Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel

First, let me say, this book will require patience and quite a bit of time in order to make your way through it. Not that it's not enjoyable, but simply put, it is long.

Susanna Clark does a lovely job of using the preexisting mythic character of the Raven King to create a central mythology that the book revolves around.

The setting of the book is England around the time of the Napoleonic wars. The difference is that magic actually exists, though it has subsided into something that scholars study, rather than a practicable, practical art. The book begins with the "discovery" of Mr. Norrell---reclusive, socially inept, secretive, and consequently, the one man in England who is able to apply magic to real life. Later, Jonathan Strange discovers he has a knack for magic, and under the tutelage of Mr. Norrell, rapidly develops his gift, much to the dismay of Norrell, who studied for years to accomplish as much. The book chronicles their rivalry, Jonathan's love and loss, and the final event that seeks to drive a great and ancient evil out of the world.

I also listened to the audio version of the book, which is beautifully performed and highly recommended.

Reading JS/MN is an investment, and one that pays you back fivefold. It's a carefully paced book, not your typical page-turner. Each scene is beautifully crafted and her prose is a delight, but what I love best about this book is how what seems silly and comic becomes slowly more deep and complex. Both Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are changed by their adventures in ways that will feel real, even in a fanciful landscape. And Clarke is absolutely brilliant at showing you what's coming in ways you don't understand until it arrives.

I have one complaint: the book is too short. Yes, I know that those who don't like it say it's too long and slow, but once you're in it, you won't want it to end. Like Moby Dick, the slow build is one that refuses to let you go. If you're an adult who liked Harry Potter, you will want to kiss Susanna Clarke's feet for capturing the magic in an even more mature form. If (like me) you wanted to like Harry Potter but found it too emotionally flat, you'll be even happier.

Ma Clarke has created an incredible history of English Magic, akin to Tolkien’s Middle Earth, that she uses as the basis of this tale of the loss and rediscovery of the Lore. Read it, relish it, accessing all the footnotes, and become an apprentice yourself!

Watched the series on BBC America and felt that I needed to read the book to totally get the idea. Was not disappointed. Can magic return to England, but be controlled by Mr. Morrell's idea of magic or will the battle between the 2 friends over magic doom it's re-appearance.

It's a most remarkable book, in keeping with some of the great 19th century novels. It is a romance, as well as intellectually stimulating, drawing on the passions of both heart and mind. It plays on the mind and the senses, and it makes the most of what real magic is: "the stuff that dreams are made on." It has inspired me in my own writing, and I look forward to what that inspiration brings out of me. Thank you, Susanna Clarke. I'm glad to have found you.

If you enjoy classics and fantasy then this is your book. It may take a little time to attach yourself to the characters, but it is truly well written. I found towards the end I could not put it down. All of the characters are well written and all comes together in the end.

A wonderful book ! An imagining of how two men endeavored to bring magic back to England. The characters are well fleshed out and you begin to feel as if you are reading a history book, rather than fiction. I loved it !

This wonderfully written story is a throwback to the times when people wanted a book to take forever to read. Before there was TV or radio, people read for entertainment-- to learn about the world, to become engrossed in a story, for distraction, etc. Susanna Clarke has absorbed that mindset and written a meandering, detailed, intriguing, well researched, and at times quite amusing story that is full of interesting characters who seem at home in their time and place. Although magic is real in this story, it is much closer to Dickens than to Tolkien. The omniscient narrator addresses the reader directly but never abruptly. For example, the narrator begins the introduction to Jonathan Strange with the account of his parents' marriage; it takes an entire chapter before we even see Jonathan Strange. If you have a problem with slow starts, I recommend the CD version, as the actor who reads the story does a great job of giving each character a distinct voice and the funny bits sound funnier with a British accent.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a fine piece of literature by newcomer Susanna Clarke.

It's difficult to break new ground in the tired genre of fantasy, where a comparison to Tolkien often seems more a marketing ploy to attract readership than a tribute to style or story. However, after reading the first couple of pages of Strange & Norrell, I was hooked. Nearly 800 pages later, when I closed the cover for the last time, I was gratified and satisfied.

Immense in scope (10 years in the writing), the backdrop of Strange & Norrell is 19th century England, the story a sort of alternate reality in which two practical magicians (as opposed to those who only read about magic) endeavor to bring back magic to England. Not only is Clarke's style refreshing, her tale is original, and she relates it engagingly. The two title characters are rather stuffy Englishmen, but Clarke contrasts them nicely, and the reader will often root first for one and then the other as the plot unfolds, like a labyrinth filled with dead ends, traps, portcullises and a variety of surprises. All of the secondary and tertiary characters are colorful and, as in theatre where there are no small roles merely small actors, none are superficial to the story. Yet for all of Clarke's storytelling talent there was something that kept me from fully identifying with either of the protagonists. I never seemed fully able to immerse myself in the story; I seemed only able to watch events unfold from outside the confines of the tale. It is for this reason alone that I was unable to award five stars to Strange & Norrell.

Although some readers may find Clarke's use of old English trying (shew instead of show, etc.), I found the technique lent a flavor of authenticity to her tale. Ms. Clarke's narrative is nearly flawless, teeming with evocative descriptions spanning from the macabre (the stone statue that several hundred years previously had witnessed the murder of a young girl and was suddenly gifted with the power of speech so that it might scream out its anguish is akin to something Poe might've written) to humorous, ranging from deadpan to hilarious. The description of an unshaven doughy-faced man - "He had shaved himself with no very high degree of skill and here and there on his white face two or three coarse black hairs appeared - rather as if a family of flies had drowned in the milk before the cheese was made and their legs were poking out of it" - had me chuckling, while several exchanges between Stephen and the gentlemen with the thistledown hair - "Burnt, sir! I hope no one was hurt!" "Well, some people were. The strong, young men were able to run out of the conflagration in time, but the older, enfeebled members of the family, the women and infants were all burnt to death" - had me laughing aloud.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a wonderful first novel, and Susanna Clarke is to be applauded. Oh yes, and comparisons to Tolkien and Rowling are unfounded - in the future perhaps it will be Susanna Clarke with whom many aspiring fantasy writers will be compared.

Susannah Clarke's sly, swirling, over-the-top romantic fantasy begins in Austen country and ends up somewhere east of Mordor.

"Strange and Norrell" is the author's first novel, and it's remarkably self-assured. It gets progressively darker as the two duelling magic-makers of the title make statues talk, cultivate politicians and the Duke of Wellington himself, aid Britain in the war against Napoleon, attempt to save distressed damsels, encounter some problems with ravens, and match wits with a malicious fairy king.

Ms. Clarke, apparently had a plan from which she seems not to have deviated from at all, and unlike so many authors on their maiden voyage, she keeps your attention focused on the plot, character, and action--not on authorial self-advertisements.

The book is slyly witty, often scary, and never less than exuberant. Ms. Clarke might be the last romantic left in the room, but if she is, it doesn't appear she wants to turn out the lights anytime soon.

Still one of my all time favorite books. An engrossing study of character and society that stays true to both history and mythology. If you like snark, wit and high drama this book may be for you. It is anything but a light read, but one that kept me fully immersed.

Why has magic disappeared from the world? IBritain, source and ancestral home of the Fae is the setting of this intriguing story. If you love magic and it's history, you'll enjoy Susanna Clarke's evocative novel.

One-of-a-kind novel with undertones along the lines of Jane Austen-meets-Harry Potter. Susanna Clarke has spun an utterly original, magical, clever, wry, droll, and twisted tale, with copious fictive, fascinating footnotes throughout. An eminently rich tome that invites re-reading.....

Right about the time this novel takes place, the Romantic Era is getting started. At the turn of the 19th century there is a heavy backlash against civilization on many fronts with Rousseau and Novalis as two of the primary generals. JS&Mr.N takes place right at the birth of this amazing movement, but is written modern, i.e., with the presumption that all humans are petty fools, or evil, petty fools leading sad but mildly laughable yet ultimately meaningless lives. That's the bitter taste of this novel, despite the cute Austen-ish language.

I still give it five stars simply because S. Clarke is so skilled with her absurdity and meaninglessness. Just when you thought Western cultural exhaustion couldn't be repackaged any better than it has already been packaged 100,000 times, here comes Clarke to dazzle us once more. That is to say, if you've seen "Waiting for Godot," and after half of the play is through it dawns on you that YOU are the fool waiting for Godot, then you'll appreciate Clarke's skill at getting you to turn the some 800 pages of a book that relentlessly denegrates our human race as represented in the quaint retroactive nostalgia of early 19th century Britain. But it's not only the humans that get the full modernist cold shower. JS&Mr.N also weaves in a very modern, all but dystopian cyber-punkish version of the Northern Euro fairy mythology. Clarke's fairies are all but demons from Hell--the sort Swedenborg described so morbidly and chillingly.

I do agree with many of the other readers that this book is not for everyone. Either you buy into frumpy, eccentric English ways, or they put you off. If you're a sucker for the Rule Britannia vibe (as most of the American intelligensia has been since the War of 1812), you'll definitely love this book... But as you can tell from my lines I have a love-hate relationship with JS&Mr.N....

If you love good writing, English scenery (some Italian as well), interwoven plot between main character and antagonist - you will not be able to put this down. Let's see if the new Netflix series lives up to the book...

After years of starting and restarting Strange and Norrell, I've finally finished. I love a good long book, and you'll not hear any complaints from me about its page count. It is not a difficult book to read, though it is in many ways and many places uneventful and dull. The last two hundred or so pages are its chief redeeming factor, and Ms. Clarke has done a commendable job writing a very good ending with sufficiently gothic ambiguity. My only real quip, without spoilers, is that one of the central characters does something uncharacteristic, and the inconsistency leaves me less satisfied than I otherwise would have been. I can't recommend this novel for everyone, but it's certainly worth trying.

First off I think the tag line, 'Harry Potter for grown-ups', I've seen attached to this book is misleading. The only similarities between the two is England and the word magician. I only say this because people who pick this up expecting the quick and accessible world of Hogwarts are in for a shock.
A better reference point would be, 'Charles Dickens with magic.'
The book is long and dense, with many footnotes and a deliberately paced plot. However, I was never the least bit bored, and found myself thoroughly engrossed with these characters, and what happens to them. The plot in a nutshell revolves around two magicians, Mr Norrell, and his student Jonathan Strange. Coming at the world of magic from two very different views, an incident happens towards the beginning of the novel that shapes the course of the entire story and both the mens lives.
There are a multitude of subplots that while reading I had no idea how they related directly to the main thrust of the story, but by the end she does a marvelous job of weaving them all together.
The book definitely requires some patience, but the payoff is so worth it. After nearly eight hundred pages I felt completely satisfied with the ending. And that says alot. Time well spent .

Amazing world and story, even though it seemed rather flat as it began. I was actually beginning to get tired of this novel but then I started the TV miniseries and got a taste of what was coming, and it really turned out to be something exceptional.

I love the Harry Potter series. This is NOTHING like Harry Potter. It's also nothing like Lord of the Rings, or any other fantasy wizards and magic novel. It's more like a Jane Austen novel, if Jane Austen had a couple of the gentleman who also just happened to practice magic. You will either love this book or hate it. There seems to be no middle ground. Read the first few pages (since the store lets you do this). If you like her style of writing, which mimics the novels written in the early 1800's, then you will enjoy this book. If you don't like the style of writing, then it's not for you. This book is not a page turner to see what happens next. It's one where you savor the way the words are put together. Personally, I find this book very funny, but you must realize that the humor is very dry and very low key. I also love the footnotes. Some are fake references to books other characters in the novel have written. Some are short stories in themselves. All of them fall in the exact place where it is convenient to read them. Again, you will either love this affectation or not. I grew up in England, and all my school chums and I believed in Fairies, so I find that aspect of the story interesting, too.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a wonderful, wonderful book, but you must be prepared to devote some time to its almost 800 pages. While not being overly heavy, the novel is neither a quick and easy read. Susanna Clarke is a wonderful novelist and the story is fascinating, complex and amazingly detailed. (Much of the detail comes in the form of footnotes, where Clarke describes many little stories of magic, fairies and other such fantastic tales). Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is the story of those two men, the last two, the only two magicians in England in the early nineteenth century. The novel follows their story and the story of magic in England at that time. At times, I warn you, the novel moves rather slowly. The ending, however, is quite compelling, well-constructed and ultimately satisfying. Clarke has created a fantastic world, a parallel universe in which the practice of magic is as much a vocation as the law or the church. The story is wonderful, but, what is special for me was the fabulous characters. So many of them are so richly drawn and they grow and develop over time. Characters like these are a rarity and make this novel such an undeniable pleasure to read. Clarke tells the story with much, much subtle humor, along the lines of Jane Austen and Patrick O'Brian. As I said before, this is a long book, but well worth every page. Enjoy.

Many of the customer reviews make much of the page length of this book, noting that the length is amplified by the inclusion of many footnotes. As we "read" the book by listening to the cd, this did not present an issue. In fact, it enhanced the experience. Since we were listening to it together, we were much more aware of the laugh-out-loud humor it contained. We are both avid readers, but thoroughly enjoyed the extra dimension that sharing this cd version afforded. Mr. Prebble's reading is superb. We recently "read" (thanks to Jim Dale) Books 4 and 5 of the Harry Potter series in this manner, and our enjoyment of those books led us to chose this cd. Messrs. Prebble and Dale sound like they're having a whale of a time with the accents and voices these books contain. Highly recommend.

