Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

Published by Bloomsbury: London, 2007 (2004).

 Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell takes place in an alternate history where magic is real, but has been largely forgotten. The two title characters 'rediscover' "real" magic and set about using it to help Britain succeed on the world-stage. The book, set in the era of Napoleon, is written in a faux-Dickensian style, something that as a Dickens fan I greatly enjoyed. It uses footnotes to highlight extra "facts" in a way that Pratchett fans will also take to! And it interacts with actual historical events - such as the Napoleonic wars - which lends an extra level of enjoyment to the proceedings.

The characters of Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange are well-written, very flawed, and both ego-centric in their own ways. A third main character - the "Gentleman with the thistle-down hair" is suitably mysterious and creepy, and as a reader I was eagerly rooting against him. Switching perspectives constantly, we readers can become frustrated at the way Norrell and Strange miss the clues that we have picked up, but this just adds to the enjoyment of the novel.

It is quite an undertaking to read, being a long book, but I found my time reading it fly by. It can be quite dark in patches, which some will dislike, but for fans of fantasy, historical fiction, Dickens, Pratchett, and others, I fully recommend this book.

Completed 16 November 2019.

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