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Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel
by Susanna Clarke

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/259035.Jonathan_Strange_Mr_Norrell_A_Novel?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Jonathan Strange &amp; Mr. Norrell: A Novel" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173214689m/259035.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/259035.Jonathan_Strange_Mr_Norrell_A_Novel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8842.Susanna_Clarke">Susanna Clarke</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4010604?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars Show of hands: how many of you hate Jane Austen?
 
 Just me? Good, you'll all probably love this book!
 
 It's the early 19th century, and real magic has long 
 since vanished from England. No one practices magic 
 anymore.
 
 Until a fussy, self-absorbed recluse makes his presence, 
 and his powers, known. Mr. Norrell has spent his life 
 studying the magicians of the past, and is determined to 
 restore English magic to its former glory. However, 
 Norrell has no intention of practicing old-school magic, 
 with reliance on fairies and mysticism. Magic, in his 
 opinion, should be a respectable, rational pursuit for 
 gentlemen.
 
 Or I should say, *gentleman*. Norrell hoards magic. He 
 plots against other would-be magicians and buys up all 
 the useful books on the subject so no one else can read 
 them.
 
 Then along comes restless, charming, sardonic young 
 Jonathan Strange. After an encounter with a homeless 
 charlatan, Strange finds himself on the path to becoming 
 a magician. He offers to become Norrell's student, and 
 Norrell, secretly lonely for someone to discuss magic 
 with, gladly accepts.
 
 On the surface, the two men are very different: one is 
 humorless, pedantic, and timid; the other, full of wit, 
 curiosity, and daring. But they're united by obsession: 
 both love to be left alone to do nothing but read about, 
 discuss, and practice their beloved magic.
 
 Strange develops a fascination with such dangerous topics 
 as fairy-servants and the Raven King (founder of English 
 magic). After having a taste of the Raven King's eerie, 
 awe-inspiring, exhilarating style of magic, Strange 
 splits with Norrell, bravely (and recklessly) pursuing 
 the path to Faerie.
 
 As Norrell warns, fairies are far too amoral and 
 mercurial to have dealings with. Fairies have a greater 
 ability to work incredibly powerful, reality-bending 
 magic than humans do.
 
 Humans, however, have most of the sanity.
 
 But Norrell's a hypocrite. He's summoned up a fairy 
 himself, a giddy narcissist known only as "the gentleman 
 with the thistle-down hair." The gentleman is carelessly 
 cruel, prone to abrupt mood swings, and is always 
 bestowing unwanted "gifts" on his unfortunate new best 
 pal, the human Stephen Black:
 
 A thought appeared to strike him. "Would you like to 
 be Archbishop of Canterbury tomorrow, Stephen?"
 
 "No, thank you, sir."
 
 "Are you quite certain? It is scarcely any trouble."
 
 I must mention the footnotes. Sprinkled throughout the 
 text, they refer to imaginary books of magic, additional 
 biographical details of characters, and mini fairy tales. 
 They are often more interesting than what's happening in 
 the main story.
 
 I was annoyed by the lack of interesting female 
 characters. In the rather large cast, there are less than 
 a handful of women who are in any way important, and one 
 of them spends most of the book under an enchantment that 
 renders her completely helpless and spiritless.
 
 Clarke has gifts for characterization, subtle humor, and 
 the creation of atmospheres rich in ominous occult 
 suspense. While I was bored by certain parts (including 
 the whole Napoleonic War thing, which is a huge part of 
 the story), by the time I had finished, the book had 
 crawled into some corner of my head and could no longer 
 be dislodged.
 
 The setting may not have resonated with me, but I can't 
 deny the magic was real. It's worth putting up with the 
 Austen-ness to get lost (very lost) in this book, 
 especially on rainy fall nights.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/236504?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Anthea's review
rating:
bookshelves: fantasy

Show of hands: how many of you hate Jane Austen?

Just me? Good, you'll all probably love this book!

It's the early 19th century, and real magic has long
since vanished from England. No one practices magic
anymore.

Until a fussy, self-absorbed recluse makes his presence,
and his powers, known. Mr. Norrell has spent his life
studying the magicians of the past, and is determined to
restore English magic to its former glory. However,
Norrell has no intention of practicing old-school magic,
with reliance on fairies and mysticism. Magic, in his
opinion, should be a respectable, rational pursuit for
gentlemen.

Or I should say, *gentleman*. Norrell hoards magic. He
plots against other would-be magicians and buys up all
the useful books on the subject so no one else can read
them.

Then along comes restless, charming, sardonic young
Jonathan Strange. After an encounter with a homeless
charlatan, Strange finds himself on the path to becoming
a magician...more

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