Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

The negatives first.

The book was too long. Or perhaps, more truthfully, I didn't have enough time to read it. I wish I could have sat down and read it solidly for two weeks, doing nothing else. But I couldn't, I read a chapter a day and it took me two months or so, and at that rate it was just too long a time span.

Also I didn't like Norell, I thought he was dull and boring. But you know what, this criticism is really a compliment. The characters are so well realised that you have real opinions about them, as if you know them. Norell annoyed me with his conservatism and mild mannered power grabbing schemes. And compared to Strange he was just so dull.

So onto the positives (after my admittedly quite positive negatives).

I loved Strange, how he kind of wandered into magic, but then was not afraid to try anything. Especially serving Wellington in Spain, I loved the imaginative use of magic as a weapon. I loved the way that the fantasy was woven into history as though it had always existed. I loved the Englishness of it. I loved the writing. The book basically swallowed me up, throwing me into its world and characters. It was wonderfully well done. I also loved the footnotes, I don't think I've ever read footnotes so big, entire stories no less.

If you can make the time to read this book I would highly recommend it. If the term fantasy puts you off, then don't let it, it is fantasy, but it is not cliched fantasy, it is brilliant, subtle fantasy with fabulous characters.