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Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2004)

by Susanna Clarke

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
23,81571198 (3.95)1 / 1077
In nineteenth-century England, all is going well for rich, reclusive Mr Norell, who has regained some of the power of England's magicians from the past, until a rival magician, Jonathan Strange, appears and becomes Mr Norrell's pupil.
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  1. 391
    The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke (billiecat, celtic)
  2. 341
    Stardust by Neil Gaiman (GreenVelvet, GreenVelvet, GreenVelvet)
    GreenVelvet: Both Stardust and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell are detailed, well-written and riveting explorations of the world of fairie.
  3. 230
    Little, Big by John Crowley (VisibleGhost)
  4. 221
    The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (-Eva-, BookshelfMonstrosity)
    BookshelfMonstrosity: Magical rivalries are at the heart of these unconventional Fantasy novels, which play out over decades and against elaborate, atmospheric 19th-century backdrops. Their initially relaxed pacing gains momentum as the various narrative threads dramatically converge.… (more)
  5. 212
    The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (derelicious, jonathankws)
  6. 182
    The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (billiecat)
    billiecat: Clarke's descriptions of Faerie share the dreamlike qualities of Dunsany's novel.
  7. 183
    The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (majkia)
    majkia: both books evoked the same sort of feeling for me.
  8. 216
    Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (saltmanz)
    saltmanz: Both extrememly atmospheric books, with vivid visuals and memorable characters.
  9. 161
    Lud-In-The-Mist by Hope Mirrlees (TheSpecialistsCat)
    TheSpecialistsCat: Both Clarke and Mirrlees lived briefly in Spain, then returned home to write about fairies and also, ostensibly, what it means to be English.
  10. 185
    His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (Rodo)
  11. 185
    The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (clif_hiker)
  12. 131
    Sorcery and Cecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede (fyrefly98)
    fyrefly98: Both have the same "Jane-Austen-meets-Harry-Potter" vibe to them; "Jonathan Strange" is denser and more grown-up, while "Sorcery & Cecelia" is funnier and more of a romp.
  13. 187
    The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (ErlendSkjelten)
    ErlendSkjelten: I don't remember making this recommendation, much less why I did; they are very different books. I think I felt that they both conjured up the same mystic mood, and they are both concerned with a very British magic.
  14. 100
    Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (jen.e.moore)
  15. 133
    To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (hiredman)
  16. 123
    The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton (flissp)
  17. 60
    Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis (Aerrin99)
    Aerrin99: Books which focus on a fascinating historical Britain, but with added fun like magicians and more.
  18. 126
    The Prestige by Christopher Priest (Patangel)
  19. 82
    Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner (spiphany)
  20. 60
    The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox (Anonymous user)

(see all 60 recommendations)

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English (685)  French (5)  Japanese (2)  Italian (2)  Swedish (2)  German (2)  Catalan (2)  Finnish (2)  All languages (702)
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Showing 1-5 of 685 (next | show all)
Just finished watching the series which is available on Netflix in my area and I enjoyed it greatly. Great acting, great story. Hope to read the book some day when the TV show fades a bit. I ended up turning on subtitles because I was struggling with the accents, mostly Mr. Norrell's voice. Subtitles helped tremendously.

I was melancholy the day I finished the series. I am sad I don't have it to look forward to anymore. I really enjoyed the story.



  Seayla2020 | Jan 1, 2021 |
I "read" the audio book, performed by Simon Prebble. I say "performed" and not "read" because it is truly an astounding performance. And it is likely his performance that makes me describe the pace of the book as a slow burn rather than simply slow, as others have done. I was completely taken in by this world and the characters he vividly brought to life. So much so that I will inevitably compare the TV miniseries to the audio book, and undoubtedly find the TV version comes up short. ( )
  tmdblya | Dec 29, 2020 |
Really 2.5 ( )
  Ranbato | Dec 17, 2020 |
Oh, how I wish I (or *someone*) could have edited this book! It has so much potential, and yet let me down completely. Clarke has some great ideas that just fall flat due to a lack of plot construction or suspense. The characters and setting are interesting enough, but we keep hearing the same things about the same characters over and over. We want more -- not necessarily action -- but progress. And also fewer footnotes, please. (And this is coming from a huge fan of David Foster Wallace, Pale King of the Footnotes.) ( )
  stephkaye | Dec 14, 2020 |
The most dense, convincing period piece from a period that didn't happen. So dense it was hard to crawl out of, but was worth every page. ( )
  jackcrawford | Dec 14, 2020 |
date ▼ | votes
Showing 1-5 of 685 (next | show all)
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▾Published reviews
Her deftly assumed faux-19th century point of view will beguile cynical adult readers into losing themselves in this entertaining and sophisticated fantasy.
added by DieFledermaus | editThe Seattle Times, Nisi Shawl (Sep 12, 2004)
 
