[knivesout]

I read this book a year back, I think. I had the (still quite huge) trade paperback and used to carry it to work in a special bag so that I could lug it to lunch and back. In other words, I enjoyed it. Susanna Clarke may or may not have captured the flavour of Regency-era prose to perfection (personally I think she's done just enough to get the atmosphere without making the actual reading process a slog), she has captured the leisured, large and lavish feel of a novel of that era. The story unfolds at its own pace, and even dithers about a bit (I felt some of Strange's wanderings on the continent after losing Mrs Strange were a bit pointless), but does take you to several interesting places along the way. I think the characters are true to their era - the dry, humourless Norrell, the not especially interesting but, at least, less boring Strange and so on. The story itself, with it's intimations of a secret fairy-ridden history behind the scenes of Wellignton's battles is fantastic enough that the mundane characters help to ground the story somewhat. I also found the depiction of magic in the book satisfying - it is mysterious, but can be learned, but not without a price. I wonder if Clarke's theme of the rediscovery of magic and especialyl of practical magic anything to do with the rationalism of the age of reason and the indsutrial reason and is her own commentary or response to it, or if magic is just something interesting to write a story about. The footnotes are both a joy and a pain. I enjoyed many, but skipped others. Personally I think Clarke should impose a simple rule on herself, or her typographers - not to let a footnote run beyond the page it is appended to. It's been a while since I read the book, just thought I'd joy down a few general impressions.