Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a brilliant amalgamation of 19th century style prose, fantasy and contemporary humor. Written by Susanna Clarke, this International Bestseller is one of my favorite novels. I first read this book in 2005 (it was a Christmas gift from a British friend of mine in Greece) and could not put it down. At nearly 1000 pages, I did have to put it down occasionally to go to work but, other than that, I read it voraciously.
It is primarily about 2 British Practical Magicians (those who actually DO magic rather than just talk about it) at a time when everyone believed the ability to practice magic had left England for good. The story takes us from the wind-swept moors of Yorkshire to the society and politics of London to the battlefields of the Napoleonic wars to a Venetian district draped in eternal night, and finally, back to those northern moors. Along the way, we meet fairies, generals, servants who are kings and a King who is mad.
The book is written as though it is a biography of these two men, complete with footnotes and sources. The footnotes are digressions from the main plot and proved the reader with more background about Magic and Faerie than you can shake a wand at. Susanna Clarke's wit is delightful as she manages to be funny while never dropping her 19th century voice. The world she creates is a bewitching mirror image of the real world and her magic is convincing.
Click here to read one of Susanna Clarkes' short stories
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