A review by josiahdegraaf
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

4.0

I suppose I have many different thoughts about this book and it's hard to get them all down in one review. I was a big fan of the mixing of fantasy with a 19th-century style novel format and style. And the vibes and tone of this world made it a delightful one to stay in. The characters very much felt like ones who could have come from an Austen or Dickens work.

That being said, I did tend to find the ending a bit disappointing and an easy escape for Strange and Norrell, given many of the mistakes they made that weren't really fully addressed.

Spoiler

I think I see what Clarke was doing in the book in giving the victory to the disenfranchised--whether that be due to their race or due to their gender--and I did like that! But I thought that Norrell especially was never forced to reckon with the gravity of his arrogance and his wrong treatment of others. Nor was Strange really brought to reckon with his own neglect of his wife--or able to rectify it by the end of the story! And that made the ending fall a bit flat for me.

That being said, while I was a bit disappointed by the ending, it was certainly a lovely world to romp around in for a couple months--and one I certainly enjoyed reading.

Rating: 3.5-4 Stars (Good).