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Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. “I suppose a magician might,” he admitted, “but a gentleman never could”’
-Exert from Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Okay, so I just finished reading the abovementioned book during my spare today... And now I feel the urge to sing it's praises!
It's a wonderful book, and I have no wish to summarize it - it's just over 1,000 pages long (daunting, I know!) but you really should just read it yourself. The author's website is brilliant, and there are some good summaries up there, so here's a link: http://www.jonathanstrange.com/
I just thought that this book was just so brilliant! It's so layered in meaning, so seeped in history, languages, the culture of England (and English magic!); not to forget healthy doses of really realistic fantasy. :D Plus, I really heart Johnathan Strange... and I even get to like Mr.Norrell by the end.
Mr.Norrell's character is really amusing, as he's the first practical magician to show up for centuries in England, and so should be the most interesting thing since the piano-forte was invented... but he's just so boring to speak to! XD But there are many "aww" moments with the two gentleman-like magicians.
And the magic in this novel! It's much more believable than that of Harry Potter (my other magic love). The descriptions of talking stones, of John Uskglass, of "the gentleman with the thistle down hair", of the random several-page long digressional footnotes... :D There's just so much I love about this book!
*pant pant*
I also began reading it alongside "Great Expectations" in English class. They're written in delibrately similar writing styles (the author of "J.S. & Mr.N" is brilliant for that, and many other things), but it was much more engaging than Great Expectations! They're even set in similar time periods. ... Woa, and I'm distracted because the sky just threw up outside my window. It's litterally raining buckets! And hail! Holy crap!
Okay I'm going to finish up incase there's a blackout.
Okay, I think I'm done now. But everyone, please read this book! It took the author ten years to write, and it really shows - it's a masterpiece!
-Exert from Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Okay, so I just finished reading the abovementioned book during my spare today... And now I feel the urge to sing it's praises!
It's a wonderful book, and I have no wish to summarize it - it's just over 1,000 pages long (daunting, I know!) but you really should just read it yourself. The author's website is brilliant, and there are some good summaries up there, so here's a link: http://www.jonathanstrange.com/
I just thought that this book was just so brilliant! It's so layered in meaning, so seeped in history, languages, the culture of England (and English magic!); not to forget healthy doses of really realistic fantasy. :D Plus, I really heart Johnathan Strange... and I even get to like Mr.Norrell by the end.
Mr.Norrell's character is really amusing, as he's the first practical magician to show up for centuries in England, and so should be the most interesting thing since the piano-forte was invented... but he's just so boring to speak to! XD But there are many "aww" moments with the two gentleman-like magicians.
And the magic in this novel! It's much more believable than that of Harry Potter (my other magic love). The descriptions of talking stones, of John Uskglass, of "the gentleman with the thistle down hair", of the random several-page long digressional footnotes... :D There's just so much I love about this book!
*pant pant*
I also began reading it alongside "Great Expectations" in English class. They're written in delibrately similar writing styles (the author of "J.S. & Mr.N" is brilliant for that, and many other things), but it was much more engaging than Great Expectations! They're even set in similar time periods. ... Woa, and I'm distracted because the sky just threw up outside my window. It's litterally raining buckets! And hail! Holy crap!
Okay I'm going to finish up incase there's a blackout.
Okay, I think I'm done now. But everyone, please read this book! It took the author ten years to write, and it really shows - it's a masterpiece!
