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ultimatesloth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sarahf14's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
5.0
I went through such a wide range of emotions while reading this. The book is a remarkable feat of creativity. It is so tightly woven together and the world building is so complete, it is almost believable as a record of real events (had magic ever returned to England). I strongly feel that the birth of England should be ruled by the Raven King in real life. I got bored at points, I felt frustrated, I wondered what the point was. There were loads of digressions, which weren’t as disruptive or annoying as I might have anticipated. All the battle stuff got a bit dull. What I really want to know is HOW DID SUSANNA CLARKE BRING IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE LAST 100 PAGES TO MAKE IT A 5 STAR READ! I’d like to think I’ll be re-reading this in the future at least once.
imchelsi's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Wanted to really love this since it's been on my tbr for so long but it really did drag at some parts. Approaching the end, I could see how it all was important but it got very dry at times.
rosewater_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jondow's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Ville like boka meir. Mykje bra, særleg atmosfæren, men ikkje like interessant frå midten og ut.
theatretenor's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published in 2004, Susanna Clarke's epic tome Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is the story of two feuding magicians in 1806 England. Mr Norrell, a strange and recluse scholar, is the only practicing magician in the last 200 year since The Raven King, whom he despises. But, a prophecy foretells of two magicians rising to power in England. Enter Jonathan Strange, a young new magician. Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange form a mentor/pupil relationship that quickly becomes strained.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is, surprisingly, Susanna Clarke's debut novel, and with the paperback coming in at over 1,000 pages what a debut it is! Reading this novel is a bit like running a marathon, there will be highs and lows, faster parts and slower parts, but in the end you've quite enjoyed yourself and boy, do you feel accomplished! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is written in the way they would have spoken in 1806 England, with all the idiosyncrasies and idioms and behaviors and manners of the time, which I loved delving in to.
Based on Susanna Clarke's novel the BBC produced a 7-part miniseries that is now available to watch on Netflix. I have watched the first two episodes so far and it is high recommended as well. Reviews say it is very true to the novel.
If you want to get lost in a different world and be taken for a long ride I would highly recommend this Time Magazine Book of the Year, Book Sense Book of the Year, People's Top Ten Book of the Year Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is, surprisingly, Susanna Clarke's debut novel, and with the paperback coming in at over 1,000 pages what a debut it is! Reading this novel is a bit like running a marathon, there will be highs and lows, faster parts and slower parts, but in the end you've quite enjoyed yourself and boy, do you feel accomplished! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is written in the way they would have spoken in 1806 England, with all the idiosyncrasies and idioms and behaviors and manners of the time, which I loved delving in to.
Based on Susanna Clarke's novel the BBC produced a 7-part miniseries that is now available to watch on Netflix. I have watched the first two episodes so far and it is high recommended as well. Reviews say it is very true to the novel.
If you want to get lost in a different world and be taken for a long ride I would highly recommend this Time Magazine Book of the Year, Book Sense Book of the Year, People's Top Ten Book of the Year Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
genteelblackhole's review against another edition
3.0
It feels like an achievement just to finish this mammoth of a book! How can I rate it fairly? I enjoyed it well enough - it's full of memorable characters, and the plot comes to a satisfying conclusion that connects all the seemingly disparate threads. There are some scenes that are truly enchanting, and some delightfully creepy moments too.
But it's just so bloody long! There were days when I found reading more of a chore than a pleasure. I'm not convinced that the sheer length was entirely necessary, but then I'd be hard pressed to indentify which bits should've been pruned. Maybe it's the prose style (a pastiche of 19th century authors) that adds to the excessive length. I had a much better time with Susanna Clarke's more recent novel [b:Piranesi|50202953|Piranesi|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953._SY75_.jpg|73586702], which has a much more concise plot and writing style while evoking similar feelings of awe and mystery. I look forward to re-reading Piranesi, but I doubt I'll attempt Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell a second time.
