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Loading... The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Storiesby Susanna Clarke
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Gaslamp Fantasy (6) » 18 more Faerie Mythology (13) Contemporary Fiction (26) Books Read in 2016 (1,823) Authors from England (40) Read in 2021 (2) Books Read in 2022 (2,635) Books Read in 2014 (1,811) Books Read in 2009 (141) Magic Realism (354) Unread books (740) No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() ![]() 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.
In the end, Ladies of Grace weaves a similar magic as Jonathan Strange, but perhaps the book is not magical enough. the stories in The Ladies of Grace Adieu are consistently subtle and enchanting, and as charismatic as any reader could wish, but, while the collection has the panache of [Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell], it lacks its glorious self-possession. The stories feel a little adrift, a little raw, occasionally too neat; they're not the natural heirs to the magnum opus. But then, how could they be, and why should they be? A short fiction collection is a different beast to a novel, and is bound to work on its readers in entirely different ways. They are uniformly clever and meticulously composed, knowledgeable of folk traditions while giving them a modern spin. Whether it takes 10 months or 10 years to produce her next full-length work, Susanna Clarke is a better writer than this showcase would have you believe. Devotees and completist fans of Strange and Norrell will want to get their hands on this book, but the rest will probably want to wait. "Mr. Simonelli or the Fairy Widower" is the most authentically creepy story here. A tale of a fairy who kidnaps young women and consigns them to the direst conditions imaginable, it wanders into Stephen King territory, though without the overt gore. "John Uskglass and the Cambrian Charcoal Burner" is a perfectly constructed fable with a witty, judicious outcome. ContainsIs a (non-series) sequel toAwardsDistinctions
Fiction.
Short Stories.
HTML: Following the enormous success of 2004 bestseller and critics' favorite Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke delivers a delicious collection of ten stories set in the same fairy-crossed world of 19th-century England. With Clarke's characteristic historical detail and diction, these dark, enchanting tales unfold in a slightly distorted version of our own world, where people are bedeviled by mischievous interventions from the fairies. With appearances from beloved characters from her novel, including Jonathan Strange and Childermass, and an entirely new spin on certain historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, this is a must-have for fans of Susanna Clarke and an enticing introduction to her work for new listeners. .No library descriptions found. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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