Beyond the Book: Background information when reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Beyond the Book

This article relates to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

It took Susanna Clarke 10 years to write this, her first novel; it's exceptional not just for weighing in at about 800 pages (an extraordinary thing for a first novel) but also for the full realized world that she creates. Many reviewers have described it as Harry Potter for adults. To the extent that it's a book about magic set in a world like, but not quite like, our own, it is; however, like most comparisons, you can only take it so far.

Interesting link: A complete short story: "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse", part of her 2006 collection, The Ladies of Grace Adieu.

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This article relates to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It first ran in the September 14, 2005 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.