But it's just so bloody long! There were days when I found reading more of a chore than a pleasure. I'm not convinced that the sheer length was entirely necessary, but then I'd be hard pressed to indentify which bits should've been pruned. Maybe it's the prose style (a pastiche of 19th century authors) that adds to the excessive length. I had a much better time with Susanna Clarke's more recent novel [b:Piranesi|50202953|Piranesi|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953._SY75_.jpg|73586702], which has a much more concise plot and writing style while evoking similar feelings of awe and mystery. I look forward to re-reading Piranesi, but I doubt I'll attempt Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell a second time.
aurabora's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Slow, slow, SLOW, SLLLLOOOOOOOOWWWWW. I think it wasn't until about 20% of the way through the book that the first major event happened that's written in the second sentence of the book summary! Then it felt like nothing much was happening in the plot until 80-85% of the way through. In a 1000 page (32 hour audio) book, that is SO MUCH of just ~vibes~. I should have DNF'd it after nothing happened in the first half, but I hoped that it would pick up and that everything would be tied together. It did not :( The audiobook narration was the highlight, and there is absolutely no way on Earth I would have made it through a print version.
I'd only recommend this book to folks who LOVE Austen and want to spend time reading interesting prose without much concern to the characters or plot development of the book. It should have been in my wheelhouse with the magical world building, but I've learned that I don't care much about the prose by itself. I need the plot to be compelling. I'd have been satisfied with character growth instead, I suppose, but I'm not sure I'd qualify "turning mad" as "growth" and the way that whole plot point was handled really left a sour taste in my mouth.
--SPOILERS AHOY--
There were really only a handful of major plot points across these HOURS and HOURS of narration:
1. Mr. Norrell resurrects Lady Pole.
2. The Thistledown Gentleman controls Lady Pole and Stephen Black at night.
3. Jonathan Strange fights in the Napoleonic Wars.
3. The 2 part ways
4. Thistledown captures Arabella, Strange thinks she's dead
5. Strange "becomes mad" to contact Thistledown and enter Faerie.
6. Strange ~SOMEHOW~ figures out how to control the elements the way faeries do.
7. The magicians reunite.
8. Mistaken identity (?) and some spell allows Thistledown to be 'defeated'.
My other main complaint is that even those few slim plot points outlined above happen at such a remove, that it's hard for the reader to feel engaged or gripped by them happening. They're often mentioned in passing, or implied, or passed over so quickly within the 3rd person narration that it sounds like the recollection of a disinterested 3rd party who heard about it once years ago. The interesting magic bits are usually described just by their effects, whereas the tedium of the normal world is described in greater detail. Like, we know how those parts work already!! Describe the MAGIC!!
There were so many opportunities for the book to choose the interesting path, as there ARE great ideas hidden within. I kept waiting for the book to take off after one was introduced, or waiting for all the threads to be pulled together at the end, but that was too much to hope for.
-- Mr. Norrell knows what Thistledown looks like and how faeries behave, now. Will that come back and be useful? No.
-- Wow, Strange just enters a war after only living in comfortable English society. Let's see how the trauma of war affects his mind and his magic...oh, what? He's done is "black magic"? There's got to be consequences for that! Uh, no.
-- Oh cool, Strange learns how to walk through mirrors and enter another realm. Surely that will come back and be a cool piece of magic to explore? No.
-- Strange has met the King of England, defeated Thistledown's enchantments, and taught himself a really powerful piece of magic? Wow, will that change the trajectory of all these characters, and all of England? No.
-- Strange has found MORE magicians?? Has unleashed magic into the world again? That will turn everything upside down and will surely have a huge impact... but alas, no.
-- Lady Pole's been rescued! How will her return reveal the truth of the world? What will she do? Oh, write a strongly worded letter to the Times? Ok, but we get to at least read it, right? Or see the fallout? No? Ok... Not like the women could really have any impact on these men anyway...
-- There's an ENTIRE Part of the book called "John Uskglass", so we'll finally find out who the Raven King is and get to meet him, right??? You know where this is going... No.