BBC announced plans to make this into a series and I want to read it prior to watching it. I had picked up this book a longtime ago, but loaned it out and never got it back. It starts out slow, but is well worth the read. As for the amount of pages, it's no more than some of the trilogies I have read, and worth the time.

I really liked the development of the characters. The premise of magic that really worked, and that magic was used in war.
Also, the protagonist who love so deeply, he never gave up the search for his wife.
Great book!

Really this was like trudging directly up the side of a mountain. Slow, slow, then slower yet. I know this is a celebrated novel, but oh my god the desire for something to happen was almost over powering. It's well written, well edited, no typos that I noticed, but so slow it reminded me of the pitch experiments.

Clarke's a talented writer who often creates brilliant images. She understands language and knows how to tell a compelling story. I read this book because Neil Gaiman recommended in a newspaper review. Sorry, but I don't have time to write more.

Extremely well written. It begins a little slowly but is soon full of actions. I have never read a book about magicians with this particular premise. There are several events happening at the same time.

A very unique book. After you become familiar with the old English form of writing, it sucks you right into the magical world. Just enough characters to remember with out confusing them. Maybe a bit too long, but then I was sad that it was over.

The story has interesting parts, but the pace is painfully slow. The two main characters are annoying at best. Each has his defining flaw which is played to the point of making them very one dimensional. If paced better the story could be a good one, unfortunately I found it a struggle to finish.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell ( S&N from here out), has been described as a fantasy novel, an alternative history novel, and a historical novel. I'm not too concerned about that, though, since this 2005 Hugo Award winner falls into the most important category of novels: good novels.

Set in early 19th century England, S&N opens in 1806, and carries the characters through the Napoleonic Wars and into 1816. The book assumes a history of magic in England that had died out centuries before the story begins, and the title characters (first Norrell and then Strange) become the first practicing magicians in centuries. The story follows their attempts to restore English magic (and figuring out what that even means in practice).

The story begins slowly, admittedly, as the reader is introduced to a large cast of memorable characters, with the title duo joined by African-British butler Stephen Black, Norrell's servant John Childermass, the ever-afflicted Lady Pole, gentlemen about town Henry Lascelles and Christopher Drawlight, and the mysterious fairy, the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair all being developed as well-rounded, believable, deep (if not all of them likeable) characters. Historical figures make appearances as well, most predominately and most enjoyably Duke Wellington and Lord Byron.

In addition to the large cast, S&N is peppered with footnotes that expound upon the history of magic in England, discussing magicians and magic of long ago, and adding layer upon layer upon the history of the real England. Looming over all of this history is the enigmatic Raven King, a magician who ruled northern England for centuries before disappearing and is credited with the creation of English magic.

As the novel progresses, the characters and the histories are drawn tighter and tighter together, and the pace of the novel picks up as the different pieces all fall into place. It may seem like a lot of characters and a lot of background, but almost all of it ends ups tying into the many and satisfying payoffs at the conclusion of the novel.

Besides the setting, plot, and characters, what really sets S&N apart is the language. Clarke's writing is full of fantastic turns of phrases and a subtle poetic quality, combined with a dry and occasionally sarcastic humor. Having recently re-read Charles Dickens' Great Expectations and Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, along with previously enjoying British novels of 19th century such as Frankenstein and Dracula, the prose manages to capture much of the feel of the time, and really makes the reader believe that this book could have been published in 1820, instead of 2004.

I listened to S&N on audio book, and Simon Prebble's reading was very strong. He carries off the old fashioned language as if it were the simplest thing in the world, and his voices for each character fit them perfectly.

If you have the patience to allow the story to build, and enjoy deeply layed narrative and great use of the English language, I highly recommend Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I'll leave you with two of my favorite examples of the language and themes in the novel.

- "'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 could.'"

- "Poor Stephen was assailed by miracles."

Clarke, the author, and Rosenberg, the illustrator, have between them created a world of many more layers than those to which readers are usually treated in the last few decades. As has been pointed out by others, the depth and richness of detail keep the book from being a casual read, but it amply repays the reader who enjoys fantasy with a historical flavor. In a way, it's like Jane Austen and Patrick O'Brian in a clever "what if" mode.

This rather long and sometimes meandering novel is one of the more unique pieces of writing to come along for quite some time. The fact that is has so many 5-star and 1-star ratings is indicative that it isn't everybody's cup-of-tea. More than most books, the writing style is either going to enamor or turn off readers. I personally liked the novel, and gave it five stars, but I also understand those who didn't like it and gave it poor reviews. Neither the high-reviewers nor the low-reviewers are right or wrong. This is the anchovies of books; some love them, and some hate them, and so with Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

One thing for certain is that this is not the "Adult Harry Potter" as it is sometimes described. Other than taking place in England and having magic in the storyline, not much else is similar. I was more inclined to see similarities between this book and Tom Jones, despite the different eras and the complete lack of magic in that classic. But the feel of Jonathan Strange was reminiscent of that in Tom Jones.

