Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

3 reviews

zephyrscape's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I didn't zip through this story and didn't generally have trouble putting it down for an evening (except for the last quarter of the book, which really picked up), but I did enjoy reading it, especially towards the end. I think Clarke does really well with presenting characters' flaws in a way that's both empathetic and witty, and also does one of the better jobs I've seen of poking fun at the whole project and motivation of British colonialism in that era.
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jehansflowers's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

fuck i enjoyed this book. maybe its just bc i was listening to the audiobook at 1.9x speed, but i found it way more digestible than i was expecting. more than anything it was really just incredibly impressive. it was thoroughly well-researched, and melded that with the unique magic system and alternate history beautifully. honestly, very fun read.
my primary criticism is this: couldve been gayer

12/27/22 edit: didnt put a star rating on it before, but its getting 5 bc i still think about this book at least once a week
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librarianmage's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A beautifully written tale of some of the most punchable men I have ever read about
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