Many charmed readers will feel, as I do, that Susanna Clarke has wasted neither her energies nor our many reading hours.
added by conceptDawg | editNew York Times, Gregory Maguire (Sep 5, 2004)
 
Susanna Clarke, who resides in Cambridge, England, has spent the past decade writing the 700-plus pages of this remarkable book. She's a great admirer of Charles Dickens and has produced a work every bit as enjoyable as The Pickwick Papers, with more than a touch of the early Anne Rice thrown in for good measure.
added by timspalding | editRocky Mountain News, Ed Halloran (Sep 3, 2004)
 
"Move over, little Harry. It’s time for some real magic."
added by timspalding | editChristian Science Monitor, Ron Charles (Aug 24, 2004)
 
A chimera of a novel that combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien.
added by Shortride | editTime, Lev Grossman (Aug 16, 2004)
 
▾Other authors

» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Susanna Clarke—primary authorall editionscalculated
Bützow, HeleneTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Merla, PaolaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Prebble, SimonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosenberg, PortiaIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Webb, WilliamCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships
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▾Common Knowledge
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Canonical title
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Original title
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Alternative titles
Original publication date
2004
People/Characters
Jonathan Strange
Gilbert Norrell
The Gentleman with Thistle-down Hair
Stephen Black
Lady Emma Pole (Wintertowne)
Important places
London, England, UK
York, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Faerie
France
Portugal
Important events
Peninsular War (1807|1814)
Napoleonic Wars (1803|1815)
Battle of Waterloo ( [1815])
Related movies
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2015 ∙ IMDb)
Awards and honors
World Fantasy Award (Novel, 2005)
Hugo (Novel, 2005)
British Fantasy Award Nominee (2005.1|August Derleth Fantasy Award, 2005)
British Science Fiction Association Award Shortlist (2004.1|Novel, 2004)
Nebula Nominee (2005.1|Novel, 2005)
Epigraph
He hardly ever spoke of magic, and when he did it was like a history lesson and no one could bear to listen to him.
Dedication
In memory of my brother, Paul Frederick Gunn Clarke, 1961-2000
First words
Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians.
Quotations
At sixteen she spoke -- not only French, Italian & German -- which are part of any lady's commonplace accomplishments -- but all the languages of the civilized (and uncivilized) world. She spoke the language of the Scottish Highlands (which is like singing). She spoke Basque, which is a language which rarely makes any impression upon the brains of any other race, so that a man may hear it as often and as long as he likes, but never afterwards be able to recall a single syllable of it. She even learnt the language of a strange country which, Signor Tosetti had been told, some people believed still existed, although no one in the world could say where it was. (The name of the country was Wales.)
It is also true that that his hair had a reddish tinge and, as everybody knows, no one with red hair can ever truly be said to be handsome.
"Soldiers, I am sorry to say, steal everything." He thought for a moment and then added, "Or at least ours do."
"Can a magician kill a man by magic?" Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. "I suppose a magician might," he admitted "but a gentleman never could."
It may be laid down as a general rule that if a man begins to sing, no one will take any notice of his song except his fellow human beings. This is true even if his song is surpassingly beautiful. Other men may be in raptures at his skill, but the rest of creation is, by and large, unmoved. Perhaps a cat or a dog may look at him; his horse, if it is an exceptionally intelligent beast, may pause in cropping the grass, but that is the extent of it. But when the fairy sang, the whole world listened to him. Stephen felt clouds pause in their passing; he felt sleeping hills shift and murmur; he felt cold mists dance. He understood for the first time that the world is not dumb at all, but merely waiting for someone to speak to it in a language it understands. In the fairy's song the earth recognized the names by which it called itself.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Nielsen Hayden, Patrick
Blurbers
Gaiman, Neil
Palliser, Charles
Original language
English
Canonical DDC/MDS
▾References

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Wikipedia in English (3)

▾Book descriptions
In nineteenth-century England, all is going well for rich, reclusive Mr Norell, who has regained some of the power of England's magicians from the past, until a rival magician, Jonathan Strange, appears and becomes Mr Norrell's pupil.
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Haiku summary
Two odd magicians
restore magic to England
and go kind of nuts.
(marcusbrutus)
Don't ever make a
deal with a faerie – it will
not end well for you.
(passion4reading)
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