Bloomsbury Jonathan Strange & MR Norrell

Despite paying full price for a brand new copy plus extra for quicker shipping, the copy I received is clearly used, dog-eared, with it's own label description as 'new' on it - which it quite clearly isn't and they would only put such a label on a used copy. Whichever distribution centre they have used, it isn't distributing brand new goods. I am still going to read the book but lucky this wasn't a gift as I would have had to send it back.

One of the most ambitious and difficult novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading, Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a mind-bogglingly complex literary masterpiece that breathes new life into the fantasy genre by making it old again.Written as if Charles Dickens and Jane Austen conspired to write an epic fantasy novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell concerns two magicians—the titular Strange and Norrell—and their burgeoning friendship and later rivalry during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century. Working with the intent of "bringing magic back to England," Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell have completely different philosophies regarding magic and its practical use. Mr Norrell is reclusive, snobbish, and studious; he believes magic should only be performed after one has accounted for all of the possible outcome (preferably after reading tomes and tomes of dense books). Jonathan Strange, on the other hand, is young, brash, and flashy; in his eyes, the boundaries of magic should be pushed with an almost reckless abandon.However, both Strange and Norrell's meddling in the magical arts end up catching the attention of powerful and nefarious beings beyond their ability to comprehend, with disastrous results for Europe and those they hold dear.Prior to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I'd only read Susanna Clark's most recent novel, Piranesi, a short magical story with hidden depths. I really enjoyed Piranesi, and that novel almost acts as an appetizer to the delights one will find within the pages of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I mean, there are footnotes in this novel that contain more imagination than most modern fiction released in any given year. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell can almost be viewed as a novel made up stories—literally hundreds of stories and plots and literary asides and myths and fables—that weave together to tell an epic tale of friendship, rivalry, and dark magic. By the time I finished this book, I really felt as if I'd just read an alternate history of Great Britain during the early 1800s.With all that said (and I say this in the strongest possible terms), most readers will find Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell an extremely difficult read. It's literary stylings—from its depiction of character development, dialogue, and action to its almost maddening tendency to chase down arcane rabbit trails—are firmly rooted in the literary tradition of Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, and Alexander Dumas (with nods to C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George MacDonald). Some people will absolutely hate the way this book is written, paced, and executed. I, for one, loved it—but I'm also here to tell you that it's not for everyone.Though Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a long book, it's best viewed as one novel split into three volumes made up of dozens of almost self-contained chapters that tell an overarching narrative that spans 10 years.If one is up to the task, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is an immensely satisfying, exhausting, and rewarding read. It whet my appetite to read more literary classics that inspired it, and it gave me a greater appreciation for a more intellectual style of writing. Also, this book is so funny—the use of wry British dialogue brought a smile to my face every time a witty or self-depreciating aside was made. Additionally, the pen-and-ink illustrations by Portia Rosenberg are a beautiful touch.Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is nothing short of a masterpiece. It absolutely blows my mind that this was Susanna Clark's debut novel—I cannot imagine the herculean task is must of been to write this book (seriously, Piranesi could've literally been a footnote in this novel). From the battlefields of Waterloo and the canals of Venice to the Kingdoms of Faerie and the dark enchanted mansions of the Gentleman with Thistle-Down Hair, I'd follow Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell down to the depths of Hell to fight the Raven King himself if it meant spending more time with these two gentlemen magicians.

Este libro es una verdadera obra maestra. Yo lo tengo en mi top 10 de fantasía, junto con Babel de R.F. Kuang. La cosa es, si estás buscando acción, adrenalina y escenas súper impresionantes de combate con magia; no las vas a encontrar aquí. Este libro no es para todos (eso no quiere decir que no sea bueno), es más cómo una ficción histórica con magia para condimentar la narrativa; pero si son de los pacientes que deciden darle una oportunidad, no se van a arrepentir.

Beautifully written and extremely funny.

English magic has been dormant for nearly 3 centuries. Any magicians are strictly limited to reading about magical theories rather than practising them. With Napoleon Bonaparte threatening to conquer Europe, things are not looking good for England. And just like a London bus, along come not 1 but 2 magicians to help England during these tough times. We follow them for a decade as they aim to rejuvenate English magic and security from the French.After reading the description of this book, Christopher Priest’s ‘The Prestige’ (or the more popular film of the same name which was made by Christopher Nolan) came to my mind. But the plot of ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell’ is quite different. The relationship between the 2 is mainly observed from the view of the people around them like spouses, friends, servants, advisors, etc. Hence, these secondary characters play a prominent role.The world created by the author is quite majestic and an alternate reality of magical England is quite convincing. The use of footnotes greatly enhances our view of the history and scope of this England as well as the evolution of magic within it. Considering the timeline (early part of 19th century), the language is that of old English. Its effect is delightful as there are several hilarious dialogues and moments.The final quarter of the book takes a dark turn which is quite different when compared to the rest of the plot. My problems with the book were minor. While I found the footnotes very useful and interesting, some of the plot itself felt too stretched out at times. It could have been edited better. Instances like the war in Spain and Stephen Black’s dealings with the Fairy King were dragged too long.This is an excellent fantasy tale which is surprisingly thorough for a debut. Do check out Zen Cho’s ‘Sorcerer To The Crown’ which also runs along the same lines. Both are fantastic books.

Gran libro y una buena encuadernación.No es la mejor versión pero por el precio que tiene vale la pena