This is my first post in the ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell’ readalong. I finished reading the first volume, ‘Mr.Norrell’ today. Here is what I think about it.
Story
It is the autumn of 1806. Jane Austen is still around. She is 31. And she hasn’t yet published her first book ‘Sense and Sensibility’. That will have to wait for five more years. The Napoleonic wars are in full swing. Admiral Thomas Cochrane (the inspiration for the character of Jack Aubrey in the novel ‘Master and Commander’ by Patrick O’Brian) is the captain of a ship in the British navy and Captain Frederick Marryat (author of ‘The Children of the New Forest’) works as a midshipman in the same vessel. The British navy is busy engaging and fending off the French navy in battles at sea. And England is a land where magic has long disappeared. There are societies of magicians in different cities in Britain who meet regularly and discuss the history of magic. Their members call themselves theoretical magicians. Nobody practices practical magic. No one knows how to do it. Then one of the members of the York society of magicians discovers an enigmatic magician who avoids people, and who is believed to be a practical magician. Two of the society members travel to this magician’s place to investigate. They learn that this gentleman is a practical magician. His name is Mr.Norrell. And one day he demonstrates his magical skills in a very impressive way. His fame spreads far and wide. Mr.Norrell feels that he can do good for his country in the war, if he moves to London. He does that. But, as a person, Norrell doesn’t look very interesting. He looks like a scholar and he talks like one. People are easily bored with him. One day a potential patron of his, Sir Walter Pole, suffers a big tragedy. His fiancée dies of illness. Mr.Norrell’s friends request him to use magic to bring back the young woman from the dead. After a lot of cajoling and convincing, Norrell agrees to do that. And he does it quite impressively. Norrell becomes a superstar among the London elite and is frequently invited to the London salons of famous patrons. Even the government takes his help in fighting the war with the French and Norrell uses magic impressively to do that. This is what most of what the first volume is about. Towards the end of volume 1, we are introduced to Jonathan Strange, who has inherited a big fortune after his father has passed away, and the woman he loves, Arabella. And a street magician reads out a prophecy that two great magicians will come out in England.
Impressions
I have been intimidated by the size of ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell’ and so have avoided reading it for years. After starting it, I discovered that inspite of its size and tiny font, it is quite fast-paced and the story flows smoothly. Not fast-paced like a modern day crime novel, but fast-paced in a leisurely way like a Victorian novel. Susanna Clarke sprinkles the story with sentences filled with Victorian style humour which enlivens the reading experience. (If you are nitpicky about such things, the Victorian era started in 1837 and lasted till 1901. The period in which ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell’ is set is the Georgian era. But for purposes of this post, I am calling the whole 19th century as the Victorian era.)
Susanna Clarke’s prose style is quite modern but it is also Victorian and reflects the period in which the novel is set in. How Susanna Clarke managed to do that – make a sentence look Victorian and modern at the same time – one will never know. It is magic, if you ask me.
As could be expected in a novel of this size, it is sprinkled with dozens of characters. Some of them, of course, are major characters (for example, Mr.Norrell) while others are minor (for example, John Segundus), but all of them have interesting roles to play. One of my favourite minor characters is Perroquet, the short servant of the French Admiral Desmoulins. He is smart and intelligent, uses his reasoning skills to telling effect and teaches the French naval officers a thing or two. Unfortunately, it looks like he is destined to play a role in only chapter – unless he makes an appearance again in the second part of the book. Another of my favourite characters is Stephen Black, the African butler of Sir Walter Pole. He is handsome, smart, intelligent and is admired by real people and fairies alike. I am hoping that Stephen Black will have a major role to play in the latter part of the book. On Arabella, the young woman whom Jonathan Strange loves – I wonder whether Susanna Clarke named (probably) her heroine Arabella to pay homage to the original Arabella from Rafael Sabatini’s ‘Captain Blood’.
I liked the way Susanna Clarke fleshed out the essence of a character through a few broad brushstrokes. For example, she says this about Mr.Segundus :
Mr.Segundus was one of those happy gentlemen who can always say whether they face north or south, east or west. It was not a talent he took any particular pride in – it was as natural to him as knowing that his head still stood upon his shoulders.
And this about Mr.Lascelles :
Mr.Lascelles was one of that uncomfortable breed of men who despise steady employment of any sort. Though perfectly conscious of his own superior understanding, he had never troubled to acquire any particular skills or knowledge, and had arrived at the age of thirty-nine entirely unfitted for any office or occupation.
