(urth) Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: It's not really Lupine, but ...

[Don Doggett]

On Monday, October 4, 2004, at 09:12 PM, William Ansley wrote:

> Even though it won't satisfy anyone who primarily reads Wolfe for the 
> complexity and obscurity of his books, I still recommend _Jonathan 
> Strange and Mr. Norrell_ by Susanna Clarke to the members of this 
> list. I certainly think this book will appeal to those among you who 
> enjoy John Crowley, although again, it is quite a different reading 
> experience.
>
> JS & Mr. N is a charmingly and quite well-written book about an 
> alternative England, set in the early 19th century and written in the 
> voice of an author of the period. Although the book is long (782 pages 
> in hardcover) and occasionally seemed to be proceeding at too 
> deliberate a pace, having finished it I cannot say that I begrudge Ms. 
> Clarke a single page. I must add that Susanna Clarke is particularly 
> sound on fairies.
> -- 
>

Don replies,

It's a very enjoyable book.  The many footnotes, far from being 
distracting, really add to the richness of the story.  Still, I felt it 
was anticlimactic for such a large theme.  A second volume would 
rectify this quite nicely though.  Perhaps she should just write The 
History and Practice of English Magic with footnotes from other works 
on Pale, Godbless, and the rest.  I'd certainly buy it.  FWIW