Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

5 reviews

amsswim's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

I loved this book. Scratches the same itch as Good Omens does for me in some ways. I do attribute it to getting me back into fantasy, I started this last year and got 40% through then my hold went up. Finally was able to finish it now and I'm happy I did.

For lovers of magical fantasy and characters with significant interpersonal relationship issues, this is the books for you. Love the footnotes and constant character pov rotation.
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nefariousbee's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

almost a thousand pages and I keep asking myself, what was this all for? I thought that there would be some major reveal, a plot twist, something majestic to make up for that long ass set up but. there wasn't. questions were not answered, it didn't even really *end*, no big character arc was finished... I don't know. I don't know why I bothered to finish this. I guess it's kind of easy to read. and it's atmospheric sometimes. but don't read this for the characters, don't read it for the magic system (there isn't one), don't read it for the plot... 
the imagery and some moments were really strong. I can't deny that and I don't want to. but I just can't figure out why there needs to be so much of it.
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zephyrscape's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I didn't zip through this story and didn't generally have trouble putting it down for an evening (except for the last quarter of the book, which really picked up), but I did enjoy reading it, especially towards the end. I think Clarke does really well with presenting characters' flaws in a way that's both empathetic and witty, and also does one of the better jobs I've seen of poking fun at the whole project and motivation of British colonialism in that era.
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jehansflowers's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

fuck i enjoyed this book. maybe its just bc i was listening to the audiobook at 1.9x speed, but i found it way more digestible than i was expecting. more than anything it was really just incredibly impressive. it was thoroughly well-researched, and melded that with the unique magic system and alternate history beautifully. honestly, very fun read.
my primary criticism is this: couldve been gayer

12/27/22 edit: didnt put a star rating on it before, but its getting 5 bc i still think about this book at least once a week
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librarianmage's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A beautifully written tale of some of the most punchable men I have ever read about
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