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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
It's a rare book where one sentence near the end changes the entire story.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is such a book.
I loved that aspect of this book. However, there were also aspects I did not enjoy. The misogyny. Inherent (rampant, I would argue) whiteness of the book and its characters (yes, even Stephen Black). I also don't enjoy a meandering story, which this definitely is.
The first eighty percent was a struggle to get through. Events in the last ten or fifteen percent were how I love my stories: fast-paced, to the point, and tension-riddled.
It is a well-crafted story, beautifully written, and artfully executed; but ultimately it's not a story for me.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is such a book.
I loved that aspect of this book. However, there were also aspects I did not enjoy. The misogyny. Inherent (rampant, I would argue) whiteness of the book and its characters (yes, even Stephen Black). I also don't enjoy a meandering story, which this definitely is.
The first eighty percent was a struggle to get through. Events in the last ten or fifteen percent were how I love my stories: fast-paced, to the point, and tension-riddled.
It is a well-crafted story, beautifully written, and artfully executed; but ultimately it's not a story for me.
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Reads like nonfiction - good for pretending you’re living in a magical timeline and studying history but it wasn’t very exciting despite the subject matter. I was relieved to finish it, but I enjoyed it most of the time in a cozy kind of way. A lot of men, huh!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a hard time rating this book, because some aspects of it I loved and others were a little trickier, so I'm settling for a decent 4 stars. I'm so glad to have finally read this book after so many years of putting it off! I read Piranesi several years back and ADORED it, so I wanted to read Susanna Clarke's other famous book! The audiobook version was really helpful in getting me to actually dedicate time to it--plus it was narrated by Richard Armitage, who is such a fantastic actor and did a wonderful job of giving each character a unique voice. I especially enjoyed Mister Drawlight's voice, which had a slight speech impediment about it that made him instantly recognizable and fun to listen to.
Of the things I loved about this story, I really enjoyed the rich worldbuilding, complete with footnotes (which, after a while, I realized were identified in the audiobook by a change in the audio quality--before that, I thought they just hadn't kept the audio very consistent, lol). It was so vast, and with so many pieces of information came back into play later. I loved the cat-and-mouse relationship between Strange and Norrell, and how unique their opinions on the advancement of English magic differed. I also enjoyed the sections which focused heavily on the Napoleonic wars, as well as the last five-ish hours of the audiobook, which REALLY took off!
All in all, this story is so vast that sometimes it could get a little meandering, but it was still enjoyable. I'm glad to finally check this one off the list. :)
Of the things I loved about this story, I really enjoyed the rich worldbuilding, complete with footnotes (which, after a while, I realized were identified in the audiobook by a change in the audio quality--before that, I thought they just hadn't kept the audio very consistent, lol). It was so vast, and with so many pieces of information came back into play later. I loved the cat-and-mouse relationship between Strange and Norrell, and how unique their opinions on the advancement of English magic differed. I also enjoyed the sections which focused heavily on the Napoleonic wars, as well as the last five-ish hours of the audiobook, which REALLY took off!
All in all, this story is so vast that sometimes it could get a little meandering, but it was still enjoyable. I'm glad to finally check this one off the list. :)
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes