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A review by sianw1992
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
4.0
Before I'd even heard of the book I saw the enigmatic trailer for Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I heard Vincent Franklin's grand introduction of 'MR NORRELLLLLLLL!' before I even laid one eye on the novel.
It wasn't long before I purchased the book and dived in head first. The main error I made was trying to read it while on a sightseeing holiday in Amsterdam. I was so tired that I couldn't really concentrate and this is what this book requires. But that's not a bad thing.
The first characters you meet are Segundus and Honeyfoot, two theoretical magicians who live in York and want to know why magic isn't performed any more. Introduce the suspicious little man that is Mr Norrell.
The first third of the book centres around Norrell, his developments as a magician and his progress in London with the government. Then enters Jonathan Strange and their relationship soon blossoms.
One of the first things any reader realises is that this is not simply a story, or a novel, it is a world. Susanna Clarke has created this wonderful environment, with intertwining, exciting lands all closely linked with British history. It's almost as if this book is real, with its footnotes and explanations and that somehow the magic has been hidden from us.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is an epic, sprawling book, full of eccentric characters, including the titular ones. In the Author's Note Susanna Clarke said that she didn't particularly like either of her main characters. Although I found Norrell awkward and grumpy, there were moments when I found him endearing. And I particularly liked Strange, although in the third quarter of the book I did find myself rolling my eyes at some of his antics.
The gentlemen is a particularly interesting character, as is Stephen Black. All of the narrative surrounding them was gripping as their relationship changed and developed throughout the story. The women also play a vital role with Arabella and Lady Pole providing strong females in a time dominated by men. Without giving too much away, Lady Pole's degeneration throughout the novel is astounding and again, another thing to keep you hooked.
I felt that when Strange goes to Venice, the book loses momentum a little bit. I wasn't as gripped as I had been before and the Greysteels turned up, characters that I found a little pointless if I'm honest. However in the last two hundred pages the action picked back up again.
To sum it all up, this novel took me almost a month to read, but I enjoyed dipping into the pages, I relished it and enjoyed the fact that it was a slow read for me. This is like nothing I have ever read before and while Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is still on TV, I don't feel like I've finished it. In fact, there could have been another novel to follow this one, to explore what has happened since. I'll have a breather from novels over 600 pages, but I definitely want to explore Susanna Clarke's other works.
It wasn't long before I purchased the book and dived in head first. The main error I made was trying to read it while on a sightseeing holiday in Amsterdam. I was so tired that I couldn't really concentrate and this is what this book requires. But that's not a bad thing.
The first characters you meet are Segundus and Honeyfoot, two theoretical magicians who live in York and want to know why magic isn't performed any more. Introduce the suspicious little man that is Mr Norrell.
The first third of the book centres around Norrell, his developments as a magician and his progress in London with the government. Then enters Jonathan Strange and their relationship soon blossoms.
One of the first things any reader realises is that this is not simply a story, or a novel, it is a world. Susanna Clarke has created this wonderful environment, with intertwining, exciting lands all closely linked with British history. It's almost as if this book is real, with its footnotes and explanations and that somehow the magic has been hidden from us.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is an epic, sprawling book, full of eccentric characters, including the titular ones. In the Author's Note Susanna Clarke said that she didn't particularly like either of her main characters. Although I found Norrell awkward and grumpy, there were moments when I found him endearing. And I particularly liked Strange, although in the third quarter of the book I did find myself rolling my eyes at some of his antics.
The gentlemen is a particularly interesting character, as is Stephen Black. All of the narrative surrounding them was gripping as their relationship changed and developed throughout the story. The women also play a vital role with Arabella and Lady Pole providing strong females in a time dominated by men. Without giving too much away, Lady Pole's degeneration throughout the novel is astounding and again, another thing to keep you hooked.
I felt that when Strange goes to Venice, the book loses momentum a little bit. I wasn't as gripped as I had been before and the Greysteels turned up, characters that I found a little pointless if I'm honest. However in the last two hundred pages the action picked back up again.
To sum it all up, this novel took me almost a month to read, but I enjoyed dipping into the pages, I relished it and enjoyed the fact that it was a slow read for me. This is like nothing I have ever read before and while Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is still on TV, I don't feel like I've finished it. In fact, there could have been another novel to follow this one, to explore what has happened since. I'll have a breather from novels over 600 pages, but I definitely want to explore Susanna Clarke's other works.