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Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Hardcover)

by Susanna Clarke (Author)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 800 pages
Publisher: Macmillan Distribution Limited (Sep 18 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0747570558
ISBN-13: 978-0747570554
Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 16.6 x 7.2 cm
Shipping Weight: 1.4 Kg

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #189,679 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. There may be no better marriage of talents than that of Clarke and Prebble. The former spins an enchanting, epic tale of English magic in the age of Napoleon, and the latter brings it to life—footnotes and all—with a full-bodied voice, skill and aplomb that rivals that of noted narrator Jim Dale. Set in a world where the study of theoretical magic is common, but the practice of it is unheard of, this sweeping narrative follows the exploits of England's only two practical magicians, the bookish Mr. Norrell and the affable Jonathan Strange, as they struggle to revive the country's magic in very different ways. Mr. Norrell is content to publish opaque, opinionated pieces on magic's uses and misuses, but Strange is fascinated by the legend and lore of the Raven King, the so-called father of English magic. The voices Prebble lends these two disparate characters nicely reflects their personalities—Norrell's voice is brittle and sometimes shrill, but Strange's is pleasant and ironic. As the two magicians labor together to defeat Napoleon and then separately to pursue their own ends, an elusive faerie known only as the "gentleman with the Thistledown hair" watches and schemes. Clarke's novel likely contains close to 100, if not more, characters, and Prebble juggles them all with ease. Although the heavy price of this audiobook may deter some listeners, there's no better way to experience the material than to hear it performed by such a consummate actor. Based on the Bloomsbury hardcover
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School - This delightful first novel exerts a strong and seductive pull on readers who might otherwise balk at its length. Like Philip Pullman's work, it is dark, deep, and challenging. It compares dead-on with Jane Austen's novels, and YAs who have underappreciated her wit may find it delicious when applied to magicians. Clarke even tosses in a bit of Dickens and Hardy - with great characterization, subplots, and a sense of fate bearing down hard on us. At stake is the future of English magic, which has nearly dwindled to all theory by the early 1800s, after centuries of prominence. When the book opens, only the reclusive and jealous Gilbert Norrell is practicing. Enter Jonathan Strange, a natural who has never studied magic formally. Norrell resents, then adopts Strange as a pupil whose growth he insists on controlling until the two come to the impasse that nearly leads them to destroy one another. Strange champions the 12th century's "Raven King" as the greatest magician in English history and hopes to summon him from Faerie, an alternate world. Norrell is determined to erase both from English memory - to hide the fact that he himself made a bargain with a fairy that has cost three people their lives, though their hearts go on dismally beating. Expertly written and imagined, the book is a feast for fans of fantasy, historical novels, or simply fabulously engrossing reads. - Emily Lloyd, formerly at Rehoboth Beach Public Library, DE
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

52 Reviews

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Flight into Another World!, Aug 10 2008

By	Ian Gordon Malcomson (Smithers, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one masterpiece of modern fiction that I recommend young and old alike to read. It certainly exceeds anything the Harry Potter series has to say about the realm of ancient magic as it impinges on the affairs of the modern state. There is a virtual cornucopia of serious history interwoven with delightful, off-the-wall fiction to create a world that will certainly dazzle the senses and make you laugh at the other side of life. I started out listening to the audio rendition and ended up buying the book because it was so good. The story is both simple and complex in nature. It is the late eighteenth century England, and the magical power of sorcerers and the clandestine activities of fairies that once dominated the land centuries before have now fallen silent. Sure, there are thousands of books full of spells and enchantments stored away in dusty, cobwebbed old libraries throughout the kingdom, but who can understand them? The true practice of magic has fallen to a lot of charlatans and quacks who know little of the true power of the ancient formulas. That is until Mr. Norrell, an obscure magician from backwoods England steps forward to breathe new life into the profession and answer to an ancient prophecy that true magic would eventually return to save the kingdom. With the help of a young upstart named Jonathan Strange, Norrell undertakes an assignment to save the British Empire from that pestiferous Napoleon. This is where the story really takes off, and the reader gets to see the fabulous and not-so-fabulous goings-on in the world of magic happen before their very eyes. Norrell, the keeper of the secrets, is willing to take on Strange as his apprentice only if he obeys the master's instructions. While initially accepting these terms of employment, Strange quickly reinvents himself as a magician who is daring, innovative and risk-taking. The sorcerer's apprentice then quickly goes out to slay his dragons in a way that soon becomes a direct threat to Norrell. The reader should be prepared for anything as Strange roams the face of Europe putting a different complexion on the geopolitics of the times. Clarke's prose is so smooth that it might actually transport the reader into realms that he or she never thought possible, so beware of falling asleep with this book on your unconscious mind.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Very original tale about magic, Feb 9 2010

By	S. Lavigne (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a very enjoyable novel as it provides a very innovative view on magic. The author conceived a tale where two individuals undertake to bring magic back to England in the 19th century. The imagination of the author appears boundless as she makes reference to a multitude of (made-up) historical facts and anecdotes on how magic was used by the magicians of the past and how it is now used by these two new magicians.

I am not entirely enthusiastic about this novel mainly because of the style used by the author to present us the story. It takes the form of a serial story with no apparent plot in the first half of the book. For over 500 pages, I was under the impression that the idea followed by the author was to present us short tales that evolve around the same characters, mostly with the purpose of elaborating her original take on magic with an emphasis put on the English social life in the early 19th century. It is only later that we are presented with a plot that generates more development between the characters. That is an interesting approach, but I cannot help having the feeling that the story was sometime dragging, hence the four stars.

On a side note, I would recommend the Lyonesse trilogy, written by Jack Vance, to anyone that has enjoyed how Susanna Clarke has developed the fairy characters in this book. I am not a specialist in "fairy litterature", but the approach of both authors on this aspect is very similar and immensely entertaining.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Parallel Universe, Dec 5 2009

By	Robert Knetsch "Wanna-be theologian" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I hesitate to review this book because I do not have the capacity with words that Clarke has to do justice in describing one of the best book I have read in possibly a decade. When I try to tell people it is about two magicians in 19th century England, I can't help but make it sound silly, when in fact the author writes about it in such a matter-of-fact manner that magic is almost banal. It makes you want to go back and study the Napoleonic wars to check to see if England did use magicians! These magicians are not of the Merlin or Gandalf type; they are at times rather boring English gentlemen with their own human foibles that give the novel an ironic kind of humour that is pervasive.

I actually study 19th century England for my doctorate and in doing so I have to read works from that period. What I find amazing is that Clarke is able to skilfully mimic the diction and way of speaking that was common at the time. Its as if she cam from some kind of parallel universe to give us a report on what events occurred in her world. And the footnotes add a delightful sense of verisimilitude!

Read and Enjoy!

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