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Book Review
Dec. 31st, 2015 05:13 pmJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
This is one of those books I am sorry to have finished, because it was so engrossing and delightful to read. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in an alternate early 19th century England and concerns the re-awakening of English magic by Mr. Norrell and, later, Jonathan Strange. It's written in a style reminiscent of writers of the period - it's almost as if someone had asked the question "what if Jane Austen wrote fantasy novels".
Lots of things happen in this novel: the application of magic to the Napoleonic wars, the machinations of a fairy king, and the divergence of Norrell and Strange's respective approaches to magic making. But Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell isn't really a book driven by plot or narrative. It's all about the world-building and character development. And what a fascinating and wonderful world it is. It has all the charm of the settings of Austen novels with all the mystery and wonder of the best fantasy novels. I loved the way the working of magic was depicted - it made the world change but not in a way the characters could often name. Clarke never fully explained the magic system or what the magicians were really doing, and all that mystery made the magic that much better. The characters were great, too. I generally preferred Strange to Norrell, but none of the characters were boring. I also liked the way Clarke made the Raven King an important character even though he barely appears at all.
by Susanna Clarke
This is one of those books I am sorry to have finished, because it was so engrossing and delightful to read. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in an alternate early 19th century England and concerns the re-awakening of English magic by Mr. Norrell and, later, Jonathan Strange. It's written in a style reminiscent of writers of the period - it's almost as if someone had asked the question "what if Jane Austen wrote fantasy novels".
Lots of things happen in this novel: the application of magic to the Napoleonic wars, the machinations of a fairy king, and the divergence of Norrell and Strange's respective approaches to magic making. But Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell isn't really a book driven by plot or narrative. It's all about the world-building and character development. And what a fascinating and wonderful world it is. It has all the charm of the settings of Austen novels with all the mystery and wonder of the best fantasy novels. I loved the way the working of magic was depicted - it made the world change but not in a way the characters could often name. Clarke never fully explained the magic system or what the magicians were really doing, and all that mystery made the magic that much better. The characters were great, too. I generally preferred Strange to Norrell, but none of the characters were boring. I also liked the way Clarke made the Raven King an important character even though he barely appears at all.
