Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Susanna Clarke

A monumental, wondrous work of art, and even that is too little to say about Susanna Clarke’s book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

It also is not everyone’s cup of tea, a demanding read and a puzzling piece of writing.

I love it. Mind you I did not finish it, it still is in progress, but I do not want to rush it, I am savoring it. It is slow going and it is ok, I do not mind it.

The language is a strange mix of older English, which combined with the dense descriptions sometimes can require a lot of focus to truly get the full meaning.

After the first 50 pages or so it gets easier, one gets used to the older words and how they are used, but it still continues to be a book that demands your full attention when you pick it up. It is the opposite of Agatha Christie’s readability but if you put in the time and the effort it will not disappoint, it will transport you to a wonderful world filled with worth knowing characters.

I am in awe of Susanna Clarke and the work that went into this majestic book. The attention to detail, the foot notes, the abundance of characters and their backstories, it is all just mind blowing. My admiration knows no bounds.

I read an article in which Susanna Clarke was opening up about the burnout she went through after the book was published and how she found it difficult to write. I do not know too much about this and I do not want to speculate about anyone’s personal circumstances, so I do not have anything to say about that. But, I do feel for her and sometimes think of her sending good thoughts.

I just want to say a huge Thank You to Susanna Clarke for writing this book, for putting in that huge amount of work, for giving us something so wondrous and magical as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. So grateful!

I also have The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories and Piranesi. I have not read them yet, but I am grateful for every bit of writing that Susanna Clarke does, so I treasure them and look forward to reading them.

Magical! And we all need a bit of magic in our lives.