Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
category: fantasy, author:Susanna Clarke
original copyright 2004
read in April 2012
Agamedes' opinion: 4 out of 10: bad but could be read
Let's try to look for the positives:
It's a history of the revival of magic in 19th century Britain. Written as a history, with footnotes and references. Set in what is -- I guess -- a culture which matches that of the "actual" early 19th century Britain.
This is possibly quite clever. Except that the book is every bit as boring as the worst of boring history books. Oh, okay, I've already run past the positives from this book. So:
The characters are also unlikable. The title indicates two main characters. So far (by page 127) I have met one. He's a creep. As it says in a title page:
He hardly ever spoke of magic, and when he did it was like a history lesson and no one could bear to listen to him.Yes, he's boring. And -- you guessed it -- the book copies his boring style. (Is that intended to be a clever authorial technique? It fails.) He also has a history of -- apparently -- murder of other people who are able to practice magic.
There is nothing at all pleasant about this central character.
I have no interest in finding out what happens to him. He mixes with society in order to further his own ends. He does not enjoy the mixing. Neither do I.
He is supported by a servant(?) -- a person whose role is described in a rather mysterious fashion. Yet there is not -- yet? -- any indication that the servant is anything more than an intelligent and useful person. Whose advice is generally ignored. And who disappears for long stretches of the narrative.
Further support is provided by other nasty people. People who are nasty enough to be unpleasant but not nasty enough to be interesting.
The story itself jumps along with nothing much interesting except for what does not happen...
So far there have been just three examples of magic. With no explanation of what really happened, nor of how it was made to happen. Mysterious? Or just boring...
The closest we get to actually seeing magic performed, is when a woman is brought back to life. There is some bargaining with the fairy who does the actual work. Then -- it's done. No further explanation.
The bargaining is interesting: The fairy brings the woman back to life in exchange for half of her remaining life. (The woman is not consulted. Nor is her fiance.) Which half of her life? I wondered...
Will the woman be happily married for another 40 years and then disappear off to fairy-land? Will the fairy prefer to take his half now, while the woman is still young? Or will she spend six months here and six months there... We are not told.
The magician did not seem to consider practicalities. Did the author? Who knows.
Judging by the list of chapters, half the book is dedicated to each of the magicians in the title. We are told, indirectly, that the second magician will be the pupil of the first.
Will the pupil be any more interesting than the teacher? Perhaps the dedicated reader will find out, as they struggle through the remaining 600-odd pages of this tedious book.
I don't know.
And I don't care.
Footnote
I have just spoken with someone who bravely struggled all the way through to the end of this book...Apparently -- there is a plot. Something does happen. The book gets to be rather exciting... for the last hundred or so pages.
So there.
If you're a fast reader. Able to skim lightly over boring material. Willing to suspend judgment for 600 pages... You may enjoy this book.
Maybe.
Good luck !
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