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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

By: Susanna Clarke
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman, Richard Armitage, V.E. Schwab
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Bloomsbury presents Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, read by Richard Armitage with Neil Gaiman and an introduction by V E Schwab.

The 20th anniversary edition of the fantasy classic.

‘The book I wish I'd written’ R F Kuang
‘Susanna Clarke writes with an intelligence and beauty that seems at times miraculous’ Katherine Rundell

1806. England is beleaguered by the long war, and centuries have passed since magicians faded from view. But one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell. Proceeding to London, he raises a woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French.

Yet the cautious Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician. Young, handsome and daring, Jonathan Strange is his very antithesis. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men – which overwhelms that between England and France. And soon their own secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine…

'Like Hilary Mantel, Clarke has made the very notion of genre seem quaint' Guardian Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Magical Realism Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Victorian England Funny Magic Users
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Critic reviews

Clarke creates a world beyond our wildest imagination that also tells us something profound about what it is to be human (BERNARDINE EVARISTO)
This is a great huge long book that will change your life ... One of my all-time favourite books (ANN PATCHETT)
A modern masterpiece ... It is that rare beast, a cult novel that is also a mainstream smash hit and continues to beguile its legions of readers to the present day … An indelible, fascinating story, one to lose oneself in for days, even weeks
What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being (DAVID MITCHELL)
A miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling (MADELINE MILLER)
Clarke’s imagination is prodigious, her pacing masterly
One of the greatest and most interesting writers of fantasy in the past hundred years or more
Full of epic sweep and intimate human drama … An imaginative treat
Many books are to be read, and a few are meant to be lived in for weeks. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is of this last kind
Purely joyful reading (NAOMI ALDERMAN)
Ravishing ... Combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece that rivals Tolkien
Admirably inventive, frequently delightful (MICHEL FABER)
Feels unduly classical and nostalgic and yet timeless at the very same time and it has, at the heart of it, that thing which every truly great novel needs: a brilliant story … I adored this book
A triumph of imaginative storytelling
All stars
Most relevant
Written in 19th century style as natural as Austen or O’Brian and concerning matters reminiscent of Alan Garner, Charles de Lint, and Ursula Le Guin. Quite unique.

Very good and very strange

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The story is full of interesting twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The characters are well developed and complex; at different points I either loved them or hated them. And narrator managed to bring them all to life, characters sounded distinct from one another.

Interesting story and superb narration.

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I love this book. It is a masterpiece and I have enjoyed reading it several times. Listening to the audio version added a wonderful dimension to the story and Richard Armitage does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life.

A wonderful book and a brilliant reading

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I really enjoyed this book and particularly this book as an audiobook. The narration is great shifting between the main narrator whose performance is great and the narrator of the footnotes adds a scholarly flourish that compliments beautifully with the storytelling. Each chapter is essentially a compelling and short story, each time expanding the characters and their flaws while carefully pushing the narrative towards its climax - all against the backdrop of incredible invented histories and folklore of the Raven king and the lands of the fairies set alongside English and European history in the time of Napoleon reimagined with the presence of magic. Susanna Clarke has accomplished a feat of combining her extraordinary imagination with storytelling grounded in a reality that you actually believe - a brilliant book

Great audiobook

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Great story and beautiful writing that never lost the overall plot.I thought the narrator was awesome. Finished the book in a week, I’ll miss it.

I loved the writing style.

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