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Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

By Susanna Clarke

(33)

| Paperback | 9780747582090

Book Description

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at their beck and call; they could command winds, mountains, and woods. But by the early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic. They can only write long, dull papers about it, while fairy servants aContinue

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at their beck and call; they could command winds, mountains, and woods. But by the early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic. They can only write long, dull papers about it, while fairy servants are nothing but a fading memory.
But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire, the rich, reclusive Mr Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of lost and forgotten books from England's magical past and regained some of the powers of England's magicians. He goes to London and raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte, creating ghostly fleets of rain-ships to confuse and alarm the French.
All goes well until a rival magician appears. Jonathan Strange is handsome, charming, and talkative-the very opposite of Mr Norrell. Strange thinks nothing of enduring the rigors of campaigning with Wellington's army and doing magic on battlefields. Astonished to find another practicing magician, Mr Norrell accepts Strange as a pupil. But it soon becomes clear that their ideas of what English magic ought to be are very different. For Mr Norrell, their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic. He becomes fascinated by the ancient, shadowy figure of the Raven King, a child taken by fairies who became king of both England and Faerie, and the most legendary magician of all. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.
Sophisticated, witty, and ingeniously convincing, Susanna Clarke's magisterial novel weaves magic into a flawlessly detailed vision of historical England. She has created a world so thoroughly enchanting that eight hundred pages leave readers longing for more.

8 Reviews

  • Slow, long and not worth the effort.

    As a high school British Literature teacher, I normally enjoy prose written in the Victorian style the author pitifully tried to re-create. The only reason this novel avoided a 1 star rating was the hilarious portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Byron. That is it. Those were the only things I ... (continue)

    As a high school British Literature teacher, I normally enjoy prose written in the Victorian style the author pitifully tried to re-create. The only reason this novel avoided a 1 star rating was the hilarious portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Byron. That is it. Those were the only things I even remotely enjoyed. The ending was very quick and horrible. The characters were flat and uninteresting. I basically wasted 2 weeks of my reading life forcing myself through the 846 pages of overrated jargon.

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    ― shanetucker said on Aug 13, 2009 | Add your feedback

  • Brilliant story

    Okay, so the beginning may have been a little bit slow - but not enough to put you off of the book. And as you keep reading, you realise how necessary all of it was.

    The character and location development is gorgeous. The storytelling is witty and intelligent and moves along well after the fir ... (continue)

    Okay, so the beginning may have been a little bit slow - but not enough to put you off of the book. And as you keep reading, you realise how necessary all of it was.

    The character and location development is gorgeous. The storytelling is witty and intelligent and moves along well after the first bit.

    I absolutely loved the story, mostly because of its depth and intelligence.

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    ― Joel Goodman said on Jun 6, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • My thoughts

    I admit when I first saw this book I was reluctant to read it - not because of the subject. I like books about magic and history, but because of the size. From the beginning, however, Clarke's writing pulled me into this world in which magic is studied and practiced, used and misunderstood. I especi ... (continue)

    I admit when I first saw this book I was reluctant to read it - not because of the subject. I like books about magic and history, but because of the size. From the beginning, however, Clarke's writing pulled me into this world in which magic is studied and practiced, used and misunderstood. I especially liked the interactions between Norrell and Strange and the ones between the servant Stephen Black and the faery gentleman with the thistle-down hair.

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    ― krin5292 said on May 31, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • This book started a bit slowly but I gradually became very engrossed in it. I found myself feeling that this was very real and I couldn't figure out why I didn't know a lot of this history!

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    ― Mccauslinj said on May 16, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • Finally finished this book on audiobook. Was too long for me, and I'm just not crazy about the Victorian type prose.

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    ― Avi said on Jan 25, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

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ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780747582090 Paperback $21.41 $21.41 Amazon US
£12.99 £9.09 Amazon UK
$29.95 $18.87 Amazon CA
¥3237.00 ¥2914.00 Amazon JP
€23.5 €22.33 Amazon FR
-- €18.95 Amazon DE
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+ 4 copies tradable: 1 in USA →
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