Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is, for the most part, set in England in the period between 1806 and 1816, at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. But it is not quite the England we know: in this England magic, real magic, had flourished for centuries. At the opening of the tale, there are dozens of people devoted to the study of magic. There's just one problem: no one can actually do anything magical. So they find consolation through naming themselves "theoretical magicians". Finally, someone asks "Where has English magic gone?" Right on cue, they get the answer to the question with the arrival of England's only living "practical magician", one who can actually do magic. And then things get interesting.
The action takes place in the time of Jane Austen, and Susanna Clarke emulates the story-telling style of the times. She uses obsolete spelling, such as 'chuse' instead of 'choose', archaisms and diction; however, the speed of the narration is modern in its briskness. Although it takes a long time for any kind of plot to emerge, Clarke manages to keep the reader's interest through her use of language, the timing of climaxes and resolutions, and entertaining digressions in the form of explanatory and didactic footnotes. Also of interest is the interactions between the nervous, selfish and conservative Mr Norrell and the more expansive and ambitious Jonathan Strange. A strong cast of minor characters added to the mix help to keep the action moving, sometimes in very unexpected directions.
The book is divided into three parts. Lamentably, the last of these lacks the narrative coherence of the previous two. The tale wanders, seemingly aimlessly, from incident to incident and character to character. It is only in the final few chapters that things get back on track for the final denouement. One may be forgiven for thinking that the story is 200 pages too long.
Overall, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is an engaging story that has the reader eagerly turning the pages. Despite my reservations about the length of book, it was a worthwhile read.
