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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.