the novel with complete seriousness--a profession with a history and weight behind it that put the practice of magic on a level equal with that of Law or the Church. In otherwords, practical magic (distinct from theoretical magic) is the sort of profession a gentleman can take part in, though most real knowledge on the subject has been lost.

Clarke also depicts magic as something unsettling and not entirely natural. When Mr. Norrell causes all the statues in a cathedral to speak, for example, as a show of his ability as a magician, the scene is not silly and winking. Instead, the statues speak of crimes they have seen committed in the chapel; they call for revenge and groan their complaints in voices like stone grinding against stone. Thus magic in this world may be wonderful, but it is also awful--in both senses of the word.

I'll admit there are times when the novel drags. Clarke's ear for 19th century prose and eye for detail are great talents, but I wonder if she couldn't have cut the book down by a hundred pages or two. The world is painted vividly, and at times it jumps from fascinating to tedious. For the most part, however, her attention to the peculiarities of London life as England begins to take center stage in world events makes the book really enjoyable.

I'm a sucker for historical fiction--especially historical fictions set in the 19th century. Clarke's skill as a writer and the intiricacies of the world she creates make this one of the most enjoyable books I've real all summer. While researching for this review, I found out she will have a book of short stories (some of which deal with the characters in this novel) published in just a few months. The fact that--even after nearly 800 pages--I still look forward to more tales in Clarke's world confirms for me just how gratifying her writing can be. Get to know Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised....less

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

Masanobu rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

04/03/08

bookshelves: read-in-2008

Read in January, 2008

According to Wikipedia:

"The book is set in an alternate 19th-century Britain, during the Napoleonic Wars. The story is based on the premise of magic returning to England after hundreds of years of desuetude, and the tumultuous relationship between two fictional magicians of the time. The story incorporates historical events and people into its fictional alternate reality. Historical figures encountered in the novel include the Duke of Wellington, Lord Byron and King George III. The nove...more According to Wikipedia:

"The book is set in an alternate 19th-century Britain, during the Napoleonic Wars. The story is based on the premise of magic returning to England after hundreds of years of desuetude, and the tumultuous relationship between two fictional magicians of the time. The story incorporates historical events and people into its fictional alternate reality. Historical figures encountered in the novel include the Duke of Wellington, Lord Byron and King George III. The novel, written in a pastiche of Jane Austen's literary style, uses quasi-archaic spelling for several words (such as shew, chuse, connexion, sopha, scissars, headach, and surprize).

The book is interspersed with hundreds of fictional footnotes which reference a number of fictional books including magical scholarship and biographies, and which provide a detailed backstory. Many pages of the book contain more footnote text than main body text. The book features several illustrations by Portia Rosenberg."

Well, that is the initial plot of the book, which make this novel quite interesting by itself, though way too civilized to make the book one of those you just can't put down.

But it all gets more complicated when the first magician, Mr. Norrell, an old and unfriendly hermit, resurrect the wife of Sir Walter Pole in order to make magic known in London. For his purpose, he summons an elf - the gentleman with the thistle-down hair. This elf, as any other, is quite evil* and whimsical by nature and the king of Lost-Hope, where he makes Lady Pole go by night. As time passes, he also charms Steven Black, Sir Pole's servant, and Arabella Strange, Jonathan Strange's wife, as he like them all. Contrary to the other two characters, Mrs. Strange is believed to be dead in England.

Also, there is the quarrel between Mr. Strange and his former master, Mr. Norrell, which sets Strange to investigate magic on his own, as Mr. Norrell would not let him touch his precious books in Hurtfew Abbey. This is the point where something starts to happen, and the pace of the novel becomes faster. It is also when both worlds, England and the Other Lands, meet.

What everybody seems to forget while reviewing this book is that Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange are not the only magicians involved. We can also get a glimpse of John Uskglass, the Raven King, around whom the story and the main plot revolves, thanks to a book that helds a prophecy (that element is not erased from the usual preconception of fantasy books).

What I liked the most about this book was the uncommon fantasy Clarke writes; she impressed me with her well-grounded alternate Britain -the fictional footnotes helped no little here-, and her use of real characters.

This book was fascinating and the writing flows easily in a way that makes you forget its lenght. I would have gone on reading. Although the ending was neat, at least for the main characters, I would not mind reading a little more about the Raven King or Childermass, Mr. Norrell's servant.

