Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

 

This may have been my biggest challenge yet. A monstrous tome at 1,006 pages, and it took me a week and a lot of determination to complete! The novel begins in 1806 against the backdrop of England's war with Napoleon. It has been centuries since practical magicians were prevalent in England, and the use of magic has become the stuff of history books. All that is left is a number of theoretical magicians who study the history of its practise - until the mysterious Mr Norrell demonstrates his magical skill and gains the respect (and fear) of the nation. He makes a deal with a group of theoretical magicians that if he proves himself to be a 'real magician', they must renounce their own claim as magicians. Once Norrell has completed his task and stunned the group into silence, he travels to London where he raises a beautiful woman from the dead - but at a great price. He then summons an army of ghost ships to terrify the French, getting involved in the war efforts with great success. 

As time goes on and Norrell's power increases, it becomes apparent that there is another brilliant practical magician on the horizon. The daring and gutsy novice, Jonathan Strange, is the exact opposite of the hesitant and careful Norrell. As the two begin to butt heads, Strange proposes that he become Norrell's student, and they tactically join forces. But the two very large and opposing personalities eventually clash, and their mutual relationship begins to fragment. All the while, a mysterious faerie is dabbling with dark arts and casting enchantments which aim to undermine the two English magicians, enslaving their loved ones in an inescapable underworld with the guise of being heavenly. There are so many layers to this vast story, exquisitely embellished with lengthy footnotes which explain the history of the magic and folklore.

Clarke has clearly put a monumental amount of research into this expansive novel, and it reads much like Dickens and Austen - as many readers have also commented. The backdrop of the Regency period is eccentric and lavish, and adds an eerie element to the darker moments of the novel. The novel is not fast-paced and I would definitely categorise it as a slow burner, which some people may find a struggle if they're expecting an action-packed read. As I had no expectation when I began the novel, this wasn't too much of a problem for me - I ended up glossing over a lot of the footnotes (some of which were four pages long!) which didn't detract from my reading of the main story but only provided extra anecdotes to support certain passages.

In all, this was a dazzling novel which provides a real sense of escapism. It was perfectly-timed reading for the run-up to Halloween, and there are some extremely dark moments which make this novel unsuitable for children (I originally thought it was a children's/ young adult novel!), and moments of violence (the resurrection of the dead soldiers, for example!) were pretty gruesome and visceral. If you're up for a challenge, this is a really rewarding and impressive read which I highly enjoyed!