A review by likecymbeline
Doamnele din Grace Adieu şi alte povestiri, by Susanna Clarke
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.