Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

By: Susanna Clarke

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

From New York Times bestselling author Susanna Clark, the audiobook of the Hugo-winning, epic Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the basis for the BBC miniseries.

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England-until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.

Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

A delightful and unique book

What did you love best about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell?

I am not a professional reviewer. I'm a writer. Beyond that, I appreciate works for what they are and what they're trying to be. If I review a book, I will probably give it a five-star review. This is because the books that I don’t enjoy enough to give five stars--or the books that I don’t finish--I won’t end up reviewing, simply out of professional courtesy to my colleagues in the business. Elitist Book Reviews will give more balanced reviews, whereas my reviews are not intended to be balanced. They are intended to talk about the book, what I like about it, and maybe some of the things that annoyed me. But at the end of the day, if I finished the book, then it deserves a good rating in my opinion.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell – I found this book delightful even though I didn’t really expect to. In fact, during the first third of the book, I was convinced that I was going to end up putting it down. It was just too slow, though the slowness wasn’t really as big an issue as it sounds because Susanna Clarke’s prose is wonderful.

It feels like the best mix of regency and modern with a slight sarcasm to it and a very keen sense of ambiance and world-building. The footnotes are great, and the whole thing just works together masterfully prose-wise, but the character--particularly Mr. Norrell at the beginning--was just so unengaging that despite the nice prose and world-building, I was having trouble getting through the book.

The fact that it was an audio book--and that the narrator is so fantastic--really pushed me through this. Once I arrived at Jonathan Strange's viewpoint, I found him more dynamic and more interesting. Though the pacing of the book only increased a little bit, the natural wonder and whimsy of the language was able to take center stage, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book.

By the ending, I was happy I had finished listening to the novel. I think it is somewhat unique as a piece, and is a wonderful read, particularly in audio book. The ending left me a little disappointed, but this is really relating to characterization, and I don’t want give any spoilers. The characters are very well-drawn; they're just not always the people that I wish they could be.

I make a special note of the side characters. To a person I found them very interesting and a highlight of the book. I thought that Childermass was particularly a fun, complicated, and interesting character. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I do have to reiterate what a lot of people said. It is slow. It is a book about the language and the setting, not a book about character and thought.

everything missing in modern fiction

Adventure, magic, occultism, war, fairies, history and all done wihtout treating me like a moron like so many of the suddenly popular "adventure mystery" art history stories. This is a great story period. I'm hardly ever this happy about a purchase- color me a tough customer.This was so great I just bought the hardcover. But now what?!

Wonderful

This book is a delight. It's a wonderful combination of wit, sentiment, fantasy, and a reference back to the great literature of the past. A truly adult fantasy where "adult" means literary merit and intelligence, not sexuality. I read it some years ago and liked it but decided to listen to it again. I found the listening experience even better than reading it. A great narrator and a fine, fine book. I also recommend Clarke's "The Ladies of Grace Adieu", set in the same world as "Strange and Norell". I just wish she'd write another book soon, I can't wait.

Excellent novel with a complex plot

What made the experience of listening to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell the most enjoyable?

The narrator was very good and treated characters with deft subtlety. It's a long book with a slow start - I'd never have made it through if I weren't listening to it - but exceedingly well-crafted. Once I got into the meat of the story, I found myself sitting in the driveway after I'd gotten home listening, staying up late with my headphones on, and finding excuses to ditch things so I could keep listening.

I have to say

Clarke's book is epic in its scope. I greatly enjoyed listening to this novel. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because it is really about 3 different smaller books. That Clarke combined them is great for an audible.com user (30+ hours for one credit) but in the last 10 hours you are caught trying to remember all of the backstory.