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jmoxley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wasn’t sure if I’d have the stamina to get though this as although I like magical realism im not a fan of most fantasy genre book (except Tolkien) but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Susanna Clarke has created a meticulously detailed parallel version of England during the Napoleonic Wars which blends into the mythology of a dark age kingdom in northern England.
As an English person living in Scotland I thought a story about specifically English magic by an Oxbridge author might end up as another London-centric piece, but the story is so linked to the patina England that it couldn’t have been set anywhere else and the legacy of the Raven King’s kingdom in northern England removes the risk of a focus on the Home Counties.
Clarke use of language reinforces the creation of the worlds of polite Georgian society and dark age Yorkshire/Northumberland although I suppose some might find the occasional odd hyphenation or variant spelling irritating.
The characterisation is good- Norrell and Strange are both complicated characters and other apparently minor characters such as John Childermass, Arabella Strange, Vinuculus, Messrs Lascelles and Drawlight are convincing and at times peppered with humour.
The book cleverly weaves historical evehts snd fictional happenings together to create a unique and hugely enjoyable tale.
Moderate: Death
szuum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny and Slavery
botanicpanic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racism, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, and Slavery
beautifulminutiae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Slavery
coballe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood
Minor: Death, Racism, Dementia, Murder, and War
cyberhavok's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Mental illness
jessthanthree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Racism, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Slavery, Transphobia, and Death of parent
lycheeteareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, and Slavery
Minor: Sexism
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What ultimately robbed it from being 5 Stars in my eyes is that it was too long! This book is fantastic but it didn't need to be over 800 pages. It is maddening how many times characters not sharing information with each other prevents the right action from occurring until hundreds of pages later. There was a point where I thought I was never going to finish this damn thing and I felt about it akin to a textbook I was reading for class. And then we finally get a large jolt of plot progression in the last ~150 so pages that was so satisfying it kept me from from going down to a flat 4 Stars.
Sidenote: this book contains period-typical racism, in both remarks made about Jewish people and one of our main PoV characters being a Black man in London in the early 1800's.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexism, Slavery, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Antisemitism
kanadrallegria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery and War
Minor: Mental illness and Forced institutionalization