The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

Hard to rate since I only gave [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357027589s/14201.jpg|3921305] 3 stars. Maybe my rating there should have been 3.5 stars instead. So that might make this collection of short stories 2.5 stars?

The title story was weak, and Clarke just didn't pull off the Regency-style writing in that piece like she did in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. The style was too affected. After the first couple, the stories do get better, so there are some good ones in here. I'd only liked about half of them, though. ( )

Short stories by the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. The first story, The Ladies of Grace Adieu references those gentlemen and Mr Strange makes an appearance. The story is strongly feminine and Mr Strange does not have a favorable appearance. The stories feature magic and faeries as well as alternate history. My favorite in the collection are Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby and John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner. I also liked Mrs Mabb. ( )

Despite the length of [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357027589s/14201.jpg|3921305], when I finished reading it this summer I wasn't done with the book by any means. I wanted to keep reading it, and so searched high and low for The Ladies of Grace Adieu, knowing it featured the same world and even some of the same characters. As keen as I was to read it, I was also terrified. I worried it would be a bad collection of short stories that would spoil all of JS&MN for me. Sometimes writers hold onto characters or ideas longer than they should and the effect as bad. Oftentimes we readers crave more of a story or a character but are actually fortunate that the writer deprives us of more, when more could spoil it. Think of all the TV series that go on for longer than they should and taint the whole thing, becoming the opposite of all the things you loved about it in the first place. I was afraid that would be the case with this book.

As you can tell by the rating, it wasn't. It makes sense that it wasn't. Clarke wrote JS&MN in many different parts, an episode here and an episode there which she stitched together after to form the novel. Some of the episodes became footnotes, while others couldn't find a place in the novel and ended up here.

I loved that we finally had more female characters leading the stories, as they were lacking in JS&MN and Clarke seemed very aware of that. I love her deep understanding of Regency and Victorian writing styles (and earlier—"On Lickerish Hill" is a perfect send-up of certain 17th century authors), and all the echoes of Austen in "Mr Simonelli" were hysterical to me. I need more Susanna Clarke in my life. ( )

Susannah Clarke's epic Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was a favorite in 2004, when I eagerly awaited more. Finally, I have my wish with this charming collection . Not all of the stories are set in the same universe as Jonathan Strange, but the authorial tone I enjoyed so much is back, as are a sprinkling of those delicious footnotes. Clarke has the amazing ability to make a story that you're reading for the first time seem like something you've always known, as if you had it told to you when you were very small and forgot all about it until now. ( )

Susanna Clarke’s much lauded magnum opus Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is one of my favorite speculative books. So I didn’t hesitate to order The Ladies Of Grace Adieu And Other Stories after reading an excellent review on the Calmgrove blog.

It features 8 stories, plus a fictional introduction by “Professor James Sutherland, Director of Sidhe Studies, University of Aberdeen”. That introduction is only 3 pages and set my expectations even higher, as Clarke’s familiar ‘English’ narrative voice shone through instantly, promising more of the treat Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was. All the stories in this 235-page collection deal with Faerie in one way or the other, and were illustrated by WFA winning artist Charles Vess. A few are also explicitly linked with J.S. & Mr. N.

The stories are about 10 to 50 pages long, and nearly all predate Clarke’s big tome by a few years. All but one were published before. Here’s a list of the titles: The Ladies Of Grace Adieu (1996), On Lickerish Hill (1997), Mrs Mabb (1998), The Duke Of Wellington Misplaces His Horse (1999), Mr Simonelli Or The Fairy Widower (2000), Tom Brightwind Or How The Fairy Bridge Was Built At Thoresby (2001), Antickes And Frets (2004) and John Uskglass And The Cumbian Charcoal Burner (new).

Let’s cut to the chase: (...)

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