Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

By: Susanna Clarke

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 32 hrs and 30 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

"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)

Reality / alternate

When this book was the vogue I avoided it because I'm wary of fashionable books. Am I glad I decided to listen to it after all. This certainly is one of the best books I've read/listened to in a long time.

It is not fantasy in the narrow sense, despite magic being done. There is no action and adventure in here, despite wars going on. I found it gripping and enchanting - because the characters were so realistic and believable, complex and contradictory. No heroes and heroines, just people. Clarke's achievement is weaving a reality equal to our own that is utterly convincing.

Enjoyed it thoroughly

Would you listen to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell again? Why?

YES, I would listen to it again! I loved the language, the accents. The whole story was told in such earnestly that I wondered if the Raven king, fairies and other events mentioned were facts rather than a brilliant imagination.
The story was continuously developing, taking new plots and characters on the way.
I liked the idea that events that were caused by magic might seem fun and enjoyable at first (like the ball or Mr. Black's riches) but being enchanted, or rather being forced to do things against your will would turn sour pretty fast.

Which scene was your favorite?

The idea of walking through the mirrors as a way of transportation is brilliant!

A wonderful discovery

After listening to this novel and being spellbound by it, I moved on to other books I had waiting in my library but they left me strangely empty. So, having listened to 32 hours of Jonathan Strange, I listened to the whole thing again - and loved it even more! The subtlety, the wit, and above all, the sublime creativity are astonishing. Put the effort in, you will be rewarded a thousand fold. Susanna Clarke has created a brilliant piece of modern literature to rival Dickens; and Simon Prebble's narration is superb, adding layers and layers of additional subtlety for a truly engrossing experience. If you like your listening to transport you directly into the writer's brilliant mind, then this book is for you.

It's hard to think of a better book.

If you could sum up Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in three words, what would they be?

Wonderful, magical and strong

What was one of the most memorable moments of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell?

The Raven King, I think he is amazing!

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to a few and I have always enjoyed them, he does a really good job. It's a pleasure to listen to him speak.

If you could rename Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, what would you call it?

I don't think I could rename it, I think the name is perfect. I tried out a few i.e. The Raven King but it doesn't work so well.

Any additional comments?

This book is a slow burn, it is engrossing but as it gets closer to the end it gets more and more enthralling.
It's a long listen, but if you can stick with it, it is more rewarding than you can imagine.

must read for all magic fans

what is stopping you...go buy it and read it. one of the best gripping books I've read so far..

An awesome masterpiece

The only problem with this book is that it was much too short, even at 32 hours. It is an awesome achievement on the part of both author and narrator. I don't think I have ever experienced such a credible alternate world, full of totally believable characters involved in such a fascinating and gripping and wonderfully-woven story. This is compounded by Susanna Clarke's outstanding writing -- the quality of her English puts many other modern authors to shame.

There are few other works of modern literature you could compare it to -- Neil Gaiman's American Gods, perhaps, which it certainly equals and possibly exceeds, and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast saga. Comparisons with Harry Potter are unfair, however -- Susanna Clarke is as far in advance of J.K. Rowling as Dickens and Balzac are of Enid Blyton.

This first novel immediately puts Clarke in the same literary level as Dickens, Austen, the Bronte sisters and others. She is at least their equals and has other qualities, qualities of world-creation and vision, that they did not have.

Simon Prebble's narration is worthy of Clarke's wonderful book. Every character is perfectly deliniated, coming to life with the first couple of words they speak. It was a joy to listen to and contributed to the feeling that the book was much too short. I would have loved to have gone on living in this fascinating world.

Five stars is not enough for this book. I wish I could have awarded eight or ten. An instant masterpiece, a classic, a jewel.

Well worth the efford

It took me a few hours to get into this magnificent book, but it was well worth it. I "read" my audiobooks through my 2 hour comute to work, and while "reading" this book I found myself considering returning home to be able to do the drive one more time.

The whole concept of magic as a matter of fact is SO well done. The atmosphere of England (and Italy) in the olden days is authentic to a degree where you can smell the smells.

What a tale - and so well written...

DIDN'T FINISH IT AND NOT SURE WHY

I was enjoying the very excellent writing and the very unusual plot, also the characters who develop as the novel progresses but I got bored and eventually just moved onto something else. I cant say why I did that because all the things that attract me are there but somehow the whole was less than the sum of its parts. I think that if you like above average writing and plotting and characterization that you should listen to this book because it's all there and perhaps my disenchantment was just a disrelated mood.

Good all the way through

A refreshing, captivating and very well laced 19th century au fantasy wth an impeccable narration.
Not to mention very econonic, length-wise.

Pride and Prejudice meets Faerie

I was given this book on Audible as a gift under a different account name. With the new ability to be able to return a book, I was given the ability to move the book to my active account. I have listened to this book twice already and I will no doubt listen to it again soon. I really enjoyed the way the magic is dealt with in the story and the juxtaposition between Strange and Norrell was very well told. The way Faerie was interposed and described was delightful.