I think many things about fairies and magic, but "tedious" generally isn't one of them

[qthewetsprocket]

I've been listening to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on audiobook for the past few weeks. I'm nearing the home stretch now - just past the bit where Strange sees Arabella you-know-where - and I am STILL waiting for something to friggin' HAPPEN

Comments

[travels_in_time]

I feel the same way; I got about 1/3 of the way through, and I can't tell you a single thing I read. Except that somebody was fighting somebody else, and there's a man with white thistledown hair. And half my flist was exploding with glee about it quite some time ago. I don't get it. It feels like there ought to be a story in there somewhere, but somebody put in all the setting and characters and then forgot to write a plot.

If you do get to the end and find that it's amazing and wonderful and makes the whole thing brilliant, let me know; otherwise I doubt I'll ever finish it.

[qthewetsprocket]

It feels like there ought to be a story in there somewhere, but somebody put in all the setting and characters and then forgot to write a plot.

Exactly this. Story nao pls? The only fun I've really been having is imagining David Tennant as Strange and Derek Jacobi as Norrell, but as with film and tv, even the best performers in the world can't save a story if there's no plot to hang their performance on.

Re: the ending - I'm sticking it out, but I'm not hopeful. There's so little room left; at this point I can't see ANY ending being good enough to compensate for how good the rest of the book wasn't (but fucking well should have been, for the amount of time it took out of my life).