Review: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke

After a year of on-again/off-again effort I have finally done it. I have finished reading the 846 page monster that is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Hallelujah!

"Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me; the first shall be governed by thieves and murderers; the second shall conspire at his own destruction; the first shall bury his heart in a dark wood beneath the snow, yet still feel its ache; the second shall see his dearest possession in his enemy's hand..."

It sounds interesting huh? And it comes with many accolades from critics and bloggers alike. The book is a complete history of the make believe world of magical 1800s England. Susanna Clarke did a thorough job of making this world of hers seem like it was based on something real. The characters are caricatures but that's what makes them lovable.

But the huge size of it could certainly be a turn off. If you are looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat or be compelling enough to keep you interested for the entire 850 pages you will be disappointed. It moves very slowly, developing the magicians' relationship with each other over a ten year period. But the characters and the history is so well developed that if you can stick it out you will be rewarded near the end with suspense and the remorse one feels when a book is over. The best way to handle it is in small steady mouthfuls. I read 2 chapters a night and was amazed by my progress. Each chapter or two is a little story unto itself making this way of reading much easier. It lets you progress without getting too bored with the pace.

It was a perfect fit for finishing off the RIP III Challenge which ends today. Ah, just in the nick of time. And it is another title crossed off the Wind-Up Book Chronicle Challenge. Very satisfying.

Buy this book from Amazon.

Review: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher
by Kate Summerscale

It almost seems redundant to summarize this investigative case study yet again as so many bloggers have reviewed this one in recent weeks but I can't say it any better than the first sentences of the introduction:

"This is the story of a murder committed in an English country house in 1860, perhaps the most disturbing murder of its time. The search for the killer threatened the career of one of the first and greatest detectives, inspired a 'detective-fever' throughout England, and set the course of detective fiction."

What you will find between the covers is a vastly well researched account drawn from newspaper articles, court records, correspondence and published accounts written after the tragedy. The notes and bibliography sections alone are 40 pages worth. Every detail that could possibly be found out about this case, the people involved and public opinion at the time were drawn out and redrawn into a chronology meant to give the reader a chance to see it from all angles. The sheer volume of details could be overwhelming at times but I believe this to have been intentional. Overwhelmed is exactly what everyone involved with the case was; everyone except Mr. Whicher who had such confidence in his assessment from such an early point and never wavered from it that the public considered him dangerously arrogant, determined to destroy an innocent youth. There was a point when I thought there was some extraneous detail but it soon proved to be of importance to Ms. Summerscale's purpose. All I can say is, "Very well done."

One of the elements that held my interest throughout was the inclusion of excerpts and background from popular detective fiction that the case inspired. I now have small list of books I want to read right away but with an eye for connections to this story:

• Lady Audley's Secret


• The Woman in White


• The Moonstone


• Bleak House


• The Mystery of Edwin Drood


• The Turn of the Screw

Two of these titles are in my RIP III "pool" (along with this book) making them my enthusiastic choices for reading, at least for today.

While the presentation is full and unadorned I wouldn't call it dry. I wanted to keep reading to find out what else there was to discover. And there are new revelations in each chapter, including the five paragraph Afterword. I highly recommend this title.

Buy this book on Amazon

The R.I.P. III Challenge is Here Again

Carl is at it again! He is enticing me to join another reading challenge. I have participated in all of Carl's challenges from the beginning and can honestly say that he hosts the best challenges ever. This year he is making a change to the R.I.P. III Challenge. He is asking us to give a "pool" of possible reading options instead of a list that we will feel compelled to read but ultimately will stay from, resulting in a feeling of guilt. He has just made it too easy for me to join. Here is my pool:

• The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare
• The Nutcracker and the Golden Pot by E.T.A. Hoffmann
• Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen
• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• The Ghost Writer by John Harwood
• A Fine and Private Place by Peter Beagle
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Though I am having a very productive reading month I know it will slow down with the start of school next week so I am signing up for Peril the Second which only commits me to reading 2 of the above selections, with the hopes of getting to a couple more when I can. Happy reading!