And this about Mrs.Wintertowne :
Mrs.Wintertowne, whose character was so forceful, and whose opinions were handed down to people in the manner of Moses distributing the commandments, did not appear in the least offended when her daughter contradicted her. Indeed she seemed almost pleased about it.
There are also beautiful sentences in the book. Like this one :
A great old church in the depths of winter is a discouraging place at the best of times; the cold of a hundred winters seems to have been preserved in its stones and to seep out of them.
And this one :
Three tall windows open on a view of English countryside which is tranquil in spring, cheerful in summer, melancholy in autumn and gloomy in winter.
And this one :
According to Mr.Drawlight, Mr.Norrell’s company was like seasoning : the smallest pinch of it could add a relish to the entire dish.
And this one :
A bleak, white sun rose in a bleak, white sky like an allegorical picture of despair…
The book also has an interesting feature which was prevalent among many novels published in the early few years of the 21st century – a profusion of footnotes. It appears that that fad has died away now, but it was fun while it lasted. There were some ‘giant’ footnotes in this book – for example the ones on Tubbs versus Starhouse and Simon Bloodworth – which spanned multiple pages and pushed the actual story to a distant corner of the page. I love footnotes and so enjoyed reading these giant ones, but some readers might find them distracting. There is also a nod to Mrs.Radcliffe (Ann Radcliffe, who wrote ‘The Mysteries of Udolpho’) a couple of times, which I liked very much.
The first volume of ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell’ sets the stage for the rest of the story by introducing us to the setting and the historical period and to many of the characters and showing us a part of their lives. I can’t wait to continue the story and read the second volume and find out more about Jonathan Strange and Arabella.
Here are the links to the thoughts of other participants of the readalong.
Yasmine (Yasmine Rose’s Book Blog)
For more information on this readalong, do visit here or here.
Oh how I want to read this now!
Hope you get to read it sometime, Christina. It is a wonderful book.
Yes i have read it already. I just really want to read it again.
It is so wonderful that you have read it before, Christina! Hope you get to read it again. I am loving it till now – Susanna Clarke’s prose is very beautiful and the story has started slow and is gaining pace. It is like reading the magic version of George Eliot’s ‘Middlemarch’ 🙂
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Hi Vishy,
I am enjoying this read-along experience because I get to see the book from different points of view.
I liked the stories in the footnotes but some of them just went on and on until I didn’t know what happened in the “proper story” and had to go back and re-read the previous page.
Stephen Black was an interesting character and I wonder why the Fairy had such an obsession with him.
Vinculus is one character I’m really looking forward to see what role he plays in the story.
You chose some really great quotes, I had forgotten all about them. Drawlight amuses me, Lascelles is more devious I think.
Enjoy the next volume!
I agree with you, Delia. It is wonderful to look at the book from different points of view. Your comment on the footnotes made me smile 🙂 Yes, they are really distracting. I hope that Stephen Black has an important role to play in the second part. Vinculus also looks like an interesting character – someone who has hidden depths that even he is not aware of. Glad to know that you liked the quotes. Hope you are enjoying volume 2. I am hoping to start it later today. Happy reading!
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This is a great review of the first volume. I’m sorry to say that I have not yet gotten into the story, but hopefully, it will pick up in Volume II. You picked some great quotes. I do enjoy the language in this book.
Thanks TJ. Glad to know that you liked the quotes and Susanna Clarke’s language. Hope you enjoy the story better in volume 2.
LOVE how you incorporated quotes about the characters and stuff. my favorite was the one about the church. it seemed so contradictory because of what churches are actually for. and yet… at the same time i can see how it would happen. can’t wait for more!
Glad to know that you liked the quotes. The church quote was one of my favourites too. I liked what you said – about how those lines contradict with what churches are actually for, but there seems to be some truth to what those lines say.
I must be honest, Idon’t like footnotes. I didn’t like them when I was studying and in a novel . . . I think I’d like them even less. I suppose that in this case it’s like a metafictional element somehow. I’m glad you’re enjoying it though. What would happen if you skipped the footnotes?
Interesting to know that, Caroline 🙂 I used to hate footnotes too – atleast in novels. I can’t remember when my feelings about them changed. I remember though that when I read Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘The Master and Margarita’ a few years back, I read every footnote and note at the back of the book while reading the book and I loved doing that. I agree with you that a footnote is like a metafictional element. It is also interesting and digressing from the main story, which is a fun way of reading, but also distracting when one wants to stay focussed on the story. I think nothing would happen if we skipped the footnotes – the story will still continue and for practical purposes, footnotes can be ignored.