*evil: I have not found better words to describe them...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Matthew rated it:

(review of isbn 0641690193)

03/24/08

bookshelves: fiction

Read in August, 2006

I just finish a week-long strange and norrell binge where i just tried to tie together all the loose ends. Becuase like and intricately women tapastrie, this story has a lot of tantalizing strings. Some i was able to tie together, although other seem to be there for the sake of "easter eggs."
But i finally saw that strange and norells spell for england to greet what they think is John Uskglass is what empowers stephen to kill the fairy and free himself and mrs strange. PInaapples see...more I just finish a week-long strange and norrell binge where i just tried to tie together all the loose ends. Becuase like and intricately women tapastrie, this story has a lot of tantalizing strings. Some i was able to tie together, although other seem to be there for the sake of "easter eggs."
But i finally saw that strange and norells spell for england to greet what they think is John Uskglass is what empowers stephen to kill the fairy and free himself and mrs strange. PInaapples seem to be easter eggs, though, appearing through out the book but I wasn't able to discren and themati element arount them other than thier presence.
The best moment i discovered comes in the scene where first accepts strange's offer of maic in defeating the french, which turns out to be through the creation of magic roads, which resonates with the fairy raods that begin to appear on stranges returns and thier connection with mirrors. But during that initial meeting, the officers are musing on the possible uses magic could be put to when a voice pops out of the crowd and declares he would use his magic to create magical dance-balls every night and he owuld just wave his hands and all the enemy soldiers would just fall down dead. It is described as coming from a little fox faced man, who although fox faced is another familar motif of many characters appearances, does not appear to introduce himself again. I think its the fairy, magically sitting in on the generals' meeting.
But what makes it great is that its almost just thrown away. The generals are dicussing, then the odd comment from the foxed face man, then nobody remarks on it or responds in any way with the comment, and they go on to decide something completely rational and mundane, like roads.
And it reminds me perfectly of what we see so often from the fairy; his secret lurking behind the affiars of men, sneering at them as the blunder about. But usually we see it from stephens, and so we are in on the secret. But this time its just thrown out there and you barely even notice it, just like how the fiary operates. TYpically, the fairy, or strange when he needs to be invisible, casts a spell of indifference, that any straonge or atypical things you see or hear will just appear normal and everyday. Just as we the reader might not take notice of an odd single passage in the course of the book, and might not see the fairy.
Fox-like is a frequent descriptor throught the book, and i associate with that animalistic and otherlandness side of nature which leans toard the fairy, but i didn't notice other characters that were described with some fox like attribute had particelarly fairy-serving task.
Mr. Honeyfoot is a peculiar character that i almost suspect of having fairy influences if he didn't have a wife and family. LIke i almost suspect him of originally having the name mr silvertongue, becuase he's is always coxing the reluctant mr. strange or mr. segundus into some magical-related situation. He's unwittingly mischevious, and it always ends in an increase of magic....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Alex rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

03/06/08

bookshelves: books-read-in-2006

Read in April, 2006

JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL BY SUSANNA CLARKE: This was my second attempt at reading this book. I'd tried when it first came out, with the heavy intimidating hardback (though sometimes a giant hardback that I can't hold in one hand is the best thing ever!). Since it was a fantasy novel with magic and wizards and set within a historical period, I was expecting something fast paced and somewhat action packed. So when I got 200+ pages in and had yet to have a scene where something physical happ...more JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL BY SUSANNA CLARKE: This was my second attempt at reading this book. I'd tried when it first came out, with the heavy intimidating hardback (though sometimes a giant hardback that I can't hold in one hand is the best thing ever!). Since it was a fantasy novel with magic and wizards and set within a historical period, I was expecting something fast paced and somewhat action packed. So when I got 200+ pages in and had yet to have a scene where something physical happened involving some sort of action, I gave up.

When the paperback came out I was unable to stop myself from purchasing it. This is a thing that's developed in me over the years spent in the book business. When I see a book that I think should be good and has a really great cover (since I have seen many bad covers, such as all the Robert Jordan books), I need to own it. I'd told myself that I'd give this book another try at a later date and so before I left Copperfield's I bought it.

About a month ago I started listening to it on audiobook, got about fifteen minutes into it, and while the voices were very good and English, I could tell from the well developed language of the book that it would be better and deserved to be read in the paper form. I sloughed through it this time, finally rewarded with a few actions scenes, and some very interesting plot. I still felt it went on a little too long and there could've been an entire book of the same size with all the stuff that didn't get revealed in the book. When you create a unique world, I like to know how it came to be and a lot of the details of why it is this way, and there wasn't as much of that in Jonathan Strange. It centered more around two kind of lame magicians, one of which is an old annoying selfish fart, and an egomaniacal fairy who wants to control the real world as well as that of Faerie. Near the end some of the characters did some weird things as well that I thought were unwarranted and kind of came out of nowhere, which really bugs me with long books that have the room and the time to set this up.

