Reviews

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

vermithraxrose's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I actually did like this book for the most part, the story was intriguing and some of the characters were interesting, there was an interesting take on the world of the fae which is kind of dark and kind of quirky and feeds well into the story. A lot of people complained about the writing style but I did not have an issue with it, I did not read all the footnotes but they do contribute to the world building so that's like a little bonus. My chief complaint with the book is that it is about 150 pages too long, the pace is quite slow. However I stuck with it and I did like the ending, so I am glad I kept reading. 

ella_kate's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy smokes I can’t believe I’ve finally finished this book. It was incredible, I loved everything about this book, from the lore of the magic, the characters, how the plot interacted with historical events, it was truly show-stopping. I am amazed that despite its length it t truly kept me captured throughout, there wasn’t really ever a plot I was less interested in, and I kept getting excited every time some more information about magic got revealed. 

Also never thought id say this but the footnotes of this book made it for me, they were honestly one of my favourite parts of it. It was so clever how they supported the magic lore of the book but presented it in a way that seemed so real and academic. And I think this is why the book overall appealed to me so much is how realistic the attitudes and rise of magic seemed, like the way it was written had me going yep that would totally happen if magic occurred in England, of course there would be separate bodies of magic academics and scholarly magic journals 😂 

Genuinely incredible, I am so glad I read this book!!!  

birdwatching's review against another edition

3.0

Could easily have lost 300 pages and been a better novel overall (preferrably the Napoleonic war sections) and the footnotes were unnecessary. However, I did really like the episodic/Dickenisan style, the gradual reintroduction of magic to England and the snarky, evil Fairie.

tbrnichols's review against another edition

funny mysterious relaxing 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

4.25

I really liked the historical tone of the book, with its meandering story and wandering footnotes, which I felt paired very well with the wonder around magic and the lack of hard exploration of the potential thereof in advance. I did find the ending to be a bit unsatisfying, especially since

Norrell's redemption

seemed unearned in my eyes. 

olgaokhrimenko's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

bookishbethaz's review against another edition

Way too long and meandering 

sol00riddle's review against another edition

2.0

Why is it so long? Like...why

pookage's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

teostergaard's review against another edition

4.0

Fantastic read. Bit long but really puts you in the place. Characters are well developed and Susanna Clarke's plot is excellent. However, think the best aspect of the book is the way she creates a full realized world, so much richer than a mere setting, early nineteenth century London seems to be a real place that she is simply telling us about not bending to suit her story.

amyglbarker's review against another edition

…I got about half way through before I started getting bored, but several people in my life whose opinions I respect have told me to push through so I will make an attempt to return some day!