None
3 stars
skönt brittiskt språk
lätt osammanhängande
Paperback, 695 pages
Published Oct. 31, 2006
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
2 stars
(4 reviews)
Published in 2004, it is an alternative history set in 19th-century England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Its premise is that magic once existed in England and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange. Centred on the relationship between these two men, the novel investigates the nature of "Englishness" and the boundaries between reason and unreason, Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Dane, and Northern and Southern English cultural tropes/stereotypes. It has been described as a fantasy novel, an alternative history, and a historical novel. It inverts the Industrial Revolution conception of the North-South divide in England: in this book the North is romantic and magical, rather than rational and concrete.
Review of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Boxed Three Volume Collector's Edition" on 'Goodreads'
Very enjoyable. This book moves at a slow pace, with a very long build. This allows the characters to be full bodied, and allows the world to be believable.
TheEggGo reviewed Jonathan Strange ve Bay Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Review of 'Jonathan Strange ve Bay Norrell' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Unbearable, boring, pretentious. When I have to force myself to read even a few pages from a book, it means I'm not enjoying it at all. That has been happening for the last months with this unswallowable brick.
The thing I regret the most, is having left aside so many other books I wanted to read, because I'm used to read only one book at a time.
I guess I'll just watch the TV series, just out of curiosity. I hope it's more enjoyable than this book.
Review of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Boxed Three Volume Collector's Edition" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
After months on the waiting list, the SFPL has loaned me a copy of this.
Extraordinary. A description of the re-discovery of practical English Magic that took place in the Napoleonic era. Full of historical and bibliographic detail. Witty. Funny. Striking.