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Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 32 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's summary
But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire, the rich, reclusive Mr. Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of lost and forgotten books from England's magical past and regained some of the powers of England's magicians. He goes to London and raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte, creating ghostly fleets of rain-ships to confuse and alarm the French.
All goes well until a rival magician appears. Jonathan Strange is handsome, charming, and talkative, the very opposite of Mr. Norrell. Strange thinks nothing of enduring the rigors of campaigning with Wellington's army and doing magic on battlefields. Astonished to find another practicing magician, Mr. Norrell accepts Strange as a pupil. But it soon becomes clear that their ideas of what English magic ought to be are very different. For Mr. Norrell, their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic. He becomes fascinated by the ancient, shadowy figure of the Raven King, a child taken by fairies who became king of both England and Faerie, and the most legendary magician of all. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.
Sophisticated, witty, and ingeniously convincing, Susanna Clarke's magisterial novel weaves magic into a flawlessly detailed vision of historical England. She has created a world so thoroughly enchanting that 32 hours leave readers longing for more.
Critic reviews
- Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 2005
- World Fantasy Award Winner, 2005
- Audie Award Finalist, Literary Fiction, 2005
"A smashing success....An exceptionally compelling, brilliantly creative, and historically fine-tuned piece of work." (Booklist)
"Extraordinary....Immersion in the mesmerizing story reveals its intimacy, humor, and insight, and will enchant readers of fantasy and literary fiction alike." (Publishers Weekly)
"Ravishing...superb...combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien." (Time)
"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." (The New York Times Book Review)
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A fast-paced Victorian thriller that will delight audiences today as it did 100 years ago, Lady Audley's Secret has subterfuge, kidnapping, jealousy, and fraud, all thrown into the mix and shaken up for good measure.
A mystery which keeps a listener guessing until the last moments, this production is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys playing detective.
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Narrator creates the listen
- By connie on 02-06-12
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Cranford
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Prunella Scales
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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A vivid and affectionate portrait of the residents of an English country town in the mid-19th century, Cranford describes a community dominated by its independent and refined women, relating the adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Through a series of satirical vignettes, Gaskell sympathetically portrays changing small town customs and values in mid-Victorian England....
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Quietly, subtly sweet and heartwarming
- By T. on 03-26-12
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The Shuttle
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Tabi That
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Rosalie Vanderpoel, the daughter of an American multimillionaire marries an impoverished English baronet and goes to live in England. She all but loses contact with her family in America. Years later her younger sister Bettina, beautiful, intelligent and extremely rich, goes to England to find what has happened to her sister. She finds Rosalie shabby and dispirited, cowed by her husband's ill-treatment. Bettina sets about to rectify matters.
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More than Lovely
- By jTacy67 on 01-17-18
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Miss Buncle's Book
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Patricia Gallimore
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The scene of this entertaining story is laid in a charming English village. The plot centres round Miss Barbara Buncle, a maiden lady who was obliged to write a book because – as she naively explained – her dividends were so poor. Unfortunately, Miss Buncle had no imagination, so she wrote about her friends – quite kindly and truthfully, of course, for she was a benevolent and veracious soul.
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A complete pleasure
- By Sara on 01-16-14
By: D. E. Stevenson
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A Room with a View
- By: E. M. Forster
- Narrated by: Rebecca Hall
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In this rich new audio production, acclaimed British American actress Rebecca Hall brings one of E. M. Forster's most admired works to life in this classic tale of human struggle. A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, is wooed by both free-spirited George Emerson and wealthy Cecil Vyse while vacationing in Italy. Though attracted to George, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil despite twice turning down his proposals. On hearing of the news, George confesses his love, leaving Lucy torn between marrying the more socially acceptable Cecil or George, the man she knows would bring her true happiness. Should Lucy choose social acceptance or true love?
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A lovely performance, and a wonderful story
- By Robert on 01-19-19
By: E. M. Forster
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Howards End
- By: E. M. Forster
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Howards End is a beautifully subtle tale of two very different families brought together by an unusual event. The Schlegels are intellectuals, devotees of art and literature. The Wilcoxes are practical and materialistic, leading lives of "telegrams and anger". When the elder Mrs. Wilcox dies and her family discovers she has left their country home - Howards End - to one of the Schlegel sisters, a crisis between the two families is precipitated that takes years to resolve.
