Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke b Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER JONATHAN STRANGE & Mr NORRELL a novel Susanna Clarke     Additional Information about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2004) Portions of this page Copyright 1995 - 2009 Muze Inc. All rights reserved. Synopsis Both the publisher and critics have attempted to pigeonhole this charming fantasy, winner of the 2005 Hugo Award for best novel and a New York Times Notable Book for 2004, as "Harry Potter for Adults." However, their only point of similarity is that both books feature British magicians. Set in an alternate early 19th-century England and written in the prose of that time, the book is constructed as a heavily footnoted academic work concerning the careers of two magicians who helped the British win the war against Napoleon. The plot and tone are a satiric mix of a scholarly tome, an old-fashioned fairy tale, and a comedy of manners. In this version of England, everyone knows that fairies exist and that magicians actively employed their craft during the Middle Ages. However, practical magic has currently fallen into disuse, and all the people claiming to be magicians are theoretical ones, writing about magic, but not actually casting any spells. Therefore, it's quite astonishing when Mr. Gilbert Norrell, a pedantic, book-hoarding recluse, enters London society as a fully practicing magician. Not long after, the dashing dilettante Jonathan Strange discovers an unexpected aptitude for magic and also arrives in London, to act both as pupil and rival to Mr. Norrell. The book contains several black-and-white illustrations, again in an early 19th-century style. Details Illustrator: Portia Rosenberg Size Length: 782 pages Height: 9.8 in. Width: 6.8 in. Thickness: 2.2 in. Weight: 45.9 oz. Publisher's Note All is going well for rich, reclusive Mr Norell, who has regained some of the power of England's magicians from the past, until a rival magician, Jonathan Strange, appears and becomes Mr Norrell's pupil, in a witty fantasy set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century England. Industry reviews "Clarke's spectacular debut is something far richer than [Harry] Potter....[R]adiantly readable....An instant classic, one of the finest fantasies ever written." (starred review) Kirkus  (07/01/2004) "...[E]xtraordinary...[M]esmerizing...[W]ill enchant readers of fantasy and literary fiction alike." (starred review) Publishers Weekly  (07/12/2004) "...[A] first novel that ultimately deserves the hype its publisher is lavishing upon it....Susanna Clarke finds her own path...to the essence of fantasy....[T]he payoff is a very special pleasure." Locus - Faren Miller (08/01/2004) "With a cheery tone, Clarke welcomes herself into an exalted company of British writers--not only, some might argue, Dickens and Austen, but also the fantasy legends Kenneth Grahame and George MacDonald--as well as contemporary writers like Susan Cooper and Philip Pullman....Many charmed readers will feel, as I do, that Susanna Clarke has wasted neither her energies nor our many reading hours." New York Times Book Review - Gregory Maguire (09/05/2004) "Clarke's ability to construct a fully imagined world...is impressive." New Yorker  (09/13/2004) "At its best and most uncluttered, this book delivers splendid and unpredictable surprises....[It generates] the basis for a brand new fantasy world, an intricate and fully imagined universe of bewitching tricks." New York Times - Janet Maslin (09/17/2004) "...[A] quite extraordinary novel....[I]t celebrates a rich secret history that might never have been, but that would have been way cooler than what we've got." Locus - Gary K. Wolfe (09/01/2004) "...[I]nhabits and transcends genre fantasy....There is a particular pleasure in reading a superior example of a genre which can be taken as a manifesto for what the genre should be." Times Literary Supplement - Roz Kaveney (10/01/2004) "[V]ery original....[T]he inspiration for her elegant, imperturbable wit is clearly several centuries of superb English historians and biographers, from Gibbon to Lytton Strachey. As for her wondrous, image-rich depictions of her heroes' spells...that's nothing less than pure sorcery." Salon - Laura Miller (12/07/2004) "[G]enuinely exciting....I enjoyed this....The illustrations by Portia Rosenberg...deserve an honourable mention, taking us back to those happy days when adult books were illustrated as well as children's." Literary Review - Christopher Hart  Praise for JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL "Ravishing...superh...comhines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of ,Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien." —Time magazine "Clarke welcomes herself into an exalted company of British writers—not only, some might argue, Dickens and Austen, but also the fantasy legends Kenneth Grahame and George MacDonald—as well as contemporary writers like Susan Cooper and Philip Pullman."—New York Times Book Review "Many books are to be read, some are to be studied, and a few are meant to be lived in for weeks. Jonathan Strange ce Mr Norrell is of this last kind. ..Magnificent and original."—Washington Post "Thoroughly    marvelous historical novel, told with a dry ,vit that wi11 appeal to fans of _Jane Austen."—Christian Science Monitor "An instant classic, one of the finest fantasies ever \vritten." —Kirk its Reviews (starred review) "Lxuaordinary ... Will enchant readers of fantasy and literary fiction alike." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Absolutely compelling. An astonishing achievement." —Charles Palliser, author of The Quincunx "Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the last seventy years. It's funny, moving, scary, otherworldly, practical and magical, a journey through light and shadow—from beginning to end, a perfect pleasure." —Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series and American Gods   View My Other Items For Sale Payment Payment Methods: * PayPal, * Visa, * Master Card, * Discover, * American Express Shipping Shipping: Shipping and handling Save 25% on shipping for each additional eligible item you buy from ObscurBooks.com. Location: San Jose, California, United States Shipping to: Worldwide. *The estimated delivery time is based on the shipping service selected, and when we receive cleared payment. We ship daily!! Special shipping request? Just let us know. Terms of Sale Policies: Return policy The buyer has 7 days to return the item (the buyer pays shipping fees). The item will be refunded. We want you to be satisfied!! 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