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Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Author: Susanna Clarke
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...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781582346038
ISBN-10: 1582346038
Publication Date: 8/30/2005
Pages: 846
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 201

3.7 stars, based on 201 ratings
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 6
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

ElizabethG avatar reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 15
There are people here who really loved this book and people who loathe it. I really liked it.

Initially it took some getting used to, like the way your ear adjusts to opera or another language, Clarke's rich narrative was very soothing for me and I loved escaping in it into her story. It started a little slowly, but the promise of "Jane Austen meets Harry Potter" was too much for me to resist. I found it more "Jane Austen attempts to one-up Tolkien with mixed results" but as I said, I am firmly in the "loved it" camp.

One of the themes I especially liked was Mr. Norrell's hoarding of magic books, particularly in times where corporate censorship can stifle political thought and many countries still do not enjoy freedom of speech or the press.

My favorite thing about this book was what a dreamy hero Jonathan Strange is. Though three dimensional, and with a few weaknesses, Clarke writes him deliciously and I couldn't have been happier with him as a protagonist.

Arabella, Lady Pole, Stephen Black, The gentleman with thistle down hair, Childremass, even Viniculus and Segundus are all vibrant supporting characters that make the story engaging and real.

Some of the best parts of the book only related tangentially to the plot, which is quite well developed. You will find emotional and suspenseful moments when you least suspect them.

I leave you with this quotation from the book:

"Can a magician kill a man by magic?" Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. "I suppose a magician might," he admitted, "but a gentleman never could."
althea avatar reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 774 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
This early-19th-century alternate history follows the characters of the title - Mr. Norrell, a magician who is obsessed with the idea of returning England to its prior state of magical glory - but who guards his secrets jealously - and Jonathan Strange, a gentlemanly dilettante who unexpectedly finds his calling in magic as well.

Written in an intentionally pseudo-Victorian style, this long book (almost 800 pages) is not the sort of tale that one falls into and forgets the world until it is over. Frequently annotated by footnotes, the meandering story *feels* long (it took me 6 days to read! Unheard of!) - but it is also a literary pleasure to read, full of quirky "facts" and fables.

The positive reviews of this book are not wrong - this is a good book, and a remarkable first novel. but I am utterly mystified as to why anyone would compare it to Tolkien (as many press reviews have) or with Harry Potter.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on
Helpful Score: 9
This is a behemoth of a book that won't be for everyone. It is not to be entered into lightly, so capable is it of simply draining away an entire day before you realise it's too late. Sometimes moving, sometimes frightening, and often slyly informative, this book is chock full of sneaky, subtle humour that leaves one with a general feeling of reading while sitting in the sunlight . . . whatever the weather may be where you are. I've read this book three times in less than a year. It's THAT good. The antiquated prose may turn some people off, but for those who are willing to give it a chance, this is a staggering literary feat that should not be missed by anyone with even the slightest bit of whimsy left in them.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 53 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
As hard as I tried, after plowing through the first 350 of its 800 plus pages, I had to give up. If you like the style of Dickens, you may enjoy this. Just not my cup of tea.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I've read all the wonderful reviews but I had an awful time getting through this one. I had to stop twice and read other books. Much too long and slow for me.
Read All 90 Book Reviews of "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell"

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reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on
I was not a fan of the writing style. It frustrated me enough that I did not go beyond the 4th chapter.
trevor avatar reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 38 more book reviews
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel starts slow and has a style that takes you back to a more civilized, "gentlemanly" time. It could put some people to sleep, but the subject matter is interesting and the alternate world-building going on here is some of the best around. I found myself totally buying in to Clarke's mythology and I loved the story. Bits and pieces still come back to me today and it's been a couple of years since I read it. Highly recommended.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 40 more book reviews
A strange and excellent book that will be made all the more delightful should the reader possess a passing or greater acquaintance with 18th and 19th century British history.
barbsis avatar reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 1076 more book reviews
This morning I started listening to the audiobook of this story. OMG is it boring! I made it to chapter six, around page 65 before totally giving up on it. I don't think I've ever "read" anything so dry and tedious. I absolutely hated Mr. Norrell. He is so contrary and rude to everyone. Since no one is as good a magician as he is, they aren't even worth talking to. Amazingly enough, all the "magicians" in London, are theoretical magicians who can't do a lick of magic and feel that practical magic users are charlatans. If that is the case, why in the world are they studying magic as if it is a religion.

I wonder if this didn't take place in the 1800s, if it wouldn't have been so dry. Brits from that time period were so stuffy and full of themselves that a story about them was bound to be boring as hell. There is absolutely no way I'm going to read 782 pages (or 26 CDs) of this. I'd end up driving my car off the road because I was bored to death. UGH!
reecola avatar reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 4 more book reviews
I couldn't get past the beginning. I tried - I truly did but the beginning is so painfully slow that I finally just gave up and it's sat on my shelf since. =/ Just not a book for everyone.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on
This book.... ah, what to say. The author is trying far too hard. She is not a Victorian author, and there was no reason to write her book this way. I was told to read this book because "it starts slow, but it gets good". I was halfway through the book before I finally gave up. The characters are not engaging, not developed well, and the author leaves her original storyline through tangents several chapters long.

Her "fanciful" use of footnotes that span several pages; outmoded spelling such as "shew" for show and "chuse" for choose; and general writing style may seem charming to some, but was very annoying and false to me. I know Susanna Clarke is a modern author- why the pretense to write in a style that is not truly hers? Why must she attempt to use spelling that is not accepted today? This whole book had very little magic description and far too many different undeveloped story-lines going on for me to enjoy it.

Bottom line- This book is NOT Harry Potter, for adults or otherwise. This book is most definitely NOT Tolkien, who created well-developed and believable fantasy WORLDS, not just undeveloped characters who occasionally do magic. Read this book if you like meandering, pseudo-Victorian prose with a small sprinkling of magic. DO NOT read this book if you prefer books about magical worlds that immerse you from the beginning and leave you wanting more at the end, because you will be sadly disappointed.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on
If I could give this book no stars I would. This book drags you into a long, convoluted story where most characters are incidental and go nowhere, often disappearing for the bulk of the book only to come back in the end to be vital. You're left with a "what the heck" feeling with the completely unsatisfying and silly ending, which leaves you wondering if Ms. Clarke just decided one day to stop writing and send the book to her publisher anyway. Absolutely horrible book.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 27 more book reviews
I love Charles Dickens, and I love the fantasy genre. This book combined those two loves beautifully - a story about two magicians in England during the 1800s, written in a very Dickens-esque style. I really enjoyed it - The writing is really excellent.
reviewed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on + 636 more book reviews
This book was quite long - and it certainly had some slow moving parts (particularly in the beginning!). In fact, there were times that I regretted picking it up in the first place, but, I must admit, as the story drew on (and on!) it really improved. And the ending more than made up for the duller sections.
My main complaint though was that the book was broken up into rather anecdotal chapters, which stole some of the cohesiveness of the book as a whole. That being said, there were definitely sections that I really liked - such as King George's and Lord Byron's "guest appearances." There were some unanswered questions, of course, but it was very fascinating premise and the amount of details alone were impressive. It certainly had a real epic quality.

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