Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

So I decided to read this book in November and have only just finished it. I must admit that I can be very slow at reading sometimes and this book being a thousand pages plus had the potential of being an up hill struggle for me. With long works in the past I have found my interest failing and I tended to put off reading more until I found that I was no longer invested in the book and put it down for good. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell certainly wasn't like that for me. Maybe it's the slow burn pace of the book or remember-able events that kept me reading it for over two months but I'm glad I did.

Different Magic
There are a lot of novels out there which look at magic in different ways and not just in childrens wand waving fiction either. The Rivers of London series Ben Aaronovitch shows it almost as feelings that can be caught and channeled, In Pratchett's Discworld novels Magic is in almost everything from Trees to Music and Tolken's Magic is a force of nature that can be tapped into. Whilst this book doesn't try and describe what magic is or how the users generate it it does introduce the concept of the study of magic without the use of it. A large number of characters within the book are more than happy to study but not practice and at the outset most believe that it's practice is impossible. This concept is new to me in readings and I thought it original and quite in fitting with the time the book is set in.

Three parts     *Slight spoilers ahead*
The novel is separated into three parts that build toward the end of the third.
The first part concentrates on Mr Norrell, an older man obsessed with books that contain magic. From the outset we learn that he is the only 'Practical Magician' left in Britain and is very happy in the knowledge that there is no one can can challenge his dominance in this field but because he has hidden himself amongst his readings for so long the world does not believe that he is capable of the deeds he claims. To prove himself he moves to London where he preforms a certain piece of magic that gets him noticed by the whole country whilst also setting events in motion at will dictate the outcome of the novel.
The second segment of the book focuses on Jonathan Strange a younger wealthy man who finds he has a gift for Practical Magic after being given a spell by a wanderer. This prompts his further studies into the field only to hindered by lack of books on the subject (someone having hoarded them all to stop others learning). His only course is to approach Norrell and ask for an education. Norrell is reluctant at first but eventually warms to the idea though others around Norrell are not so happy. The two work together until Strange goes to fight in the Peninsular Wars where he proves himself a competent Magician in his own right. The two then split company after it becomes apparent the Strange has grown well beyond the role of apprentice.
The third part is titled John Uskglass and focuses on events set in motion by Norrell early on and magics return to Britain. There is not much to say here without giving away a lot of spoilers.
The way the novel is presented means it flows well with no gaps or major jumps that are explained away later on. It has a smooth course and allows the plot and characters to develop at their own pace with everything touched by magic being changed by the end of the book. This for me justifies the length of the book. If it had been shorter I think it would have missed the slow character development that it benefits from.

A feel for the times
The book starts in 1806 and to me the way never forgets that. Even some of the works are written in an archaic way (Shew/Shewed opposed to Show/showed). Through the descriptive wordings I got a real feel for the time that the novel is set. Especially when Strange is fighting with the British army. This type of immersion within a time period can be very hard to pull off for a contemporary writer. Misplacing a word can bring the illusion down quickly but it is obvious the amount of time Clarke has put into making sure this doesn't happen.

In conclusion I enjoyed reading this and look forward to seeing how well it is adapted to television later this year.