I love books. Books are magic. I used to work at my college's library in 2007. Every shift I would end up having to shelve books, or go through each shelf to make sure that books were not out of order. One night a stumbled upon Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I felt like I had found some long forgotten tome when I picked it up. It was paperback. Black lettering in a period font with a silhouette of a raven on the front. Now, I know you're not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I was intrigued immediately. It is the best book I've ever read.
I will admit that I found the first sixty pages or so a bit difficult to get into, but it is more than worth it for the story that follows. The characters are crafted with love and humour, the dialogue is sharp and it feels like it really did happen. I know that the style of this book is off-putting for many people because it's in a period style, but that is one of the reasons it recommended itself to me. I've always been a big fan of Austen (many people compare the two) and I enjoy history and fantasy. I had great fun witnessing different historical events being interpreted through this lens of this alternate reality, and even more when historical characters made cameos.
This book has it all, really; magic, romance, history, battles, betrayal, heartbreak, humour- and it is so well researched! Did you know that it took Susanna Clarke ten years to write this book? There are so many details masterfully interwoven that when you finish you'll want to read it again and again because there is so much more to take in. This book was also included in Time's Top Ten Books of the Decade.
Most of the people I try to persuade to read this book are put off by its size, but by the time it's over, you'll wish it was twice as long.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
I love books. Books are magic. I used to work at my college's library in 2007. Every shift I would end up having to shelve books, or go through each shelf to make sure that books were not out of order. One night a stumbled upon Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I felt like I had found some long forgotten tome when I picked it up. It was paperback. Black lettering in a period font with a silhouette of a raven on the front. Now, I know you're not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I was intrigued immediately. It is the best book I've ever read.
I will admit that I found the first sixty pages or so a bit difficult to get into, but it is more than worth it for the story that follows. The characters are crafted with love and humour, the dialogue is sharp and it feels like it really did happen. I know that the style of this book is off-putting for many people because it's in a period style, but that is one of the reasons it recommended itself to me. I've always been a big fan of Austen (many people compare the two) and I enjoy history and fantasy. I had great fun witnessing different historical events being interpreted through this lens of this alternate reality, and even more when historical characters made cameos.
This book has it all, really; magic, romance, history, battles, betrayal, heartbreak, humour- and it is so well researched! Did you know that it took Susanna Clarke ten years to write this book? There are so many details masterfully interwoven that when you finish you'll want to read it again and again because there is so much more to take in. This book was also included in Time's Top Ten Books of the Decade.
Most of the people I try to persuade to read this book are put off by its size, but by the time it's over, you'll wish it was twice as long.
~Maple