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I love the quotes you have picked out from the descriptions of each character. They have made me think that perhaps I would benefit from re-reading this novel at some point (without the footnotes).
I think I am the same as TJ, I haven’t gotten into the story as much as I would have liked to, even though I got through volume 1 very quickly. I am looking forward to reading volume 2, though, and seeing where this story will take us. I can certainly say that I am intrigued!
Nice to know that you liked the quotes with character descriptions, Yasmine. Sorry to know that you haven’t been able to get into the story in volume 1. Hope you enjoy volume 2 more. Happy reading!
I read this book before my blogging days, and I hardly remember anything about it. I remember the first part of the book being really, really good, but it all seemed to go nowhere towards the end. I am looking forward to your blog posts,so that I can refresh my memory about the book.
Interesting to know that, Nish. I hope you enjoyed the book when you read it. I am looking forward to reading volume 2 and I am hoping that the setting up that the author does in volume 1 is put to use in volume 2.
Great review, Vishy – the quotes give a real impression of some great qulaity writing. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the rest of it.
Thanks FictionFan 🙂 Glad to know that you liked the quotes. I am looking forward to reading volume 2 of the book.
A great review of a book I have picked up numerous times and never taken away with me. I might be more likely to indulge it via the kindle, because your introduction sounds very appealing and in the meantime I shall enjoy following your read-along. 🙂
Thanks Claire 🙂 I hope you get to read this in the Kindle sometime. The size of the book will be less intimidating when we look at it on the Kindle. I am enjoying it till now. Looking forward to reading volume 2 now.
I’m glad to know that this book is not as intimidating as it size would indicate.
I do enjoy the copious footnote thing myself. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Nice to know that you too enjoy footnotes, Lindsey 🙂 I have just started reading volume 2 and looking forward to continuing to read it tomorrow.
I do own a copy of this one and I’m glad to hear that it’s an easier read than I supposed. Hope you enjoy the rest!
Thanks TBM 🙂 Hope you get to read it sometime. It takes some time to read because of the massive size and tiny font, but it is not at all intimidating because the prose and the story flow so smoothly.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the book! Your quites were-well chosen and reminded me why I think of this book as one which should always be read with a hot cup of tea 🙂 I’ve yet to enter a church that is not freezing! And yes haha the footnote fad, how I miss it 😉 I especially loved those authors like Jasper Fforde you had really funny ones, kind of rewarded readers. And since I read lots of academic works I’m more confused when a book doesn’t have footnotes. Have fun with the next part!
Thanks Bina! I am enjoying the second part and the story has picked up pace. I agree with you on reading the book with a hot cup of tea 🙂 Yes, churches with all those stone walls and stone-based-architecture – they are definitely freezing. I haven’t read a Jasper Fforde book yet. Now I will have to read one, just to enjoy the funny footnotes. I think one of my favourite books with footnotes was ‘The Amulet of Samarkhand’ by Jonathan Stroud. Another was ‘The Master and Margarita’ by Mikhail Bulgakov, though that was an older book.
Fascinating to read your thoughts so far, Vishy. I also read Delia’s posts. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to join the readalong this time, especially as it’s quite a chunkster! But I’m enjoying hearing about it. I’m also not a fan of fictional footnotes. I do like the extracts you produced, though. Capturing a character in a few sentences is quite an art.
Glad to know that you liked it, Andrew. Yes, the book is quite a chunkster, but Susanna Clarke’s prose is easy to read and so the book flows smoothly. The footnotes are an irritant if one doesn’t like them, but if one likes them, they are fun to read. In this book, the footnotes don’t seem to be important to the story – they are mostly digressions. I agree with you on capturing a character in a few sentences – Clarke does it so well.
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“make a sentence look Victorian and modern at the same time” So apt! I love Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell! It’s easily one of my favourite books, and it just keeps getting better with every volume. Hope you enjoy the rest of your read!
Glad to know that you felt the same way about Susanna Clarke’s prose, Priya. Nice to know that ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell’ is one of you favourite books. I am in the middle of volume 3 now and I am liking the story. The shocking ending at the end of volume 2 was heartbreaking. I hope volume 3 is better.
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