Review: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It's really hard for me to pull together my opinion of this one, because I loved it and hated it as I was reading. For me, it was a strange combination of savoring the language and style, and simultaneously being bored with the plot and impatient to get through it.

The style, especially at the beginning, is very Dickensian. The tone, the slow-building plot with seemingly unrelated characters, wondering how they're going to end up being integral to the tapestry being woven, all make for a warm, nostalgic feeling without any regard for the actual story. For the first 200 pages, that was enough to keep me going, even though I repeatedly found myself wishing for new characters and threads to be introduced. Unfortunately, the plot never really did get more intricate; it just kept moving along slowly on one or two tracks, and my primary feeling while reading the first 600 pages was impatience. The next 100 pages began to pick up, and I became hopeful. Then the last 100 pages – finally! – gave me what I was after, and allowed me to rate this book with 4 stars instead of a yawning 3.

I don’t know if it’s because I am a fan of regular fantasy, but I require more magic in a book about magic. I very quickly grew sick of the debates about whether magic should be used or not. I found myself sympathizing with Mr. Norrell's audience who just wanted to see a trick or two of real magic rather than getting a lecture about why not.

I don’t think that’s the whole, however. I enjoy historical fiction on its own, so why didn’t this combination of my two favorite genres satisfy me? On reflection, I believe it’s because I never felt close to the story. It was as if I were viewing the entire scene through a window. Even when something drastic finally happened, I didn’t feel it. I didn’t feel the characters felt it. The tone was too distant throughout. The same tone and language that gave me the nostalgic Dickensian feel never gave way to the Dickensian depth of character and feeling that usually follows. The intricate tapestry didn't materialize.

That said, the ending was good enough to bring up the rest of the book to 4 stars. I did enjoy the premise and I thought the story itself was well-conceived. In the end, it was just too long-winded and slow for me. Not enough depth, not enough feeling, and not enough magic.



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