The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

By: Susanna Clarke

Narrated by: Davina Porter, Simon Prebble

Following the enormous success of 2004 bestseller and critics' favorite Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke delivers a delicious collection of ten stories set in the same fairy-crossed world of 19th-century England. With Clarke's characteristic historical detail and diction, these dark, enchanting tales unfold in a slightly distorted version of our own world, where people are bedeviled by mischievous interventions from the fairies. With appearances from beloved characters from her novel, including Jonathan Strange and Childermass, and an entirely new spin on certain historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, this is a must-have for fans of Susanna Clarke and an enticing introduction to her work for new listeners.

Critic reviews

“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 on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“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 on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“There's no better way to experience the material than to hear it performed by such a consummate actor.” —Publishers Weekly on Simon Prebble's narration

Lovely stories; minor issues with audio file

I read this book way back in 2007 shorty after it was first published, and I've been meaning to reread it for years but hadn't gotten around to it. For some reason on a whim I decided to grab the audio version a few days ago, and I'm so glad I did! Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is one of my all-time favorites, and not only do I love being drawn back into that world, but the narrators are fantastic as well (Simon Prebble narrated the original novel, which I've enjoyed listening to more than once).

Minor gripe, I don't believe it's been mentioned, but there's an issue with the chapter break between "Mr Simonelli" and "Tom Brightwind." Despite the fact that the audio continues correctly with the story of Mr Simonelli, the chapter switches to "Tom Brightwind" a full 37 pages early! This is fine if you are listening through consecutively, but will be an issue if you want to go directly to "Tom Brightwind" as you'll end up listening to a good chunk of the previous story (Simonelli) before "Tom Brightwind" begins.

Forgettable stories with forgettable characters.

It was difficult to develop any real connection with the characters. The delivery was so flat and wooden.

Fairy Tales...not much more

For those hoping for a continuation (or even just an expansion) of the Strange and Norell arc, you will be sorely disappointed. This felt like a collection of extended footnotes from the book itself. Not a bad read, by any means...but very different than her magnum opus.

Charming, Magical, Literate

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's novel "Jonathan Strange." These stories have many of the same charming features, but with more of an emphasis on women's magic, and Jonathan Strange meets his match at one point. There's nothing quite like this author's style and imagination; it is unique.

five stars to the readers

Not much story in these stories (one of them was quite good). The author does what she is genuinely good at which is dialogue from the Regency era and the readers did an awesome job with the material . I'm glad I listened to it inaudible format. I would not have finished it if it were printed.