Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel
by Susanna Clarke

This absorbing story is told as a history/biography of the two men responsible for bringing magic back to England. In this alternative Regency England, magic has not existed for hundreds of years, but is recognized as an integral aspect of its history. Men who study the history of magic call themselves theoretical magicians. Mr. Norrell becomes England's first practical magician in over 300 years. He doesn't just study magic, he does magic.

This book is extremely well thought out and cleverly written. The characters actions and personalities reflect the time period perfectly. Mr. Norrell is portrayed as a stuffy, socially inept scholar who wants to be recognized for his amazing skills while making sure all of his peers are shown to be inferior. Jonathan Strange is the younger, creative, unconventional, and married magician whose fascination with magic becomes an obsession. The author includes delightful footnotes to the text to add credibility to the history/biography style used to portray these characters. The multidimensional plot covers the danger of dealing with the unpredictable fairy race, the use of magic in the Napoleonic war, the growth of friendships through common interest, political connections, and societal position, the bitterness of betrayal, the effects of madness on families, friends, and subjects, and the lengths one takes to save others and one's self.

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book (all 26 cd's). The reader had a believable (to me) British accent, and did a fabulous voice acting job. The characters became real to me, and I actually felt a loss when the book was over. These characters became important to me. I cannot give a book a better recommendation than that.