good, but I think I've had my fill of fairies now. ( )

Disclosure: I adore Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell so much I bought a hardcover and have read it three times, and will no doubt read it again. I also loved her sleek, atmospheric Piranesi. So I was pleasantly surprised when one of my local libraries (the only one in a very large suburban system) had a copy of Ladies on the shelf. I will confess that had I begun with this, I might not have pursued Clarke's work in any hurry, though I would have gotten to it eventually.

I see this collection as an interesting look into Clarke's voice, her imaginative wit, her writing gifts and fascinations that exploded into the marvel that is JS&MN. The stories feel like test runs, explorations, and sometimes an almost offhand "hmm, here's a thought - let's see where this might have come from... or where this might go." Tom Brightwind clearly is of the same ilk as the fabulous Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair. Clarke also uses her opportunity to present "ladies" in a way JS&MN didn't fully afford - I especially liked the title story of three quietly sly and independent ladies with a certain affinity with owls. Clarke turns needlework and embroidery - those traditional pursuits to which ladies of her favored era were often doomed - into clever and mordantly funny exercises in power. And she has fun with wrangling or upending classic fairy-tale tropes like Rumpelstiltskin or the "poor fool" who outwits a mighty king into tales that are at least entertaining if not completely original.

If you're already a fan, this collection is fun and enjoyable. If not, this may not change your mind. But try JS&MN anyway because that is her "mistress-work." ( )

Short stories, mostly set in the same world as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, published in various anthologies. Even the one set in a different universe is in the same vein, which is an England of several centuries past, where the land of Faerie strongly impinges on the lives of various people. A few stories play with extended footnotes, as in the novel, but most do not. I enjoyed the writing and wry wit, but they all are pretty much of the same cloth: enter the land of Faerie at your own risk. These work better read over a long period of time, I think. None have the depth of characterization or darkness that the novel often achieved.

Recommended, especially for fans of the novel and those considering reading it. If you hated the novel, you will almost certainly hate this collection. ( )

Didn't finish. Barely started. I can't stand the writing, this pseudo-medieval boring and longwinded storytelling where there is little story, no movement, not anything fun. ( )

This was a bit of a let down after "Jonathan Strange", which is phenomenal. It's alright light reading though. ( )