And on and on and on and on and on and on... The entire book is just a stream of these thoughts, so be prepared for continual disappointment.
I'd only recommend this book to folks who LOVE Austen and want to spend time reading interesting prose without much concern to the characters or plot development of the book. It should have been in my wheelhouse with the magical world building, but I've learned that I don't care much about the prose by itself. I need the plot to be compelling. I'd have been satisfied with character growth instead, I suppose, but I'm not sure I'd qualify "turning mad" as "growth" and the way that whole plot point was handled really left a sour taste in my mouth.
--SPOILERS AHOY--
There were really only a handful of major plot points across these HOURS and HOURS of narration:
1. Mr. Norrell resurrects Lady Pole.
2. The Thistledown Gentleman controls Lady Pole and Stephen Black at night.
3. Jonathan Strange fights in the Napoleonic Wars.
3. The 2 part ways
4. Thistledown captures Arabella, Strange thinks she's dead
5. Strange "becomes mad" to contact Thistledown and enter Faerie.
6. Strange ~SOMEHOW~ figures out how to control the elements the way faeries do.
7. The magicians reunite.
8. Mistaken identity (?) and some spell allows Thistledown to be 'defeated'.
My other main complaint is that even those few slim plot points outlined above happen at such a remove, that it's hard for the reader to feel engaged or gripped by them happening. They're often mentioned in passing, or implied, or passed over so quickly within the 3rd person narration that it sounds like the recollection of a disinterested 3rd party who heard about it once years ago. The interesting magic bits are usually described just by their effects, whereas the tedium of the normal world is described in greater detail. Like, we know how those parts work already!! Describe the MAGIC!!
There were so many opportunities for the book to choose the interesting path, as there ARE great ideas hidden within. I kept waiting for the book to take off after one was introduced, or waiting for all the threads to be pulled together at the end, but that was too much to hope for.
-- Mr. Norrell knows what Thistledown looks like and how faeries behave, now. Will that come back and be useful? No.
-- Wow, Strange just enters a war after only living in comfortable English society. Let's see how the trauma of war affects his mind and his magic...oh, what? He's done is "black magic"? There's got to be consequences for that! Uh, no.
-- Oh cool, Strange learns how to walk through mirrors and enter another realm. Surely that will come back and be a cool piece of magic to explore? No.
-- Strange has met the King of England, defeated Thistledown's enchantments, and taught himself a really powerful piece of magic? Wow, will that change the trajectory of all these characters, and all of England? No.
-- Strange has found MORE magicians?? Has unleashed magic into the world again? That will turn everything upside down and will surely have a huge impact... but alas, no.
-- Lady Pole's been rescued! How will her return reveal the truth of the world? What will she do? Oh, write a strongly worded letter to the Times? Ok, but we get to at least read it, right? Or see the fallout? No? Ok... Not like the women could really have any impact on these men anyway...
-- There's an ENTIRE Part of the book called "John Uskglass", so we'll finally find out who the Raven King is and get to meet him, right??? You know where this is going... No.
And on and on and on and on and on and on... The entire book is just a stream of these thoughts, so be prepared for continual disappointment.
harukoreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is definitely a book I had to pace myself with - it could have been very easy to feel impatient with how dense this felt at times, but when I reminded myself to appreciate the dry humor and thoughtful worldbuilding I was able to keep enjoying this book. If you like British humor, winding fantasy, and nebulous magic this is well worth the time. Clarke is such a talent - the way she combines the wit of Jane Austen with the drama of Emily Bronte into a winding yet ultimately satisfying epic is quite a feat. As a person who strongly feels most books never need to surpass 600 pages, I have to admit this one comes closest to earning its high page count, although if I had to nitpick I do think the beginning and sections on the Napoleonic wars could have been tightened up. Even so, working my way through such a solid volume and having the satisfaction of seeing all the threads come together in the final 200 pages is a feeling that's hard to beat, and although I won't be recommending this to everyone, the people I do recommend it to will hear a seriously emphatic endorsement.