Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: best of 2004
Review: Susanna Clarke penned the best novel written in 2004, period. As much as I loved Alan Hollinghurst's "the line of beauty", winner of the 2004 Man Booker prize, "Jonathan Strange..." should have won. Bah, literary gossip aside, this is a damn fine read. Think about fantasy written by W.M. Thackeray. No, wait, whenever I mention fantasy people think of either Harry Potter or sword&sorcery fare. Well, rest assured Clarke's novel has close to nothin' in common with that pulp. First of all, the language is utterly beautiful and the writing is brilliant. As for the topic: this carefully footnoted mammoth of a novel is closer to historic fiction than true and sound fantasy. It deals with the return of magic to england, almost-singlehandedly accomplished by one Mr. Norrel, a misanthropic, obscurantist, bibliophile and ultimately hilarious character. Magic is used for practical purposes, such as fighting Bonaparte and protecting her Majesty's kingdom. Things begin to change when Strange, a younger magician, becomes Norrel's pupil. He's far more curious about magic' "exotic" uses, like visiting magic kingdoms of the netherworld and summoning the Raven King, once Britain's fairy ruler. The friendship between the two magicians turns into rivalry and....I won't give the plot away, suffice it to say that this is a page-turner. One little complaint: the ending seemed a bit rushed, meaning that mrs. clarke probably had her editor's breath on her neck. Anyway, read it and you won't feel disappointed! Allegedly, it took 10 years in the making. My only hope is that Mrs. Clarke, under pressures from her editor, won't turn into a bestseller factory and dish out one novel a year because that would in all likelihood spoil the quality of her writing.