Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
by Susannah Clarke
book impressions

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly.

The book is set in nineteenth century England, where two magicians are trying to revive English magic. The style of the book though resembles a Jane Austen novel – the language is a little flowery, and there are a seemingly inordinate number of dinner parties and socials. Overall there is less action than one might expect from a story about reviving magic, and using it to fight against Napoleon – the action is practically glossed over while the story focuses on developing the characters and relationships. Although the pace of the plot is slower, but the characters are engaging, original, and realistic. Mr Norrell, for instance, is no stereotypical dark, handsome, flashy magician – he’s a snobby middle-aged English gent who is frankly a little boring. One thing I found especially refreshing was the inclusion of a black character whose race is not his primary character trait. His race is often noticed, as is appropriate for the setting, but he is a fully developed character, not a symbol at all, and he just happens to be black. The aspect of the book that I liked best was how immersive it was. Clarke develops a very convincing world because as the author, she takes the world for granted, never breaking character to explain how the world works, instead letting the reader discover it slowly as he reads. This was really effective and made me feel really captivated by the world and the cast of characters.