Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is the story of two nineteenth century English magicians. Strange and Norrell are not illusionists or stage performers. They actually practice magic, casting spells, bending nature to their will, and consorting with the occasional faery.

This is a wonderful novel, and I loved it the first time I read it. It was one of those books that I knew I wanted to read again before I even came near the last page. The writing is engaging and brisk. The characters are all interesting even in their flaws. And the setting is marvelous. The setting is marvelous because it’s simply nineteenth century England and a bit of Europe… with plenty of magic. The structure of what seems to be the real historical world is so complete that it’s easy for the enthusiastic reader (ie, me) to suspend her disbelief in this alternate version of events.

The revival of English magic at the hands of Strange and Norrell (first Norrell, who is the elder, and then Strange), is embraced by the nation. Norrell is favored in Parliament and Strange aids Wellington oversees. They get themselves into all sorts of interesting jams through their own arrogance, curiosity, and general extraordinariness. Other characters with whom they interact at various levels are also wound up in strange magic and spend the novel in their own connected trials and tribulations. Really, however, for all these interconnected adventures, the story is largely about the rise and fall of Norrell and Strange themselves and their relationship with each other.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is really a delightful work of fantasy fiction. It is structured as a long string of episodes, but each aids in the building of the characters and is supported by the rich history of English magic (often in the form of footnotes, some of which tell entire strange tales.) All of Clarke’s creative additions to the historical setting seem natural and not as if they have been forced in with a sledge hammer. And those creative additions are wonderfully fantastic, mysterious, spooky, and above all, fun to read.

This novel is as great as I remembered it. The parts that I hadn’t remembered very well (like about the last quarter of the book!) were just as wonderful and before I finished reading this rather long novel the second time, I just knew that someday I wanted to read it again!

So many books, so little time…and so many distractions!!

 

 

Coming soon: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

 

 

A Year of Books I’ve Read Before