Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2004)
Author: Susanna Clarke
Genre (and subgenre): Fantasy
Plot Summary:
Composed of three "volumes", Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell begins volume one in the year 1806 with the discovery of several theoretical magicians that one practicing magician still exists in England. Mr. Norrell establishes himself as the only practicing magician in England and the rest of volume one is concerned with his rise in popularity as he is determined to glorify and make respectable "modern" English magic as it once was hundreds of years ago. To bring himself renown he raises Sir Walter Pole's bride, Lady Pole, from the dead with the aid of fairy. However, in exchange, the Lady is improsoned in partial enchantment. Volume one concludes with intrigue in the form of an ancient prophecy from the Raven King, a long dead magician ruler of Northern England, and revelation of the discovery of a second practicing magician in England: Jonathan Strange. Volume two chronicles the beginning of Jonathan Strange's studies under Mr. Norrell. These studies are interrupted when Mr. Strange decides to join the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular Wars, in order to aid the country by use of magic. Returning from the wars, Jonathan Strange finds Mr. Norrell's cautiousness irritating. They have a philosophical falling out and part ways. Meanwhile, Lady Pole and now a servant, Stephen Black, continue to exist in a state of enslaved enchantment. Mr. Strange's wife, Arabella, falls prey to the same fairy as well and dies at the end of Volume two. Volume three relates the fullfillment of the Raven King's prophecy. Jonathan Strange tries to summon a fairy, finding this easier to achieve in a self-induced state of madness. Mr. Norrell finds himself practically friendless as he pushes away his true allies. SPOILER: Jonathan discovers Arabella is not dead, but also enchanted as part of the plot by the dangerous fairy to destroy both magicians. Finally, Mr. Norrell and Mr. Strange join forces in invoking the Raven King. Those enchanted are restored. However, a lingering Darkness now encloses both Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and thus Volume three leaves the two magicians, engulfed in a binding Darkness.
Geographical Setting: England primarily; also Spain and Italy
Time Period: 1806 - 1817
Appeal Characteristics:
An all-around award winner, including Library Journal's Book of the Year for 2004. The intricate plotlines and air of magic and what could have been that permeate the entire book makes for a delicious read. It is a totally immersive experience down to the words and spelling variations the author uses to take the reader there. The detailed landscapes of England, Italy, and Fairy are all brimming with the variable atmosphere of both dark and light magics as well as somewhat more historically accurate portrait of the lives of the gentlemen or women at the beginning of the 1800s. This includes appearances from actual historical figures, Lord Byron among the most memorable. The book has a masterful unwinding and leisurely pace while it weaves the alternate history, characters, and action around the reader. The mystical mysteries and subplots are laid down thick and palpable throughout. The third person narrative reads like a serious historical text, weaving together the lives, works, trials and tribulations, and quarrels of the two protagonists and using copious footnotes to fill in all the gaps of the alternative history and further detail the world Susanna Clarke has created.Despite the serious tone the book is filled with clever humour poking fun at her characters and even the book itself. The characters are enjoyable, even if they aren't always likeable, and most will seem somehow familar to fans of the genre.
Read-alikes: Try Neil Gaiman's Stardust, which tells the tale of a young man, Tristan Thorn, who takes off over the wall of Wall to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he wants to marry. On the other side of the wall he must venture through the world of Faerie. Gaiman and Clarke have a similar love of language and detail in the set up of their worlds. Stardust is faster paced than Clarke's work, and so for fans who complained of the length and breath of all 800 pages, Gaiman is a great similar read. J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone features humble orphan, Harry Potter, who finds out that he is the son of two of the most famous magicians in the world and goes to school to learn magic himself. On the way he makes friends and enemies and does battle with the person who killed his parents. For the people who like the self-starting motivation of Jonathan Strange's near orphaned magican as well as a setting where it seems if even ordinary people just look hard enough they can see the magic all around them this will be a great read-alike. Susanna Clarke Ladies of Grace Adieu and other Stories is a compilation of short stories set in the same world as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and featuring the familiar and beloved characters of Childermass and Strange. The intricate world and the characters are what will really pull the readers in, but as an added bonus Clarke retells Rumpelstiltskin and utilizes the village of Wall as created by Neil Gaiman. Also try Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Again we find an orphaned main character who is not really orphaned, and again we find ourselves in an Alternative England, but in this place everyone has a Daemon to keep them company and it is our herione's mother who must be stopped from trying to separate children from their Daemons. This book has more of a traditional "quest" feel to it and a serious but almost scholarly tone that Clarke's fans might enjoy. Finally, John Crowley's Little, Big is a romantic tale (for the fans who admire Jonathan Strange's devotion to Arrabella) about a man who walks to Edgewood to marry a girl, as was prophesied. Edgewood is a land not on any map situated between England and Fairy. The story revolves around the family who have been caretakers of the land. The "what-if" factor and the elegant literary nature of the works are both sure to satisfy readers who like their fantasy as if it could have happened. J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy evokes the same detailed historical feel (start with The Fellowship of the Ring); J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series gives you a similar opportunity to fall in love with carefully crafted characters (start with Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone); Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker series is a similar blend of history and fantasy (start with Seventh Son); Guy Gavriel Kay's The Summer Tree has a similary complex plot and mythological background; and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian presents a similar historical what-if and her minor characters share the fully-formed qualities of Susanna Clarke's cast. For fans of historical fantasy, Jeanne Larson's The Silk Road, as well as books by Mary Stewart. For more of the literary Fantasy element, try works by Mervyn Peake. For more of the world of Faerie, Snyder Midori's The Flight of Michael McBride is suggested. For alternate histories, try Margaret Ball's Flameweaver, or Scott Ciencin's series The Elven Way. For a novel with magicians in the world of politics, this time with a female protagonist, try Maria Snyder's Poison Study.
Red Flags: Some violence (guns, hangings, knife wounds); frequent mentions of black magic; scenes of warfare
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