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After years of hearing rave reviews about it, I finally read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
I liked the first two-thirds of it and loved the last third. There was something about the relationship of grumpy, selfish Mr. Norrell and adventurous, passionate Jonathan Strange that I found endearing. Two very different people who could -- and did, at one point -- hate each other are yet brought together by their common love of practical magic. I was grinning like an idiot when Norrell first met Strange, that Finally! Someone gets me! moment that doesn't take away either of their flaws, but someone made them irrelevant.
That said, my favorite character has got to be John Childermass. I've taken a liking to him even before he started playing a larger role in the overall story arc. I heard Susanna Clarke is writing a sequel of all the secondary characters? I'd love to get my hands on one to know what Childermass and his tarot deck are up to.
I like Stephen and the Gentleman with the Thistle-Down Hair too. Stephen's guarded relationship with the Gentleman and the Gentleman's almost childlike dedication to his future king are somehow... sweet. I know it's a totally unexpected word to describe all the darkness, and I'd hate to be trapped in the dystopia of Lost-Hope. But on storybook pages, that whole portion of the plot fascinated me.
Plot-wise, I'm most impressed with the ending. It's exciting and climactic but doesn't have that Deus ex machina feel to it. That most of the resolutions were done in ignorance (except for Childermass' part. Witness my love for him.) makes it real to me, or at least as real as a tale about magical England can be. (Yes, there's a part of me that's convinced of the existence of magic in England during the days of the Raven King. *g*)
The verdict? Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who thinks s/he might enjoy a "historical" novel with fantasy elements to it. It's been a couple of weeks since I finished the book, and I still find myself pondering on parts of it. Signs of a good book, these are.
I liked the first two-thirds of it and loved the last third. There was something about the relationship of grumpy, selfish Mr. Norrell and adventurous, passionate Jonathan Strange that I found endearing. Two very different people who could -- and did, at one point -- hate each other are yet brought together by their common love of practical magic. I was grinning like an idiot when Norrell first met Strange, that Finally! Someone gets me! moment that doesn't take away either of their flaws, but someone made them irrelevant.
That said, my favorite character has got to be John Childermass. I've taken a liking to him even before he started playing a larger role in the overall story arc. I heard Susanna Clarke is writing a sequel of all the secondary characters? I'd love to get my hands on one to know what Childermass and his tarot deck are up to.
I like Stephen and the Gentleman with the Thistle-Down Hair too. Stephen's guarded relationship with the Gentleman and the Gentleman's almost childlike dedication to his future king are somehow... sweet. I know it's a totally unexpected word to describe all the darkness, and I'd hate to be trapped in the dystopia of Lost-Hope. But on storybook pages, that whole portion of the plot fascinated me.
Plot-wise, I'm most impressed with the ending. It's exciting and climactic but doesn't have that Deus ex machina feel to it. That most of the resolutions were done in ignorance (except for Childermass' part. Witness my love for him.) makes it real to me, or at least as real as a tale about magical England can be. (Yes, there's a part of me that's convinced of the existence of magic in England during the days of the Raven King. *g*)
The verdict? Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who thinks s/he might enjoy a "historical" novel with fantasy elements to it. It's been a couple of weeks since I finished the book, and I still find myself pondering on parts of it. Signs of a good book, these are.