It's after reading books like these that I wonder how some people can have such good imaginations. I used to want to be a writer, but I think I quickly realized that I didn't have the kind of creativity required to write the kind of novels that I wanted to write...which were novels like these.
I've heard Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell described as a "Harry Potter for adults" and it's easy to see why: the setting is England and the subject matter is magic. The writing also has a similarly whimsical tone, which for some reason I've always associated with the British. The world that Clarke created for this massive book (over 800 pages long) is so clever and detailed that I really wonder how she kept it all straight, which is the same thing I've wondered of J.K. Rowling. That's really the end of the similarities though, because this book is well, not at all a children's book. For one, it is a bit more set in reality. Taking place in the early 1800s with the backdrop of the actually historical Napoleonic wars, there is no secret world of Hogwarts and Quidditch and evolved wizarding communities that ordinary people have no knowledge of. There is only a history and tradition of old English magic (with fairies and another land called Faerie) that has seemingly gone extinct. The book is written a bit like a history, complete with footnotes (a lot of which I didn't bother reading), and it recounts how it is revived by two modern and opposing magicians, first Mr Norrell and then Jonathan Strange.
The book is a little slow in the beginning...it took me a week to get through the first quarter of it, but then once it picks up, it's incredibly engrossing. I polished off the rest of the book that following weekend. The characters are all fully fleshed out (unlike in the last long book I read, The Time Traveler's Wife) and everything is really easily believable. I loved the humor, and at some points it almost reminded me of Jane Austen. This isn't an action-packed book, though. Entire chapters are devoted small stand-alone mysteries that eventually have significance, but those were all still a lot of fun too. I love early 19th century England, I love magic and magicians, and I loved this book!
In conclusion, a really satisfying, fun read, quite possibly destined to become one of my favorite books. I have a tendency to rush and skim a little too much near the end of books in order to find out what happens, so I think I might actually read it again and maybe even buy it. Apparently it's going to be adapted into a film in the near future, which done right would probably be fantastic. The book is so long and detailed though...it'll be interesting to see how they handle that.
Lots of other fun stuff at jonathanstrange.com. (Susanna Clarke is a Joss Whedon fan!)
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