Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel (edit title)

• Rated 5 stars

“An amazing work of art. Love this story! Full of dry wit, history, crisp writing and elegant characters.”

• Rated 5 stars

“This is the best fantasy novel I've read so far. It's dramatic, humorous and exciting. Also, I love magician-type characters. The power level of magic in the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is well balanced. It's not too powerful like in high fantasy and it's fairly believable because magic isn't a cure-all to all life's problems as depicted in the book. The most entertaining bits in the book are the various footnotes and anecdotes which adds some realism. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell belongs to the shelf of the fantasy aficionado. No wonder Neil Gaiman praises this book.”

• Rated 5 stars

“I enjoyed every single chapter of this book. It's witty, but subtly so, and interweaves magic and history in such a fun way! The characters are wonderful and vivid, the plot is mezmerizing, and... You HAVE to read the footnotes. They just make the entire book ten times better.”

• Rated 2 stars

“Very long and very odd.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Extremely well imagined. Easy to get drawn into this work, so well done that you need to remind yourself that this is fiction. Read it-you'll see...”

• Rated 4 stars

“Magnicficent, flawed masterpiece. All worth reading it for moment of the Raven King's return.”

• Rated 5 stars

“I have finally read the third and final book in the trilogy 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell'. Since in many versions this is not a trilogy but merely one long book I have waited until I was done to complete my review.

This book, or trilogy, was a very fun read. Ms Clark took great pains to not only describe the setting but to make sure that all the characters are well fleshed out. The end result is a book that is a joy, where it is very easy to sink into the fantasy and imagine yourself as someone who is there as a part of the tale. The story itself was fantastic and rather convoluted. There is triumph and tragedy and emotions of all sorts woven into the tale. Prophecies were fulfilled, and of course not in the way most readers would have anticipated. The ending also left almost as many questions unanswered as it answered and not only left room for a sequel, but left the reader begging for more.

In one sentence, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
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• Rated 5 stars

“huge but definately worth the read!!”

• Rated 5 stars

“This was a great book even though it hurt my wrists to hold it up while reading in bed! I finally decided to prop it up on a pillow and then it was smooth sailing. Even though I grouse about the length it was just right - I wouldn't have changed a thing. Such an interesting story and beautiful character development, a real treasure.”