Reviews

The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke

laurafd's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

millsjeff's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

jon288's review against another edition

3.0

Short stories from the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. They were ok. The last one (the raven king and the charcoal burner) was pretty fun, but for the most part they were just ok. It might be that it's been too long since I read Strange & Norrell to get into it. I remember really enjoying that, but I probably had more capacity for concentration then

belacqua's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

juanma_paperback's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

2.5

samble's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

erboe501's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell back in college, so this has been on my list for ages. And I was absolutely blown away by Piranesi (a name which gets a one line shoutout in this story collection). These stories were fun and lighthearted, even when dealing with death or bad behavior. Bad things happened to some characters, but nothing hit very deep. The different perspectives (fairy v. human), literary techniques, and time periods covered in the stories really fleshed out Clarke's magical world.

flawedamythyst's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

missbryden's review against another edition

4.0

First, to judge a book by its cover: I love this cover, hardback, cloth-covered, no dust jacket, words and colored image embedded.
Set in the same world as [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357027589l/14201._SY75_.jpg|3921305]. Several make comment on the situation of females, more so than that book did.
"The Ladies of Grace Adieu" featuring Jonathan, Arabella and her brother. About three lady magicians who say, and show, that they could teach Jonathan something.
"On Lickerish Hill" written in an even older style (set in 17th century) complete with alternate spellings, a retelling of Rumplestiltskin. Although I was disappointed that it didn't actually show Miranda Sowreston (the narrator of her own history) telling the fairy his name. Following the inclusion of historical persons: Mr. John Aubrey.
"Mrs Mabb" recreation of Queen Mab. Protagonist Venetia Moore's persistence seen as (feminine) madness/hysterics.
"The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" The fairy lady's foretelling embroidery made me think of the cushions embroidered with secret messages in [b:Curtsies & Conspiracies|15723286|Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School, #2)|Gail Carriger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1359660588l/15723286._SY75_.jpg|21398040], book 2 of Gail Carriger's Finishing School series.
"Mr Simonelli or the Fairy Widower" In description (and having a male protagonist) reminds me more of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
"Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby" The footnotes are back! I was looking for them in "Mr Simonelli", it reminded me so much of JS&MN. This story makes less comment on feminine life in this world, the women are more background again as in JS&MN, although "Mr Simonelli" was a little like that, too.
"Antickes and Frets" Deadly embroidery.
"John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner" Fun tale, bringing the Raven King down to deal with a commoner who doesn't even know who he is.


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bennought's review against another edition

2.0

To be honest, I was pretty disappointed with this book. Clarke's novel, [b:Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317066128s/14201.jpg|3921305], was fantastic. This collection of stories, on the other hand, was a bit silly, fairly boring, and generally not at all entertaining in the way that the novel was. A few of the stories, especially towards the end, captured that same flair for wit, humor, and imaginative world-building. The rest were, sadly, just plain boring. And while I love the conceit she has in both works of them being pretended works of non-fiction (in this case, a scholarly collection of contemporary stories regarding fairies, in the other of a historical chronicle), the writing-style of most of these stories, and even the plots and characters themselves, were frustratingly simple and uninteresting. The few stories that did shine, in my opinion, were able to do so because she was writing more in the style of her novel--which is a prosaic, if somewhat 18th century historian style.