Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Book like this are not written anymore. This feels like it should have been published in the nineteenth century and not because of the obvious setting, but because of the remarkable writing style. It is very similar to Austen’s that I’m sure she might have been delighted by Clarke’s work. Well, maybe. But, either way novelists like this do not exist in this age, unfortunately. The writing has the feel of a classic, but the plot has the feel of a thoroughly charming fantasy. This is a work of complete magical genius Indeed, she has written it in the pastiche style of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens; she has used their language style, narrative techniques and masterful characterisations to create a novel that is a superb work of fantasy. If Austen or Dickens strayed away from their realism novels then this is what it could look like. Susanna Clarke is an absolute wonderful writer. I wish there were more writers like her. Words, literally, cannot express my reverence for this novel: I simply adore it. The plot is incredible. Imagine an England in the nineteenth century, not much unlike the real one, that is prosperous, full of gentleman and completely devoid of all magic and fantasy: it reels of realism. The inhabitants are offended by the idea of magic be reputable; the very thought is inconceivable. Magic is not respectable because the streets are infested with street performers and fakes that claim to do magic. There are also theoretical magicians who merely study its principals and have never succeeded in the practical side. However, there is one man in England who has spent the last forty years buried under a pile of books. His name is Mr Norrell, and he is the greatest magician of the age. A friendship of necessity Norrell is a bibliophile; he is a book hoarder and is quite possible the biggest bookworm that has ever lived. He has devised his own system of magic that is reputable and gentleman like: it is modern magic. He keeps his perilous, and beloved, tomes to himself. He fears that such deadly books will be misused, but he also wants to be the only man in England that knows their secrets. Behind his mask of propriety and professionalism there is a soul that longs for the ancient magic that he detest so vehemently. This magic is powered by fate, and demands that two magicians, not one, must restore magic to dreary old England. “I have a scholar's love of silence and solitude. To sit and pass hour after hour in idle chatter with a roomful of strangers is to me the worst sort of torment.”The second magician is called Johnathan Strange, and he becomes Norrell’s pupil much to the old man’s delight and dismay. Where Norrell is cautious, studious, and self-conceiting Strange is reckless, open to new knowledge and practical. He is eager to push the boundaries of his tutors limited approach to magic; he is eager to use the magic Norrel detests. He fights in the Napoleonic war to bring magic into high repute whereas his tutor stays in his library doing weather magic to dog the French. Strange is young and energetic, but he also is practical to the needs of his country. “Can a magician kill a man by magic?” Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. “I suppose a magician might,” he admitted, “but a gentleman never would.”It is no wonder then that England prefers Strange to his tutor. However, only with his mentor can Strange attempt to restore English magic. The two are complete opposites, and only side by side can the opposing magicians restore magic to a dreary and bleak England: only together can they bring back the Raven King. The relationship between the two men, for me, really elevated this novel to the next level. They begin as student and tutor, but end up as equals. The dynamics change between the two as student outshines tutor, and threatens to destroy everything he represents. Authenticity I think by setting this is an England that is realistic, and very true to the actual one, Clarke pulls at the heart strings of many a reader. I think this has affected so many readers for the same reason the Harry Potter series did. Clarke, like Rowling, shows us a world that is dry and boring; it is infested by those that have no affinity for magic. Then underneath it all they both reveal worlds that are enchanting and magical. Indeed, most people long for a sense of the fantastic and escape from the mundane realism that is their life. Well, at least I do. Clarke, like Rowling, offers a glimpse of a world that is like our own, only better. Moreover, the footnotes and magical text references, used by Clarke, help to add further weight to this feeling. These make the novel seem academic, and reflect the age in which it was set, they give a sense of actuality behind the fantastical. Some of the footnotes are huge, and they do interrupt the narrative. However, this is a more effective means of delivery the history of such a beautiful world than, for example, having the characters reproduce is verbatim in speech. I think it’s a much less awkward way, and creates the sense that this world could exist, should exist. In addition to this, the structure of the novel reflects the age in which it represents. The novel is divided into three volumes, and towards the end Clarke utilises the hugely popular, and utterly brilliant, epistolary means of storytelling. Both demonstrate a norm of novel writing in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which reflects the novel structure associated with the time. The language Clarke uses is akin to the wonderful Jane Austen, and the underline sarcasm, like in Austen’s works, is apparent. Indeed, Clarke continuously mocks Napoleon Bonaparte; I disagree with her assessment of him, however, the opinion she wields reflects that of the English at the time, so in a sense it enhances the feeling afore mentioned. I adore this book This book is simply brilliant. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to articulate exactly how wonderful it is. If I had magic I could show you, but, alas, I am a mere theoretical magician. Seriously though, I get emotional when I think about the sheer excellence of this book; I’ve read this twice now and in all honesty I can say that I immediately want to read it again. Strange and Norrel are two of the most interesting, and well written, characters I’ve ever read about. They are both right in their arguments, and both wrong. It’s such a unique and memorable relationship. “There is nothing else in magic but the wild thought of the bird as it casts itself into the void. There is no creature upon the earth with such potential for magic. Even the least of them may fly straight out of this world and come by chance to the Other Lands. Where does the wind come from that blows upon your face, that fans the pages of your book? Where the harum-scarum magic of small wild creatures meets the magic of Man, where the language of the wind and the rain and the trees can be understood, there we will find the Raven King.”I could only ever give this book five stars, I’d give it more if I could. Bravo Susanna Clarke! This book has quite literally floored me. If anybody takes a single recommendation of mine remotely seriously, then take this one because this novel is incredible!
