puffball's review against another edition
3.5
A collection of short stories set in 1890s England, but reimagined as if fairies were meddling in human affairs.
bibliophilelinda's review against another edition
5.0
I love Susanna Clarke's work! Her dry wit and tidy writing style are such a nice change from some of the overly flowery prose so popular in today's world of literature. Though my favorite short story in this compendium is "Mrs. Nabb", I was particularly excited to see a story take place, with the illustrious "Duke of Wellington", in the village of Wall created by Neil Gaiman's (another favorite author of mine) novel "Stardust". Since the first and title story deals with her novel "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell", I've been inspired to re-read it (for probably the third time). Bloody brilliant jackanory, I tell ya.
chadkoh's review against another edition
4.0
Of the eight stories in this book I enjoyed the following:
- The Ladies of Grace Adieu
- The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse
- Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower
- Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby
- John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner
I listened to the audio version, and besides the first story, all of the above were performed by Simon Prebble, who I found to be a much better narrator (I admit to being biased, having listened to nearly 40 hours of him reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell). The other reason I like the Duke, Tom Brightwind and John Uskglass stories is that they capture the faerie absurdism that I enjoyed from Strange & Norrell. Susanna Clarke's imagination shines in these tales.
The other stories were a bit of a slog (the narrator didn't help), but I rate on the side of positivity giving this 4 stars.
- The Ladies of Grace Adieu
- The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse
- Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower
- Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby
- John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner
I listened to the audio version, and besides the first story, all of the above were performed by Simon Prebble, who I found to be a much better narrator (I admit to being biased, having listened to nearly 40 hours of him reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell). The other reason I like the Duke, Tom Brightwind and John Uskglass stories is that they capture the faerie absurdism that I enjoyed from Strange & Norrell. Susanna Clarke's imagination shines in these tales.
The other stories were a bit of a slog (the narrator didn't help), but I rate on the side of positivity giving this 4 stars.
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
I was expecting this book to be much more tied-in with [book: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell] than it actually was. But once I got over my vague disappointment, I found that I liked the book quite a lot. It actually reminded me far more of [book: Lud-in-the-Mist], in the sense that all the stories were taking place in a world much like ours but just a stone's throw away from Faerie. Many of the stories seemed to be based on old legends that Clarke has fleshed out in her own unique manner.
wesleystephen's review against another edition
4.0
This was a charming collection of short stories set in the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Each was solidly entertaining, adding bits of color and texture to the world she’s created. I would definitely recommend reading Strange and Norrell first as many characters and settings are brought into this; the plot of one doesn’t deeply impact the other but it will be a little richer if you’re familiar with some of the characters first.
lian_tanner's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful collection of vicious fairies and (mostly) clever humans. The language is perfect for the subject matter, the world is a convincing one, and the gorgeous illustrations add that little bit more. Very close to five stars, except for a couple of stories that didn't quite live up to the others. But generally a very satisfying read.
what_g_reads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
mgxwawa13's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
lainibop's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
likecymbeline's review against another edition
5.0
Despite the length of [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357027589s/14201.jpg|3921305], when I finished reading it this summer I wasn't done with the book by any means. I wanted to keep reading it, and so searched high and low for The Ladies of Grace Adieu, knowing it featured the same world and even some of the same characters. As keen as I was to read it, I was also terrified. I worried it would be a bad collection of short stories that would spoil all of JS&MN for me. Sometimes writers hold onto characters or ideas longer than they should and the effect as bad. Oftentimes we readers crave more of a story or a character but are actually fortunate that the writer deprives us of more, when more could spoil it. Think of all the TV series that go on for longer than they should and taint the whole thing, becoming the opposite of all the things you loved about it in the first place. I was afraid that would be the case with this book.
As you can tell by the rating, it wasn't. It makes sense that it wasn't. Clarke wrote JS&MN in many different parts, an episode here and an episode there which she stitched together after to form the novel. Some of the episodes became footnotes, while others couldn't find a place in the novel and ended up here.
I loved that we finally had more female characters leading the stories, as they were lacking in JS&MN and Clarke seemed very aware of that. I love her deep understanding of Regency and Victorian writing styles (and earlier—"On Lickerish Hill" is a perfect send-up of certain 17th century authors), and all the echoes of Austen in "Mr Simonelli" were hysterical to me. I need more Susanna Clarke in my life.
As you can tell by the rating, it wasn't. It makes sense that it wasn't. Clarke wrote JS&MN in many different parts, an episode here and an episode there which she stitched together after to form the novel. Some of the episodes became footnotes, while others couldn't find a place in the novel and ended up here.
I loved that we finally had more female characters leading the stories, as they were lacking in JS&MN and Clarke seemed very aware of that. I love her deep understanding of Regency and Victorian writing styles (and earlier—"On Lickerish Hill" is a perfect send-up of certain 17th century authors), and all the echoes of Austen in "Mr Simonelli" were hysterical to me. I need more Susanna Clarke in my life.