Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

By: Susanna Clarke

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 32 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at their beck and call; they could command winds, mountains, and woods. But by the early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic. They can only write long, dull papers about it, while fairy servants are nothing but a fading memory.

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.

©2004 Susanna Clarke (P)2004 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC, and Bloomsbury Publishing

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)

Wonderful!

Everything about this book was wonderful. The narrator was amazing. Enjoyed the story. A great listen.

Narrator's tone is supercilious throughout

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd almost recommend it. There's something delightful about the alternate magical past of the story.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Know that there's lots of talk and very little action, including magic.

What does Simon Prebble bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator seems right for the story. However, the unrelenting ironic tone used throughout the narration gets a little old.

Beautifully Written

Was Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell worth the listening time?

I thought it was a beautifully written book and I thought the narrator did a good job. I liked the footnotes and found them interesting. But, the story was way too long and kind of boring. I think it would have been a better book if it were shorter and tighter...if that makes sense.

So good!

Great story and narration. I was sad it ended. And looking back, I wanted the Raven King to have been real.

Strangely enthralling

the last 4 hours are worth the whole listen. The book sounded as if it were written by a contemporary of dickens. It sweeps you away into the world of Magical Gentlemen.

good story

It was difficult to keep up with the multitude of characters and could have been shorter.

Perfect

Narration is superb
as a book nerd I love all the footnotes and references to fictional books
Such a great book!

Excellent

If you liked the BBC mini series, you will love the audio book. It is the book in its entirety, with all the footnotes containing back stories they couldn't have possibly covered in the tv series. Highly recommended.

Incredibly Creative

One of the most imaginative novels I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Not only was it grasping, but it was also artfully written. I will certainly listen to her next book.

As Timeless as it is Magical

An amazing book from cover to cover. Yes you will have to deal with a little world building, around 9 hours, but it is worth it. The story in its totality is something to behold.