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my HUGO WINNERS list.This is the reading list that follows the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I loved reading the Locus Sci-Fi Award winners so I'm going to crack on with the Hugo winners next (but only the post-1980 winners, I'll follow up with pre-1980 another time).First of all – if you haven’t already – please go and read Keely’s wonderfully tongue-in-cheek review of this book. It’s one of my top-ten GR reviews and makes me chuckle every time!Second, I thought this was a great quote from the blurb on the back of the book:“Clarke welcomes herself into an exalted company of British writers – not only, some might argue, Dickens and Austen, but also the fantasy legends Kenneth Grahame and George MacDonald – as well as contemporary writers like Susan Cooper and Philip Pullman.” – New York Times Book ReviewThis is a quite remarkable book – a true blend of diverse styles that creates something new. One of those books where I started to tell my friend that “It’s a bit like...” and then tailed off, waving my hand around, unable to locate the end of that sentence. It’s a bit like many things. It’s a bit like nothing I’ve read before! It’s a bit good (but that’s a bit of an understatement).Winner of the Hugo in 2005 (holding off one of my all-time favourites in Miéville’s Iron Council), I can’t help but feel I should have read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell earlier than this – but I’m very pleased I’ve gotten around to it now.Let me get in my quick warning: it’s a slow burner. I think I turned to my wife at one point and said “I’m five hundred pages in and I think we’re getting to the good bit”. I have no probem with leisurely pacing, but not everyone has the patience for that kind of shenanigan.There are many things I enjoyed enormously, but here are my top three:The characters! Fantasy is not always renowned for multi-faceted, complex and believable characters, but the cast of JS&MN are varied and superb – Strange, Norrell, Childermass, Black, Drawlight, Lascelles, Wellington, Segundus and Honeyfoot are all sketched elegantly and convincingly. The female characters are less attention catching, Mrs Strange and Mrs Poole both fall victim to the evil fairy, but there’s enough shown of their individual natures before that to carry them. Nobody felt like a caricature, or cliché, or only there to fulfil a plot requirement, and there was a touch of Dickens’ flair for minor characters really owning their appearances.The magic!Magic in fantasy can take so many different forms and flavours. Clarke has managed to create a world where magic is dreamy and amazing, but also somehow gritty and grounded. My favourite example is the ship stuck on the sandbar. Strange makes magical horses out of the sandbar to help pull the ship free, and as they’re made of the sandbar itself they help float her free when they move. But getting the magic sand-horses tied to the ship is a nightmare and when they lie down to sleep and turn back into sandbar’s in new places the sailor are angry at the disruption to their maps! Magic is slippery and innately difficult to wield accurately. Consequences are often unintended. Being a magician is hard work! There’s no point-and-click reliability.The footnotes!A bit of a deal-breaker for some it seems. Clarke makes extensive use of footnotes to expand and illustrate the history of the story. I read every single one (and even flicked back to find old ones where required). For me, these footnotes really highlight the passion and labour that’s been put into this book. They’re brilliant! Some people apparently find them frustrating and boring (I just don’t get it).One of the ways I judge a book is by how much time you spend thinking about the book when you’re NOT reading it. I found my head drifting back to JS&MN many times, in many different ways. I found myself longing to pick it back up, just to feel the weight in my hand and let the pages flick past. I found myself imagining living in the world of the story, meeting the characters, strolling through their houses, going out on their campaigns. I found myself daydreaming about what else could have been done with the story, the places Clarke didn’t take the tale, the magic never done. I felt drawn to the book (and still do – I’ve got it next to me on the desk now, and I want to stroke it like a cat).It’s definitely a book that people connect with. The training manager at work interrupted a meeting to gush about the book when he spotted it sitting on my desk. Our shy office newbie, who had barely said a word all day, suddenly started chattering away when she noticed it. I’ve had more comments at work about this book than the last dozen added together!I have one complaint.I had a big issue with the ending. It made me feel:“What? No! You can’t just leave it like that! What happens next? Tell me more! Damn you, book, tell me more!” Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a very, very fine book and even more remarkable for being a debut.It’s not always easy to read for everyone – but it’s highly recommended.After this I read: Whispers Under Ground
What do You think about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2006)?