Nevertheless, I'm definitely glad I worked through it and read the whole thing and that I own it and maybe, in five or ten years, I'll give it a reread and see it in a totally different way.

I've discovered in my reading that it really depends on my current mood and state of what I can get from a book. I can be impatient and want something to grab me right away, which is why I didn't like the book at first, but when I tried again in a calmer state, I was able to enjoy it. It's all very weird and probably a little OCD in some way, but over the many many years of reading and the many many books read, I've become picky in what I read and what I want to read and how I want to read it.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Doug rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

01/26/08

Read in September, 2006

recommends it for: Anyone who loves magical worlds

I wish there were different categories for the overall rankings of books here, because I would give this book several fives. The author has created a world of magic that seems real and almost scholarly. It is set early in the 1800's in England and the characters are so believable and interwoven with real historical figures, that you almost believe you are reading actual history. I would give Susanna Clarke a five for creating this amazingly intricate and believable story we enjoy with dozens of ...more I wish there were different categories for the overall rankings of books here, because I would give this book several fives. The author has created a world of magic that seems real and almost scholarly. It is set early in the 1800's in England and the characters are so believable and interwoven with real historical figures, that you almost believe you are reading actual history. I would give Susanna Clarke a five for creating this amazingly intricate and believable story we enjoy with dozens of little footnotes and sub-stories that make the overall story very believable and real. In fact the magic is so real you almost have to adjust your thinking after living in this world for a while, to realize it is just fiction.

The magic and the story isn't like anything else I've read. I'd never compare it to "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter." This world is more like our regular world but with subtle magic thrown in here and there. And as the story progresses, we are exposed to a greater hidden world of magic and the history of magic in England starts to take shape and we realize that there are amazing powers and worlds that can be tapped by our main characters. Now that these worlds have been opened, they need to be explored and we need to more and more information. Our taste buds are prepared now for the spicy, exciting stuff.

It took me a couple of weeks to read the book and I'm a pretty fast and intense reader. There were times when I got tears in my eyes, times when the story dragged a little bit, but all and all, I think it is well worth the effort. That said, I understand that some people who are very plot driven and looking for a thrill every chapter, won't do well reading this book. There are many insightful and fun quips here and there that kept me amused and sometimes amazed. And don't think you can skip the footnotes. There are little themes and information in the notes that reveal important future events and possibilities.

I do have to admit that I'm a little bothered when I read a book of this length, when the book doesn't quite get finished by the end. Anne Rice was particularly guilty of this. There are solutions to the most important questions, but there is a lot left hanging. I hope the next book doesn't take ten more years to write. I am looking forward to it and I'll certainly buy it.

So, if you're looking for a good, long read (there are pictures here and there, so that helps) with amazing characters, a fun view of personality traits and the British sense of humor and wit, tackle this book. If you're more of a "Da Vinci Code" kind of reader, I'd say it may not be for you.

Good job, Susanna. I'll be watching for the next installment and I hope it is titled, "The Raven King." I'm like Jonathan. I need to know a lot more about him....less

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

Jennifer added it

07/01/08

In the beginning was Norrell. Well, actually in the beginning was the Yorkshire Society of Magicians. All of them theoretical. In fact, no one in England has seen nor heard of a pracitical magician in years--centuries even. Then we get Mr. Norrell. He feels it's his task to bring English magic back into prominence, to restore it to its rightful place. After all, what better to defeat Napoleon than magic? So with his manservant Childermass, he leaves his beloved Yorkshire estate and moves to Lond...more In the beginning was Norrell. Well, actually in the beginning was the Yorkshire Society of Magicians. All of them theoretical. In fact, no one in England has seen nor heard of a pracitical magician in years--centuries even. Then we get Mr. Norrell. He feels it's his task to bring English magic back into prominence, to restore it to its rightful place. After all, what better to defeat Napoleon than magic? So with his manservant Childermass, he leaves his beloved Yorkshire estate and moves to London. There he meets two dandies, Lascelles and Drawlight, who introduce him to all the proper people of London society. He soon has cause to perform a major feat of magic and his reputation is sealed. The banes of his existence, however, is continually mentioned: the Raven King and fairies. The Raven King is the quintessential magician, and ruled three countries: one in England, one in Faerie, and one in Hell. Norrell knows that a true magician doesn't need fairies to help him perform magic, especially English magic, and he's going to make sure that all England knows it as well.[return][return]Jonathan Strange is desperately in love with his sweetheart, but knows that he needs a profession in order to marry her. He's discarded a number of professions already, but with Norrell's arrival on the scene, magic is becoming a slightly more respectable field. Strange therefore decides to become a magician. And he turns out to be not so shabby.[return][return]Strange eventually becomes Norrell's pupil and the two set out to bring English magic back into society.[return][return]And we also find in this novel humans enchanted by fairies, the history of the Raven King and of English magic in general, the Napoleonic wars and Waterloo, even Lord Byron![return][return]This is a wonderful story. Alone, the language, the conceit of the footnoted text, or just the feeling of the story could have been too much. Woven together, it captures the feel of the Napoleonic and Romantic eras amazingly well--it is very much a novel of the time. For a while, I was torn between wanting to rip through it because the plot was so intriguing and wanting to savor each phrase. I opted for savoring. There were a few things that I puzzled out well before the end, but to see them come to fruition was gratifying because there were so many things I thought would happen but didn't that it was nice to be right. But being wrong wasn't bad. There are so many twists and turns and unexpected treasures to find, it's as if the book is Lost-hope itself. And the author's research shows, not in a know-it-all way, but in the shiny way of knowledge used well. (Especially the fairy stuff--she used a lot of legends of Ireland and Scotland because England doesn't really have its own intrinsic fairy lore, she said in an interview. I very much liked the way she used it.)[return][return]So go out and read this book. Don't be intimidated by its size--it's really not all that heavy. Kind of as if it were made of fairy gold....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Jake rated it:

