Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a unique book. Although it starts slow and has odd spellings, its subtle, unique brand of humor is refreshing, and the story becomes quite engaging about halfway through.
Set in 19th century England, it tells of two English magicians – Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – who seek to change the face of English magic. Mr. Norrell, who is overly cautious and ill-natured, continuously clashes with his lively and adventurous pupil, Jonathan Strange. As they try to revive magic in England, they go from taking on small tasks to managing potentially catastrophic situations. They are also confronted with the legend of the ancient magician, the Raven King, a shadowy figure who shaped English magic. Their adventures take unexpected twists and turns, and the stakes keep rising with each chapter as all they know and hold dear are gradually drawn into a vortex of sinister magic.
In its finer portions, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell will have you holding your breath. It is clear that a lot of research went into the writing, and Susanna Clarke does a good job of weaving fact and fiction together along with archaic language.
This book is funny, intriguing, and unpredictable; although it is much too long and could have used a few hundred less pages. All in all, it is an entertaining read.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 2 religious exclamations; 3 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory names.
Violence/Gore: Many scenes involve magical deeds and battles; several reports of death and violence; a few scenes of injury, gore, loss of body parts and corpses; a few scenes of morbid sights; a few scenes implying violence; magic is used to summon the dead and manipulate corpses; a few scenes of threats and planned violence; a few extended scenes of war; animals are killed; animals attack humans; a character turns feral; a few descriptions of violent dreams and visions; a child is killed in a terrible fall; a few detailed scenes of murder.
Sex/Nudity: Report of a woman attacked while partially dressed; a character kisses another’s hand; vague account of women scantily clad; naked corpses of soldiers are gathered; 2 references to a woman’s body parts; characters kiss in 2 scenes; vague report of a woman who poses nude for statues; a character dances naked in a non-explicit scene.
Mature Subject Matter:
Magic, war, few reports of kidnap and slavery of children and adults, racial prejudice (typical of the period), murder.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A few scenes of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use.
