JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL
By Susana Clark
Tor Books
1006 pages
Originally published 2004
Why is it I have books in my library that are nearly a
decade old and I’ve yet to read them?
Now a devoted book reader will understand that conundrum all too well. You see, it is virtually impossible for me to
visit a bookstore and leave without buying something; even if I’ve already way
too many books at home to get to. None
of that concerns me. The only fact that matters is I’ve found a title that
intrigues me and so I buy it, take it home and, as mentioned above, stick it on
the shelf until the time I choose to read it. Trust me, book lovers around the
world do this all the time. It is
nothing unusual for us bibliophiles.
Of course there is another element that needs to be taken
into consideration when reflecting on this topic of “when” a certain title will
get read. You see, I am a slow reader
and never-ever worry about how long it takes me to get through the any
title. With any normal book of two to
three hundred pages, I can expect to finish them in one week and this allows me
to post a new book review here every week.
But that all goes out the window with books that are way-way bigger than
the norm. Knowing those will eat up
weeks of my allotted reading time; I tend to put off picking them up until
something out of the ordinary spurs me to do so. Such was the case with this particular book,
which, according to the interior data was first released to public in 2004. This being the paperback edition, it has been
sitting on my bookshelf for seven to eight years now.
What was that extra prompt that made me finally open it
up? Answer; recently having learned that
BBC Television is going to produce it as a mini-series. Intrigued by that revelation, there was no
way I wanted to end up watching this series and not have read the source
material. Thus four weeks ago I packed
it away in my traveling bag and took it with me to the Windy City Pulp &
Paper convention. At the airport I began
the long journey through Susanna Clarke’s 1006 pages of delightful fantasy
adventure and just now have put it down, finished.
In the late 1800s Britain is without any practicing
magicians though we are told the country once had a rich tradition of such
practitioners. Alas, with the passage of
time, they fell out of grace with the general public who, in their fickle
nature, turned their interest and attention to the wonders of modern
science. No longer were spells and
potions sought after and soon the transparent roadways that led to the fairy
kingdoms became overgrown with brush until their very existence became a thing
of myth and legend. Magic was a thing of the past.
So it would have remained save for the appearance of a quiet
recluse named Mr. Norrell who one day makes his presence known claiming to be
the only remaining magician in all of England.
When others dare to challenge his claim, Norrell suggest a test by which
he will prove his ability to create something miraculous. If he succeeds all other so called theoretical
magicians must end their studies of the occult forever. Needless to say Norrell is most successful
making all the stone statues of a church come to life and start talking to the
assembly gathered there. The event
propels Norrell to instant fame and he moves from his rural home to London along with his
manservant. There he is soon the most
sought after celebrity in the city. But
at heart, Norrell is still a recluse and would prefer to remain at home
studying in his vast library of magical lore.
When he ill advisedly resurrects a young woman who died days
before her wedding to a British Lord of Parliament. Norrell has to call upon a
cruel and sadistic fairy that exacts a wicked price for his assistance in
reviving the maid, though ironically Norrell remains totally aloof to the
tragedy he has created.
The book’s plot then picks up pace with the introduction of
Jonathan Strange, a shy, introverted young nobleman who, on a whim, decides to
take up magic as a livelihood. Much to
his surprise, and everyone else, Strange discovers he actually possesses the
skills to do magic and is soon weaving various spells to the amusement and
delight of his friends and fiancé, Arabella.
When Mr. Norrell learns there is another practicing magician in England
he feels threatened, worried that the lad will upset the comfortable lifestyle
he has carefully constructed for himself.
But when the two meet, Norrell is charmed by Strange’s naïve personality
and takes him on as his student shortly after Jonathan and Arabella marry.
At the heart of the book’s conflict is the evil fairy who,
upon rediscovering his ability to cross from his world to ours, sets about
kidnapping the souls of innocent people he takes a fancy to, keeping them his
spiritual prisoners. Ultimately he sets
his sights on Arabella and goes as far as to fake her death so that he may keep
her forever in his fantasy land. But the
foul creature had not counted on Jonathan Strange keen intellect and
stubbornness; his refusal to let any puzzle go unsolved. In the end it is Strange who unravels the
evil fairy’s schemes and sets about confronting him, human magic versus fairy
magic.
Please understand, there is a whole lot more that happens in
this whopping tome and covering every subplot and character would require me to
write a book-long review. Suffice it to
say “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell” is a grand fantasy adventure that will
demand a reader’s willingness to sacrifice hour upon hour of his or her time but
the rewards will be proportional as it is a fantastically brilliant novel that
is so well imagined that by its conclusion, I was sincerely sad to see it come
to a close. Though it does so in one of
the most touching and loving scenes ever put to paper.
One of the major characters asks Strange, should they become
separated for whatever reason, how are they to remember him. He answers, “Think of me with my nose in a
book.” 1006 pages to reach that line and
my eyes watered as I added, “Amen.”
Review – Epilogue
During this time, wanting to keep this column active, I was
saved by the contributions of several dear friends who offered to submit as “guest
reviewers.” My humble and deep thanks to Nancy Hansen, Todd Jones and Derrick
Ferguson for their marvelous reviews.
