Search - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

There are people here who really loved this book and people who loathe it. I really liked it.

Initially it took some getting used to, like the way your ear adjusts to opera or another language, Clarke's rich narrative was very soothing for me and I loved escaping in it into her story. It started a little slowly, but the promise of "Jane Austen meets Harry Potter" was too much for me to resist. I found it more "Jane Austen attempts to one-up Tolkien with mixed results" but as I said, I am firmly in the "loved it" camp.

One of the themes I especially liked was Mr. Norrell's hoarding of magic books, particularly in times where corporate censorship can stifle political thought and many countries still do not enjoy freedom of speech or the press.

My favorite thing about this book was what a dreamy hero Jonathan Strange is. Though three dimensional, and with a few weaknesses, Clarke writes him deliciously and I couldn't have been happier with him as a protagonist.

Arabella, Lady Pole, Stephen Black, The gentleman with thistle down hair, Childremass, even Viniculus and Segundus are all vibrant supporting characters that make the story engaging and real.

Some of the best parts of the book only related tangentially to the plot, which is quite well developed. You will find emotional and suspenseful moments when you least suspect them.

I leave you with this quotation from the book:

"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."

Readers of this book will fall into one of two categories: those who love it and can't put it down vs those who find it too tedious and slow to finish.

I fall into the category of those who loved this book. I found it steady and compelling, even though the plot was subtle and the action subdued. For me, this book possessed that unidentifiable hook that drew me in at the very beginning and kept me interested to the very end.

This book provides a unique blend of magic, mystery, mythology, and Victorian-style writing. The characters are as complex as the situations that surround them. Claims that this book is slow, tedious, and boring are not unfounded. There is certainly a contingency of readers who will absolutely hate this book. There will also be just as many who name it among their favorites.

If you start reading this book and are not intrigued by the first 100 pages or so, then you would probably do best by moving onto something else. The pacing and tone of the book remain fairly consistent throughout its 800+ pages. If the first 100 bore you, move on. If they intrigue you, then be glad to know that there are 700 more to come.

This early-19th-century alternate history follows the characters of the title - Mr. Norrell, a magician who is obsessed with the idea of returning England to its prior state of magical glory - but who guards his secrets jealously - and Jonathan Strange, a gentlemanly dilettante who unexpectedly finds his calling in magic as well.

Written in an intentionally pseudo-Victorian style, this long book (almost 800 pages) is not the sort of tale that one falls into and forgets the world until it is over. Frequently annotated by footnotes, the meandering story *feels* long (it took me 6 days to read! Unheard of!) - but it is also a literary pleasure to read, full of quirky "facts" and fables.

The positive reviews of this book are not wrong - this is a good book, and a remarkable first novel. but I am utterly mystified as to why anyone would compare it to Tolkien (as many press reviews have) or with Harry Potter.

Wonderful writing! Transporting!

This is one of my favorite books ever.

Be prepared. It's LONG. So, if you think a book over 200 pages is too long winded or the author can't get to the point, this isn't for you.

If, however, you like a book that's funny, original, thought provoking and intricately plotted you
will love it.

I sank into this book and it kept me up nights for a couple of weeks because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to the characters and to see if the bad guys were really bad and the good ones as good as they appeared. It wove a very effective spell and I was immersed in a world where magic was real and the magicians held real power and questions of good and evil were not philosophical, but practical everyday matters.

Laughed out loud, cried, and loved every page and off the wall footnote.

This morning I started listening to the audiobook of this story. OMG is it boring! I made it to chapter six, around page 65 before totally giving up on it. I don't think I've ever "read" anything so dry and tedious. I absolutely hated Mr. Norrell. He is so contrary and rude to everyone. Since no one is as good a magician as he is, they aren't even worth talking to. Amazingly enough, all the "magicians" in London, are theoretical magicians who can't do a lick of magic and feel that practical magic users are charlatans. If that is the case, why in the world are they studying magic as if it is a religion.

I wonder if this didn't take place in the 1800s, if it wouldn't have been so dry. Brits from that time period were so stuffy and full of themselves that a story about them was bound to be boring as hell. There is absolutely no way I'm going to read 782 pages (or 26 CDs) of this. I'd end up driving my car off the road because I was bored to death. UGH!