Book Review: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was my first foray into alternate history fantasy fiction. I'm pretty mixed about the genre, but I really enjoyed this epic book. Over 700 pages long, the book offered many opportunities for me to give up and return it to the library, but I simply could not stop. Set in an alternate fantastical history, it explores a 19th century England in which magic is returning. But the book delves into fascinating themes of what it means to be English, the nature of friendship, and the gray zone between reason and madness. It incorporates history, postulating the use of magic in the Napoleonic wars. It even creates its own history of magic compiled in a wealth of footnotes scattered through the book.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell captivated me most, though, with the way its written. With almost a tongue-in-cheek playful approach, it tries to be Jane Austen and Charles Dickens and a comedy of manners and a Gothic tale and a Byronic hero all at once. The writing is gorgeous, a little flowery, and proud of it. It really captures the diction, tone, and style of the 19th century. It is a huge tome, though, so only pick it up if you're willing to tackle a 700 hundred page novel.

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