[Green]

I loved Strange and Norrell. This was in part due to the writing itself, but also due to the whole package - the charcoal drawings, the black page edges, the binding quality etc. It added to the feel of the whole thing. I am a sucker for a shiny package (ahem).

The book itself is unashamedly hefty, and it suits the style perfectly. It lets Clarke take her time to tell her tale and meander around while describing the period and the characters' lives. It's one of those books where it doesn't matter if you take your time - there's plenty to take in, and I get the feeling it's a better experience that way. She doesn't feel like a debut novelist, but an accomplished professional, imo.

The story itself could have been a bit beefier for the length of the novel, but that's my only (small) quibble, really. I don't think I would advocate cutting any of the book out/back.

As for a debut that long getting published, all I can add is that I think this is a great thing. I'm sick of authors playing it safe because of arcane and conservative publishing practices. I wish more novels like Strange & Norrell were published - I don't mean very long novels, necessarily, but novels that are as long as they are, as long as they are meant to be. If I were a publisher, reading the same tight tripe every day, I would jump at the chance to publish this book. But then I don't have the bottom line to worry about.

Rant continues. I visit a few writing boards, and it is kind of shocking to me the length to which some (not all) writers on these boards just write by the numbers. Obviously, these people often have to scratch a living from the thing, so they have to write something that will sell... but so many conversations on one board in particular revolve around maximum word counts, maximum chapter sizes, theme above everything, and the same old tired plots/ideas.

I don't find myself wanting to read any of their books.