The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Spring 2017 Group Read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

is there any reason that this choice for a group read is so much longer than the others?

Aprile wrote: "is there any reason that this choice for a group read is so much longer than the others?"

Because it's the book that the SRC members voted for.

Trish wrote: "As it's such a big book, is it okay to use the pre-reading rules? So if anyone wants to make a start on it, its okay as long as we don't get more than c.500 pages in (the book having 1006pg total)?"

yes, the pre-reading rules work for any book over 500 pages, regardless of whether the book is a group read.

Cheers, Sandy.

FYI, this book is on sale at Amazon for $1.99 for Kindle today.

Brooke TX

I loved this. Regency historical fantasy is one of my favorite subgenres, and this book has the period charm of an Austen novel combined with the lyrical fantasticism of Neil Gaiman. That said, it was slow reading, mostly because of a meandering plot, but that's also part of its charm. I read and enjoyed Sorcerer to the Crown last year, and I can definitely see how this book influenced that one.

Well worth the investment of time - I enjoyed the audio version which took me a leisurely 17 days. It was narrated expertly by Simon Prebble who made the story come alive with all his accents.

Now I swear by "book and by bird" whenever taking an oath, lol

I want to watch the 2015 BBC mini-series and see if their casting matches the movie that played in my mind as I listened.

I imagined Paul Giamatti as Mr. Norrell!!

I absolutely loved this book. It's one that I had been meaning to read for a while as it's right up my alley (fantasy and historical fiction are two of my favorite genres) but I hadn't gotten around to it since I prefer to read only one long fantasy at a time, and I was preoccupied with some other series. I am incredibly glad that I finally read it- Susanna Clarke's writing is spotless, humorous, and full of heart. She's done something truly unique and wonderful with this work, and I can't think of a book that has a lot of real similarities. 5/5 for me, and a book I hope to reread eventually (and I don't often reread).

Fantasy is really not my thing, but I did enjoy this book. I listened to the audio ... I think I would listed to Simon Prebble read his grocery list!

I liked the play / counter play between the two magicians, and particularly enjoyed the scenes where they are influencing the Napoleonic Wars ... an armada of ghost ships made of rain! or moving an entire city to the United States! I also really liked the subplot involving Stephen.

That being said, however, this was just way too long. I found my mind wandering as much as the plot did. And by hour 29 (out of 36 hours) I was ready for it to culminate.

I certainly understand the popularity of the novel, but as I said at the beginning ... it's really not my thing, and I wouldn't go out of my way to read another novel by Clarke

I'm starting this today, I'm hoping that it lives up to my first reading experience of this, when it first came out I had a gorgeous black edged hard back copy (which sadly my house rabbit found very tasty) despite it's weight and how uncomfortable it was to hold it to read it I loved it. I will report back when I'm finished.

READ 60

OMG I finally finished the book. I found the idea of magic wonderful and the idea that you could learn it by studying books was exciting. I however got very confused about needing a fairy to help and that the fairies were bad , tricky and divisive. I also had trouble between the two worlds and the two of the same people at the same time. Would I recommend the book NO.

Pamela3265

I listened to the audiobook. Normally there comes a point in the audiobook that I get drawn in and either seek out a physical copy or schedule a marathon house cleaning session so that I can finish it quicker. That didn't happen with this book. While I found the description intriguing, the execution wandered and really needed a good editor to cut it down to essentials. Great sagas (The Lords of the Rings and Harry Potter, for example) have a great deal of back story created by the author that isn't included in the original work. Much of the information was extraneous and not necessary to the main plot.

I finally finished the book, but it was a bit of a slog at times. While I loved the fantasy magical aspect, there were repetitive parts that I felt were too descriptive to maintain the pace of the story. Like Pamela said, a good editor might have made the book a more enjoyable, thrilling story to read. I did like how the book moved through various settings, but at times there were too many characters with inconsequential roles for me to keep them all straight - especially if I put the book down for a bit. Overall I did love the book and would recommend it but only if you have some long summer days with which to enjoy it.

I am just over 1/2 done with this book. I am listening to the audio version available on Overdrive for free. I love it. I've been meaning to read this for the longest time but was afraid because it is sooo long. But, it is keeping my interest and I love how the two magicians interact, and the whole premise of magic dying. I'm really glad this was selected as a group read because it finally pushed me to get it done. Can't wait for the second 1/2!

The only way I got through this book is because I chose an audible version and the narrators were enjoyable to listen to. There was a lot that could have been cut out to shorten this up.

I can certainly understand why the ratings for this book were generally 5 stars or 1 star. I fell out closer to the 5 star feelings myself. The book was a bit too long, it could have done with a bit of editing around the descriptive passages, but the writing was generally as magical as the book itself. I found myself occasionally reading out loud in public and its good that I have accepted my weirdo status or this book might have cemented it. The geese enjoyed my orations at least. :D

Loved the subplots woven seamlessly into the novel, loved the relationship between magicians, loved the dry humor, loved the Raven King mythology. My only regret is that I hurried a bit because I was using this book for several challenges. It is a book to be savoured at a leisurely pace.

Book Concierge wrote: "Fantasy is really not my thing, but I did enjoy this book. I listened to the audio ... I think I would listed to Simon Prebble read his grocery list!

I liked the play / counter play between the t..."

I agree with your review. I listened the audio version as well, and one of my favorite parts was when Jonathan Strange was helping at Waterloo by bringing up earth to grab the horses, and having the rain keep the French soldiers literally stuck in mud.

I'm nearly done with this book and am mostly pleased with my choice to read it.

Like others, I find this book far longer than necessary. There are moments when I'm completely engaged and curious about what's coming next, and others when I find myself wondering, "why was this chapter necessary??"

In particular, I enjoyed the tone of the book, the women characters (wish there were more of them!), and the "Lost-Hope" world. And, as I listened to the audiobook as well, I will add to the praise of the narrator's performance, who kept me interested at times when the story did not.

I also listened to this book on audio. Most of the time I was bored. It was way too long. I did like certain aspects of the book. I did love the magic and the mythology weaved in. I did like the narrator and thought he did a great job but for the most part, I was pretty bored.

Sandy wrote: Trish wrote: "As it's such a big book, is it okay to use the pre-reading rules? So if anyone wants to make a start on it, its okay as long as we don't get more than c.500 pages in (the book having 1005pg total)?"

yes, the pre-reading rules work for any book over 500 pages, regardless of whether the book is a group read.

Well, in the end, the pre-reading rules are going to have spanned seven months! I only ever got about 20% of it read in the challenge it was a group read for - I've read the rest in the Summer challenge.

Such a bi-polar book. Tedious in places, brilliant in others, and I'm really glad I saw the BBC mini series first. But I MADE IT! And I'm glad I did.