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Fantastic Narration in Delightful Story
- By Wren on 05-05-18
By: E. M. Forster
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The Young Clementina
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Charlotte Dean enjoys nothing more than the solitude of her London flat and the monotonous days of her work at a travel bookshop. But when her younger sister unceremoniously bursts into her quiet life one afternoon, Charlotte's world turns topsy-turvy. Beloved author D. E. Stevenson captures the intricacies of post-World War I England with a light, comic touch that perfectly embodies the spirit of the time. Alternatively heartbreaking and witty, The Young Clementina is a touching tale of love, loss and redemption through friendship.
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Miss Dean's Dilemma
- By Jerri C on 05-02-18
By: D. E. Stevenson
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Far From the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In a remote corner of early Victorian England, where traditional practices remain untouched by time, Bathsheba Everdene stands out as a beacon of female independence and self-reliance. However, when confronted with three suitors, among them the dashing Sergeant Troy, she shows a reckless capriciousness that threatens the stability of the whole community. Published in 1874, and an immediate best seller, Far From the Madding Crowd established Thomas Hardy as one of Britain's foremost novelists.
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A Masterpiece of Culture and Eloquence
- By Andrew on 07-07-14
By: Thomas Hardy
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Instruments of Darkness
- A Novel
- By: Imogen Robertson
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the year 1780, Harriet Westerman, the willful mistress of a country manor in Sussex, finds a dead man on her grounds with a ring bearing the crest of Thornleigh Hall in his pocket. Not one to be bound by convention or to shy away from adventure, she recruits a reclusive local anatomist named Gabriel Crowther to help her find the murderer, and historical suspense's newest investigative duo is born.
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Not The Best, But Not Too Bad...
- By MJ on 01-13-13
By: Imogen Robertson
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Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
- By: M. R. James
- Narrated by: David Timson, Stephen Critchlow
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The powerful sense of evil – darkness, creepy hairy presences, cloaks, hoods, talons and tentacles – pervades these classic ghost stories by M.R. James. A Cambridge scholar himself, James explored what happens when academics dabble in things they don’t understand and unleash forces of which they know nothing.
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Great performances of the classic
- By Adeliese Baumann on 06-25-11
By: M. R. James
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The Twelfth Enchantment
- By: David Liss
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Lucy Derrick is a young woman of good breeding and poor finances. After the death of her beloved father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as the unwanted boarder of her tyrannical uncle, fending off marriage to a local mill owner. But just as she is on the cusp of accepting a life of misery, events take a stunning turn when a handsome stranger - the poet and notorious rake Lord Byron - arrives at her house, stricken by what seems to be a curse, and with a cryptic message for Lucy. Suddenly her unfortunate circumstances are transformed in ways at once astonishing and seemingly impossible.
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A Little Better than Just OK
- By Cariola on 02-10-12
By: David Liss
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The metropolis of New Crobuzon sprawls at the center of the world. Humans and mutants and arcane races brood in the gloom beneath its chimneys, where the river is sluggish with unnatural effluent and foundries pound into the night. For a thousand years, the Parliament and its brutal militias have ruled over a vast economy of workers and artists, spies and soldiers, magicians, crooks, and junkies. Now a stranger has arrived, with a pocketful of gold and an impossible demand. And something unthinkable is released.
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Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues - a bee, a key, and a sword.
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What listeners say about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gwendolyn
- 09-03-11
intelligently written, but poorly told
It's fortunate (for the buyer, I guess) that Audible keeps all purchases in your library. Because sometimes a book will not appeal that at another time might. This should have been one of those. When I first bought this book, I just could not get into it. It wasn't the language (which sets this book out of mental reach of your teeny-bopper fantasy fan in spite of her foray into the world of faeries and fey), neither was it the premise (which took on more than should be expected to deliver). The characters were not well-enough developed for this to be a "character study" type of novel. The plot wasn't well-enough addressed to be a "storytelling escape" either. I guess my problem with this book was the author's purpose for writing it. I never cared enough to figure it out. So I set it aside and did not finish it. About a year later, faced with a long air trip and nothing to occupy me, I gave this book a fresh listen. This time I did get all the way through it. And I'm left with the same impression. I very much appreciate the intelligence with which Susanna Clarke writes. She has an eloquence in her style and use of language. But I still miss why I should care about any of the characters or the story itself.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Ruth
- 07-31-05
Like watching a great movie with the picture off.