This book represents, for me, everything that makes Goodreads great. I never heard of this book before coming to Goodreads. It was through connections with other people and becoming friends, and perhaps some passive-aggressive bullying (you know who you are!) that I finally found this book; it feels like it was tailor-made for me, and it has made my life feel richer.I need to remember to maintain composure; I'm a gentleman, after all, and gentlemen must not make fools of themselves. There is a proper way of telling the world what I think of this book and, my good reader, I plan on sticking to that proper way! So it is with poise, civility, and calm propriety that I tell you, without reservation: "THIS BOOK IS F____ AWESOME!" Like, 'Bam! In your face!' awesome. Only, you don't realize it until it's already in your face, being awesome.This book is a history book chronicling the ... wait, whoa! What happened there? *shakes head* It's like I came under an enchantment, or something. No, this book is a Fictional Novel. I must remind myself this is not real; it is fiction, it is fiction..... I think I might just be losing touch with reality. Or rather, perhaps Susanna Clarke's reality has now begun to take me over. It's so real I'm not sure I can make the distinction between life and literature any longer! Clarke's magical take on history is so carefully crafted, that I feel like I could pull one of my history books off my shelf, and open it to the section where Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange helped revive English magic. I feel like Napoleon really was thwarted by magic, and lost Waterloo because of a single spell. I feel like the Geography of Spain really is different today than it was before 1800, and the madness of King George really was exacerbated by the meddling of fairies.So too, do the people inhabiting the pages seem real. Their personalities, emotions and characters are revealed, not through omniscient musings or expository ramblings, but gradually over time, through actions and words. They think about things in a very real way: slowly, and often mistakenly.This is not a faced-paced, car chase and explosions on every page, book. It is not a shallow book, for people only looking for a good time (it doesn't even have a phone number to call). Instead, it is a slow book, in the way that true Italian cuisine is slow food. It is a methodical book, and it isn't going to rush around to anything; because really, magical history should not be rushed anyway. It should be savored. This book has all the right ingredients, mixed in a deceptively easy way, and it is cooked at the perfect temperature. The final result is absolutely delicious; it's a meal tasty enough to eat every day, yet healthy enough to not make you feel bad about eating it so much. I've heard this book compared to a mix of Jane Austen and Harry Potter, but I find that comparison to be more of an insult to the book than an accurate portrayal. Sure, there is magic. OK, it takes places in the early 1800s, and in Britain. And yes, there is a healthy dose of satire and social commentary. But, there are many other books which fall into those categories, so I generally find the comparisons of this book to be inadequate. This book can stand alone, and it stands as a masterpiece. _______________________________________Note: This was a buddy read with Jocelyn, whose review can be seen here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
—Kyle
the hero of this novel, Mr. Norrell, is in many ways a stranger in a strange land, uncomfortable with base emotions and disappointed with the shabbiness and inadequacies of others... yet always yearning for true companionship. a dignified, erudite, and refined gentleman; quietly soulful and elegantly restrained; commanding in his encyclopedic knowledge of the magical arts. the other character, a fey and unreliable sort apparently named "Jonathan Strange", offers fleeting friendship that is quickly frittered away in tawdry misadventure, misplaced romance, and other assorted bits of ill-conceived and juvenile tomfoolery, often abroad, often with a host of questionable characters. even worse, Strange's nascent addictive personality rears its dark dark head, causing all sorts of trouble with various dire characters that were once thought lost in history. fortunately, Mr. Norrell is a stalwart and brave ally, and his careful guidance soon sets things in their natural order - no thanks to the whimsical and unreliable Strange.***an awesome book, one of my favorites. the comparisons with Austen & Dickens have been made repeatedly; i agree. it almost seems silly to review this - it is like some kind of immense edifice, some giant piece of art, or something, that folks should just experience rather than read about. the pacing moves from snail-like and digressive to hallucinatory and lightning fast. the characters are wonderfully complicated. the magic is fascinating. the whole thing is smart and funny and melancholy and charming and just brilliant. plus the footnotes: fantastic! this is a huge novel but i wasn't bored for a second.i hope this never becomes a movie.