07/11/08

bookshelves: alternate-history, fantasy, favorite-titles

If Jane Austen and JRR Tolkien were brought back from the dead and asked to coauthor a novel together, the result might look very much like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

At the night of the Napoleanic wars, the last British magician, Mr. Norrell, comes out of seclusion to restore magic to England. After demonstrating to everyone’s satisfaction that eh is, indeed, a magician of signifigant power, he travels to London, where he quickly becomes embroiled in the political and social scenery...more If Jane Austen and JRR Tolkien were brought back from the dead and asked to coauthor a novel together, the result might look very much like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

At the night of the Napoleanic wars, the last British magician, Mr. Norrell, comes out of seclusion to restore magic to England. After demonstrating to everyone’s satisfaction that eh is, indeed, a magician of signifigant power, he travels to London, where he quickly becomes embroiled in the political and social scenery. While there, he takes on one Jonathan Strange as his pupil. Strange too, becomes embroiled in politics (and the wars, where he serves as Duke Wellington’s personal sorceror), and eventually seperates from his teacher over a philosophical dispute (Strange wishes to investigate magics relating to Faeries and the Raven King, the most powerful magician ever to live in England. Mr. Norrell feels this is unwise.). A great deal of scandal, magic, intrigue, mystery, and some violence ensue.

Be advised, I’ve left out quite a bit. Trying to summarize this book is a bit like trying to summarize the Lord of the Rings. There’s far to much happening there to do it any justice. So the question is, is it any good?

Absolutety, if you like this sort of thing.

Clarke has a wonderful, very vivid writing style. It’s engaging, and descriptive, and flows well. It also reads very much like Pride and Prejudice (the only one of Jane Austen’s works I’ve ever read). If you appreciate that sort of 18th century style dialogue and wit, then you will appreciate Clarke’s writing. If you find that sort of writing dry, or annoying, or otherwise unengaging, then you will not enjoy this book.

Which will be a shame, because it is a wonderfully writtne book. The characters are, for the most part, well fleshed out and engaging (the exceptions might be Mssrs. Drawlight and Lacelles, who are almost cartoonish in their villany). The plot is intricate, interseting, and managed to surprise me numerous times, which is more than I can say for a lto of books.

Clarke has clearly done an immense amount of research, and put an immense amount of work into the book. She not only convincingly recreates 18th Century England, but she alters it’s history, changes the course of the Napoleanic wars, and does it all with footnotes that at times, left me wondering what was fiction and what was fact. It’s an incredibly immerssive, entertaining read.

Oddly, one of the reviews posted on Amazon says that “comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable.” I guess because, you know, they’re two books about magicians in England. Which is about as far as I’d take the comparison. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell has a lot more depth, fewer cardboard characters, and in general, is a much stronger piece of literature. I’ve got plenty of love for Harry, but this is leaps and bounds above him....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Hyel rated it:

(review of isbn 0765356155)

03/20/08

Read in November, 2005

Actually a really good book. Loved the detail and all the footnotes. But in case you have no patience to read a long and rambly book, but want to know what happens, here's a recap:

---

Mr Norrell
I've spent all my life studying magic and now I'm going to revive it in England. By which I mean I want everyone to see how good I am and admire me. Fairy, revive Lady Pole so the cabinet ministers will be impressed with me.

The gentleman with thistle-down hair
Ooh, how pretty! (Revives Lady ...more