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manjala's review against another edition
3.0
I find myself having difficulty describing my thoughts and feelings upon this book. I think it's one of the rare occasions where I actually preferred watching the TV series over reading it. (if you are interested in the story but feel daunted by the length of this book-- I heartily recommend watching the show!)
This one took me a long-ass time, because of the prose but also because I feel like lots of parts of the story felt too long winded and took me out of the immersion completely. On most days I struggled with picking up the book and doing some actual reading. At other times I found myself lost in the magic of a scene, enjoying the story and atmosphere immensely, and felt like the book wasn't as long as it felt most of the other moments I was reading. My conclusion thus far is that there are parts or scenes with dialogue that could've been made shorter or left out altogether.
Which brings me to my next point:
The writing style is very focused on dialogue between characters, and I was glad to have some visual reference from the TV series, otherwise it would've been quite difficult to keep the characters in my head straight and clearly pictured. Some environments, which were beautifully made in the show (such as the so called "Other Lands"), were barely described in the novel, which disappointed me. This is a problem I tend to have with classical novels in general, and as this felt like a English classic, I feel like it's more a problem on my part that other people might not have.
My last point is that the fact that there were barely any scenes from the point of view of either Norrell or Strange made it more difficult for me to get attached to both of them. Which is a shame in my opinion, since this story basically revolves around the pair of magicians in the first place!
This one took me a long-ass time, because of the prose but also because I feel like lots of parts of the story felt too long winded and took me out of the immersion completely. On most days I struggled with picking up the book and doing some actual reading. At other times I found myself lost in the magic of a scene, enjoying the story and atmosphere immensely, and felt like the book wasn't as long as it felt most of the other moments I was reading. My conclusion thus far is that there are parts or scenes with dialogue that could've been made shorter or left out altogether.
Which brings me to my next point:
The writing style is very focused on dialogue between characters, and I was glad to have some visual reference from the TV series, otherwise it would've been quite difficult to keep the characters in my head straight and clearly pictured. Some environments, which were beautifully made in the show (such as the so called "Other Lands"), were barely described in the novel, which disappointed me. This is a problem I tend to have with classical novels in general, and as this felt like a English classic, I feel like it's more a problem on my part that other people might not have.
My last point is that the fact that there were barely any scenes from the point of view of either Norrell or Strange made it more difficult for me to get attached to both of them. Which is a shame in my opinion, since this story basically revolves around the pair of magicians in the first place!
jwolflink3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- 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
emilygray4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
evescanlon's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sltah's review against another edition
4.0
For a book heavy on the portrayal of madness, the prose is incredibly clear, logical, stately and scientific. In one aspect the logical matches well with the parodized scholarly treatment of english magic, in another it forms nice contrast with the theme of irrationality. The description of marvels are calm and prescription-like, and there is no word wasted. Essentially the author is highly mindful of the craft she places in her work just as a magician minding the composition of his spell - there is not a surfeit of egotistical overflow/ramblings as in many novels (which do not decidedly weigh down on a book but I appreciate when someone tells a story well and conveys a philosophy both!).
theogb451's review against another edition
4.0
Frustrating but great. The atmosphere and ideas are so wonderful but the style of telling is meandering and hard to latch onto. It is a perfect pastiche of the one Dickens I have read: The Pickwick Papers but combining that with an actual strong story narrative is part of the issue for me, 4 not 5 stars.
andreaalegaspi's review against another edition
5.0
Was 1000+ pages needed? Not sure. But in the style of big English Classics, I finish this with no regret for any of the chapters. Loved this!!!! Susanna Clarke is truly a modern-day master of this genre.
saspell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spreadabook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I got through a thousand and six pages for this bloody thing to make me cry on the last page. I don't think I've enjoyed a book this much in years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Rape