—mark monday
Tired of your workaday lives,Need to get away for a while?Come, sit a spellLet Susanna tell you a story.We go to England in the 1800’s, a time of the Napoleonic Wars, a time when most people believe magic to be dead in England. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell are two magicians attempting, each in their own way, to change that and restore magic to England. I can admit that it took me a while to find my legs here, acquire my own rhythm with the writing and the story. In many ways this reads like a history lesson... The entire aspect and nature of magic and its history are all carefully and explicitly laid out, fully annotated with historical references that appear as footnotes (which while bitter at first, soon became delicious little bits that nourished and enriched). I came to crave them. Lord Byron and the Duke of Wellington, both, put in an appearance here, casually lending their historical pertinence, as England’s Prime Minister and his cabinet employ the magicians to assist in the battle against Napoleon. Susanna so deftly describes the two main protagonists, the magicians, so intricately, as to impart an intimate understanding of each of them. As opposite in character as they are in appearance Strange & Norrell command this stage, but along the way they share the spotlight, with a whole cast of others, people, that step right off the page:The man extracted himself from the hedge. This was no easy task because various parts of it – hawthorn twigs, elder branches, strands of ivy, mistletoe and witches broom – had insinuated themselves among his clothes, limbs and hair during the night or glued themselves to him with ice. He sat up. He did not seem in the least surprised to find he had an audience; one would almost have supposed from his behaviour that he had been expecting it. He looked at them all and gave several disparaging sniffs and snorts.He ran his fingers through his hair, removing dead leaves, bits of twig and half a dozen earwigs. “I reached out my hand” he muttered, to no-one in particular. “England’s rivers turned and flowed the other way.” He loosened his neckcloth and fished out some spiders which had taken up residence inside his shirt. In doing so, he revealed that his neck and throat were ornamented with an odd pattern of blue lines, dots, crosses and circles. Then he wrapped his neckcloth back about his neck and, having thus completed his toilet to his satisfaction, he rose to his feet. “My name is Vinculus”, he declared.What I loved most, as I listened to Susanna’s story was that it took me away, where a slow and curious sort of calm came over me. A kind of a hush, seemingly impenetrable, descended about me. A strange sense of quiet fell, like one might find in the wee hours of the morning. I relaxed, shook off the shackles of day to day and settled in, wholly immersed now and in no particular hurry, on this long, long journey. I stretched out my legs, met the man with the thistle-down hair and considered the colour of a heartache. I visited ballrooms and battlefields, travelled faerie roads, and searched for the Raven King. I watched the birds as they came to my feeder and fell away, to lost-hope house and all the mirrors of the world, utterly enchanted, and I believed.It was as if a door had opened somewhere. Or possibly a series of doors. There was a sensation as of a breeze blowing into the house and bringing with it the half- remembered scents of childhood. There was a shift in the light which seemed to cause all the shadows in the room to fall differently. There was nothing more definite than that, and yet, as often happens when some magic is occurring, both Drawlight and the lady had the strongest impression that nothing in the visible world could be relied upon any more. It was as if one might put out one’s hand to touch any thing in the room and discover it was no longer there. A tall mirror hung upon the wall above the sopha where the lady sat. It shewed a second great white moon in a second tall dark window and a second dim-mirror room. But Drawlight and the lady did not appear in the mirror room at all. Instead there was a kind of an indistinctness, which became a sort of shadow, which became the dark shape of someone coming towards them. From the path which this person took, it could clearly be seen that the mirror room was not like the original at all and that it was only by odd tricks of lighting and perspective – such as one might meet with in the theatre- that they appeared to be the same. It seemed that the mirror room was actually a long corridor.The hair and coat of the mysterious figure were stirred by a wind which could not be felt in their own room and though he walked briskly towards the glass which separated the two rooms, it was taking him some time to reach it. But finally he reached the glass and then there was a moment when his dark shape loomed very large behind it and his face was still in shadow. Susanna Clarke tells a story that spills over with wonder.This one is coming to the island with me.
—Arah-Lynda
