Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a gothic, supernatural social commentary about two magicians that takes place in the early 19th century. It was written by British writer Susanna Clarke and the 800 page novel took ten years to write while the author was editing cookbooks for Simon and Schuster. The novel received outstanding notices winning many awards like the Hugo and World Fantasy awards and was the Time Magazine #1 Book of the Year. It was also made into a BBC America seven part television series. The novel is divided into three sections: the first two sections are named after the two main characters and the third chapter concentrates on the Raven King who was a human raised in the faerie realm and a powerful magician in his own right. The novel begins in the Napoleonic Wars when Mr. Norrell comes on to the scene. He is approached by the Learned Society of York Magicians to prove his powers which he does by making a statue in York Cathedral speak. He then graduates to a more challenging endeavor: bringing a young socialite back from the dead. He meets another young dashing magician Jonathan Strange who becomes his student and eventually his rival. The rest of the novel consists of their adventures and their encounters with a barrage of mythical creatures and characters.
The novel is extremely well written. The narrative follows the style of many 19th century writers such as Jane Austen and is a social commentary like many of her novels. This combined with the fantasy aspects make this novel truly unique. The 800 page novel will take some patience because it is slow moving and the action does not pick up until the last section of the book. The author’s writing style is very descriptive. She describes dark scenes vividly and graphically and comically describes her more humorous characters. The adventures that the two main characters experience range from battles with a Fairy King to defeating Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo. The author also places quite a bit of period detail into the novel and uses a large number of footnotes. A great deal of work and creativity has gone into the writing of this novel so I will give it four out of five stars despite the sluggish narrative.
Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it)
- Van, Reference Librarian
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GENRE: Books to TV; Historical Fantasy; Literary Fiction; Multiple Perspectives THEME: Faerie Realm (The land of the immortal fae, other and apart from the human world, is a setting in these tales, though the heroes might not cross over into it.); Return of Magic (Magic seeps back into the world, restoring lost power, making real what was legend.); Rivals PACE: Leisurely Paced WRITING STYLE: Descriptive; Richly Detailed; Stylistically Complex; Witty CHARACTER: Complex STORYLINE: Intricately Plotted TONE: Dramatic; Strong Sense of Place LOCATION: England TIME PERIOD: 19th Century; Georgian Era (1714-1837) SUBJECT: Aristocracy; Fairies; Magic; Magicians; Men Recluses; Napoleonic Wars; Political Science; Recluses; Teacher-Student Relationships
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