I've been reading that book for a while. It's a good book, but it's tedious, and there's very little to keep me engaged after I finish a chapter. I have cheated on this book with no less than five other books.
(Note: I didn't actually read your review yet, as I like to finish a book before hearing what other people have to say. I guess this will be my motivation for finishing the book.)
Okay, so now that I finally finished the book, I can talk about it.
You know all those books that aren't very good, but you still keep reading because you really want to know what happens next? This book was the exact opposite for me.
I did like this book a lot. But I didn't think it was a fast read by any means. Some chapters were fun (I was particularly fond of the Stephen Black chapters), but others were really tedious (mostly those relating to war).
The characters were interesting. Stephen Black was very likeable, Childermass and Vinculus were clever and kind of hilarious, the man with the thistle-down hair was eccentric and fun, Mr. Honeyfoot and Mr. Segundus were the kind of characters you just want to hug, and even the asshole characters (Norrell, Drawlight, Lascelles) had a sort of "you love to hate them" appeal.
Style-wise, I think Jane Austen is the best comparison. I really liked how witty the writing was.
One of my very favorite books ever. Susanna Clarke hasn't written any other novels (yet, but I am willing to wait) but she does have a lovely book of short stories called "The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories"
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(Note: I didn't actually read your review yet, as I like to finish a book before hearing what other people have to say. I guess this will be my motivation for finishing the book.)
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You know all those books that aren't very good, but you still keep reading because you really want to know what happens next? This book was the exact opposite for me.
I did like this book a lot. But I didn't think it was a fast read by any means. Some chapters were fun (I was particularly fond of the Stephen Black chapters), but others were really tedious (mostly those relating to war).
The characters were interesting. Stephen Black was very likeable, Childermass and Vinculus were clever and kind of hilarious, the man with the thistle-down hair was eccentric and fun, Mr. Honeyfoot and Mr. Segundus were the kind of characters you just want to hug, and even the asshole characters (Norrell, Drawlight, Lascelles) had a sort of "you love to hate them" appeal.
Style-wise, I think Jane Austen is the best comparison. I really liked how witty the writing was.
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