I cannot overemphasize the hardcore awesomeness of this book or of this reading. I don't tend to have a lot of patience with epics-on-tape--I get distracted pretty easily--but I don't think I turned off my ipod for more than half an hour at a time during the 30 hours of this story. (Except to sleep. and sometimes not even then.) Simon Prebble's reading is incredibly nuanced and lovely: he handles the impossibly large cast of characters with wonderful aplomb and distinction. His style is perfectly suited to Clarke's intricate, dry prose, and his engagement with the story ensures that it never seems dull or episodic. The book tends to provoke really extreme reactions; its scope is so vast that I'm actually kind of shocked that I didn't lose interest myself. But I found it absolutely thrilling and, well, enchanting: dark and funny by turns, magnificently visual, perfectly characterized, etc etc. A review I read said that this is "the kind of book to be lived in for weeks," and the audiobook is the same. I have to go creepily stalk the rest of Prebble's discography--he's just that good.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Glenn
- 12-16-05
Epic
In this book, Susanna Clarke brings a fresh, inventive twist to storytelling that I found most enjoyable. Throughout the book, she succeeds in combining factual events and historical characters with the mystical, nether-realm of magic. It is a style very much like Dickens. In fact, I felt as though I were listening to a work of Dickens throughout.
Simon Prebble does a wonderful job with the narration, creating distinct characters and setting the dark mood of the work successfully at every turn.
As enjoyable as this book is, it is not for the undisciplined listener. It is long and demands attentiveness.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- S. Michael
- 01-03-08
Slow going, but worth the end
Sadly, this is indeed the Charles Dickens of wizardry novels. I feel the story needed a heavy handed editor. I often found myself wishing I could have spent more time with some of the minor characters then hours wasted on sleepy, lengthy details on interior decor, for example. Some chapters just seemed to be pointless filler, like the Spanish war chapters. It's almost like the author has 5 or 6 dissimilar novels in her, and stuffed it into one instead.
I loved how the end finally formed out, loved how the characters stay true to their imperfect natures in the end. I just wish we could have traveled there a little faster.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Mary
- 01-09-09
Great Book
One of the best books I have listened to/read in a long time. Winds magic around England in the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Laugh-out-loud funny, but also creepy/scary. Always credible. Wonderful language. Changed my views on magic.
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- Mockingbird
- 02-06-05
Extraordinary Achievement
I listened to this book spellbound over the course of about three weeks. It was wonderful. The book is well written and the narration is excellent. I would highly recommend it.
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- Rosa F
- 03-18-13
Well read, but story doesn't lend itself to audio
This book is well performed, and overall, I found the book interesting; however, I don't know that the story really lends itself to an audio performance. I found myself wanting to pick up the book myself, and to actually read it (there's interesting tidbits that you almost want to re-read a page or two back and/or flip back through as you encounter more information).
All in all, it was time well spent, and it kept me interested, but perhaps for this book, and for my personality, I needed to actually hold it and read it to enjoy it.
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- Bruce Wayne
- 01-29-18
Pleas write another Mrs. Clark
Not your usual fast-paced book but the last three hours make it all worth it. If I could compare this book to a delectable dish I would say that it is cooked to perfection and like all things cooked or baked in a delicious manner, The preparation and the execution of the chef must be waited for, and not rushed as if you were going through a drive-through at your local McDonald’s.
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- Virginia
- 04-20-05
fantastic!
i am almost finished listening to this wonder. i have cried and laughed out loud. it is clever, witty, and thoroughly entertaining. simon prebble is the best narrator. he is consistent, easy to understand, and uses voices that compliment the characters. i love it!
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- Louise
- 10-21-12
Magic, Wit, and Drama in Regency England
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, it's captivating, emotionally resonant, and, best of all, long. The mass-appeal of the well-crafted magical world and many fun tangents are sure to catch even a listener without a liking for a Regency setting.
What other book might you compare Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell to and why?
Persuasion, Vanity Fair, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre for its period setting, class conflict, and all its isolated country houses in Yorkshire. The Golden Compass & sequels for the depth and quality of its magic and social commentary.
What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?
He did a great job with characters' voices and transitioning to and from the many footnotes in the story.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Maybe not one sitting, but I had trouble turning it off! I work with horses and I listen to books while I turn out, muck out stalls, clean tack, etc., and I often found myself sitting in the barn an extra 10 or 15 minutes with nothing left to do. It would be suitable for a long drive.
Any additional comments?
If the length isn't a plus for you know that the pacing is just right. Each strand of the story comes together at the right time to prevent annoying lingering questions and Clark leaves enough time between parts dealing with different major characters to keep the audience interested in each.
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