In other books with magic, the magic is usually center stage, the raison d'etre of the story. Despite the increasing amount of magic being conducted as the story progressed, I never got the feeling that magic was center stage. This novel was more about people and relationships, with the magic just being a skill that some of the characters could do.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but that is personal taste. Not everyone has enjoyed it. On the Kindle version, the store lets a prospective reader download a sample before purchase. I would recommend that readers take advantage of this opportunity to see if the story and style resonates with them.

A delightfully written book in the style of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, as critics have noted. The interweaving of magic and history is interesting and, to the extent that it can be, believable. Although the book has a bit of a slow start and is quite lengthy, this is a world that's just fun to inhabit.

The only major thing wrong with it is that it needs a sequel!

Weird but interesting. No characters were really sympathetic. I found it hard to accept the alternate historical treatment of the Napoleonic Wars. How could he move entire towns yet not prevent the bloodshed.

Stories within stories within stories. This novel is well thought out, deep in characters and dialogue and immensely imaginative. A combination of fantasy, fairy tales and alternate history during the Napoleonic wars.

Stories within stories within stories. This novel is well thought out, deep in characters and dialogue and immensely imaginative. A combination of fantasy, fairy tales and alternate history during the Napoleonic wars.

A wonderful concept, in a well-written story.

I first encountered these two characters in the TV miniseries made from the book, and was so struck by the whole thing that I bought the book to experience it "in the raw". I pretty much devoured the book in consecutive readings after work. Couldn't start reading before or I would miss my train.

The time is that of the Peninsular War, the same time in which the "Sharpe's" books and TV serials are set. Wellington is a character in this story, as is (peripherally) Napoleon.

The story concerns two very well-drawn characters: Mr Norrell who is a taciturn student who jealously guards his store of knowledge by buying up all the available books on the subject, and Johnathon Strange, a would-be apprentice in the same line of study.

And what is that line of study? Practical Magic.

The conceit is that magic is "now" a theoretical line of study, since magic spells stopped working in England many decades ago. Call it this book's equivalent of Natural Philosophy. It is widely held that Practical Magic is somehow not a fit subject for discussion by the various Magical Societies dotted around England. True magicians only speak in general terms about deep philosophical implications of magic. They never sully their reputations by attempting to get magic to work.

Except, quietly, the reclusive Mr Norrell has been working magic for years in his library deep in the wilds of Yorkshire (or possibly Lancashire).

Enter Johnathon Strange, lately inheriting his father's estate and seeking to be taken seriously after a life of dilettante flibertigibbertism, who buys two spells off a vagrant he rescues from the mob.

Events throw these two together, then pull them apart as Norrell refuses to part with his learning (and any of his vast collection of grimoires) and Strange finds his own talent growing to rival that of his "teacher".

Mixing it up in the background is the fallout from a foolish experiment undertaken by Norrell that encompasses Strange in it's malicious intent.

And so events spiral more and more out of control, culminating in ... but I've said too much.

Read the book. You won't be disappointed.

Britisher Clarke's first novel is 782 pages and will not be everyone's "cup of tea," but my husband and I read it aloud together and were disappointed when it ended. Clarke is a master of words, subtle humor, and character study. The story is of two English magicians in the early 19th century and weaves in real people of the era, like Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, and King George III. An amazing work.

I thoroughly enjoy these books. I didn’t want them to end. And Susanna Clark seems to effortlessly move us through a wonderfully rich and detailed story of the long lost history of British magic! Fictional yes, but truly magical in itself!

This book is enjoyable but an INCREDIBLY DENSE read. I find myself picking it up to read for a week and then setting it down for something lighter, and then going back to it. There is magic, but make no mistake this a dark and complex reading.

Lovely story that takes you into world of magic. An awesome novel that has many twists and turns with amazing characters and juicy descriptions. A must read for those who want to relax in another world.

This book is like a cross between Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. This well-written novel thoroughly immerses one in the period, even though it is a period that doesn't actually exist in history. If you are looking for a unique reading experience, I highly recommend this book. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that it is a bit long-winded - could have used some more editing.

This audio version of the book exceeded my expectations. Mr. Prebble's voicing was wonderfully full of life and magic itself! As a book I return to time and time again, this new way of enjoying the story is also something I will return to as well. Highly recommend this audio book for fans of the novel.