Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

[binkie]

Anyone else testing the hype yet? Have got over suspiciousness about gimmickry & am quite enjoying the minimally punctuated dryness & refreshingly UNlikeable characters.

[Marina]

It's on my Christmas list but your pithy assessment of it is beginning to make me wonder if it is quite my thing, Binkie! Could you let me know what else you think of it as you plough onwards...

[binkie]

The gimmicks are ideas about parallels I think - eg set in early 19th c England But Not As We Know It, a la Phillip Pullman; and story is partly (or perhaps even really) carried in the footnotes, a la Pale Fire or even [pretentious icon] Derrida. And once something's a bit clever-clever it needs to have something pretty substantial to say to carry that off. (I like David Mitchell, eg, I think he manages it.)

What does seem to me to be inherently good is the characters - far more complex and interesting (and darker) than you'd expect in the Fantasy-about-Magic this is being sold as. They are pretty substantial, I think.

[Marina]

I loved the "otherness" of Pullman's world, so I think I might be on the right tracks after all Binkie. Thanks
As a moderator I have to say I am concerned about the invoking of Derrida before 10am.

[motherinferior]

I've stopped. Halfway through. Am very probably Too Lightweight for it (I like good fantasy - mainly children's fantasy, which is usually very well done/Pullman/Pratchett/Wynne Jones/Hambly. You have to, in our house, with DP around. You've never seen so many books with the title Dragon in them till you enter the portals of the Inferiority Complex).

It is under my bed, leering reproachfully at me. Should I keep going?

[Marina]

Or you could send it round to mine to keep The Life of Pi and dh's copy of Jonathan Bate's huge biog of John Clare company under our bed, MI!
Anyone else got fat challenging neglected tomes in need of some companionship?

[Dior]

Message withdrawn

[Demented]

Marina, The Life of Pi is fantastic, once you get past the first 100 pages.

[spacedonkey]

Reviving this thread to see if there are any more opinions on this?

[motherinfestivemood]

It's moved to leering reproachfully to me from the bookshelf, with no progress made, I'm afraid.

[Cinderellascarrieg]

I rather enjoyed it - must admit I got to the end feeling a bit 'what the chuff was THAT all about, then?'. Not exactly plot driven, but fun.

[spacedonkey]

cinders, there's a new book swap thread if you have any swapsies!

[Cinderellascarrieg]

oooh ta! My dad's pinched 'Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell', though...

[spacedonkey]

here it is

[DillyDally]

The postage on this book would be hefty
Am currently struggling on and have not even reached Jonathan strange yet