Reviews

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

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anamuk's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I'm a fan of footnotes, and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is full of them. A book to be savoured in a comfortable chair.

delgremmyaward's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

This was probably stylistically the best fantasy I've ever read . Love the dialogue, love the world-building, love the characters, but did not love the pacing. I do wonder if this book needed to be as long as it was. Because it took me months to read it, I have trouble remembering if all the setup at the beginning leads to a payoff in the end. It's the type of book that deserves a reread, but given its length, I probably won't get around to it.

Unlike others, I found no part of this boring, but it has a queer feeling to it. Once I'd been reading for about twenty minutes, I could go on for hours. Picking up the book is the hardest part because it requires some thought and some sustained attention. Getting into it, even if you've been reading it every day, is like adjusting to cold water when you go swimming in the ocean. Once you've adjusted, you can stay afloat with effort; you just really have to want to go into the water in the first place.

agentalpo's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

majabwds's review against another edition

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5.0

It takes a 100p to get the plot started but then it's really good.

jackdoud's review

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challenging slow-paced

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

2.5

If you are not a fan of 19th century writing styles do not attempt this book. While it's undoubtedly an incredible work of literature it's frustrating as hell to read. The story is so slow, goes down so many plot cul-de-sacs and uses such excessive verbosity that it takes forever to move the story along. There's no connection to the characters and I never cared about what was going to happen next. It does eventually wrap up well but it's not worth the time it takes to get there.