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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 32 hrs and 29 mins
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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
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Publisher's Summary
But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire, the rich, reclusive Mr. Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of lost and forgotten books from England's magical past and regained some of the powers of England's magicians. He goes to London and raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte, creating ghostly fleets of rain-ships to confuse and alarm the French.
All goes well until a rival magician appears. Jonathan Strange is handsome, charming, and talkative, the very opposite of Mr. Norrell. Strange thinks nothing of enduring the rigors of campaigning with Wellington's army and doing magic on battlefields. Astonished to find another practicing magician, Mr. Norrell accepts Strange as a pupil. But it soon becomes clear that their ideas of what English magic ought to be are very different. For Mr. Norrell, their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic. He becomes fascinated by the ancient, shadowy figure of the Raven King, a child taken by fairies who became king of both England and Faerie, and the most legendary magician of all. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.
Sophisticated, witty, and ingeniously convincing, Susanna Clarke's magisterial novel weaves magic into a flawlessly detailed vision of historical England. She has created a world so thoroughly enchanting that 32 hours leave readers longing for more.
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Deep in the labyrinthine corridors of Gormenghast Castle, a child is born. Titus, 77th Earl of Groan, is heir to arcane and all-embracing rituals that determine the activities of everyone from Lord Sepulchrave, his father, to the vast cook, Swelter, and the irrepressible Dr Prunesquallor. But not the steely and devious Steerpike, who will lie, cheat and even murder to get on. One of the greatest feats of sustained imaginative writing, the world of Gormenghast Castle is brilliantly realised in this darkly fantastic novel.
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What the critics say
- Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 2005
- World Fantasy Award Winner, 2005
- Audie Award Finalist, Literary Fiction, 2005
"A smashing success....An exceptionally compelling, brilliantly creative, and historically fine-tuned piece of work." (Booklist)
"Extraordinary....Immersion in the mesmerizing story reveals its intimacy, humor, and insight, and will enchant readers of fantasy and literary fiction alike." (Publishers Weekly)
"Ravishing...superb...combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien." (Time)
"Clarke welcomes herself into an exalted company of British writers - not only, some might argue, Dickens and Austen, but also the fantasy legends Kenneth Grahame and George MacDonald - as well as contemporary writers like Susan Cooper and Philip Pullman." (The New York Times Book Review)
What listeners say about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Big Magnum
- 2021-06-18
Absolutely fantastic
I binged this book and was sad when it was over. I loved everything about it and it was very well performed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer
- 2018-09-13
THIS is why I listen to audiobooks
The narration of this fat novel is over 32 hours long and I did not want it to end. Simon Prebble's voice, Susanna Clarke's magical, mesmerizing story--a winning combination if there ever was one. The events in the novel were so vibrant in my mind's eye that I still have not been able to watch the screen adaptation of the book. #Audible1
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Wilson
- 2018-05-17
Very well done
I've read this several times, it is a wonderful book, full of humour and emotion.
Simon Prebble does a phenomenal narrative job, giving voice to characters exactly as I would expect.
I feel the only disappointment is in that this isy first audiobook, and I've no idea how another could live up to this, or surpass it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Natalie B
- 2022-07-10
not in my top 10
found it a little long, somewhat tedious at times. but it's in a more final writing style that's not my favourite and that might have been the whole issue. the performance was excellent, though, and I will be looking for more recordings by this voice artist
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lewis G.
- 2023-07-03
The color of Heartache
Whimsy and reason mixed in just the right ways. I regret saying anything else as to spoil the content. it is however fantastic. easily recommended!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-07-27
Very English Very Magical
This is certainly a very different type of fantasy novel. It has more in common with Sense and Sensibility than it does with The Lord of The Rings. For large stretches of the book there is very little magic going on at all and the vast majority of scenes seem to take place in sitting rooms and dining parlours. I almost expected myself to be bored during these parts of the book, but it is a testament to the quality of both the writing and the narration that my interest was always held. If you are hoping for many fantastical battles and magical duels you are likely to be disappointed but what's here is engrossing in its own way. The novel borrows heavily from the English literary tradition while also exploring the nature of England itself. The way that the stuffiness and formality of English high society is contrasted with the wildness and violence of faerie magic serves as both the main narrative tension and the means through which the nature of England is explored. Again, this kind of writing isn't what you might normally look for in a fantasy novel, but its charm, humour, and vivid inventiveness make it hard to put down. Simon Prebble's narration is flawless and is a big part of the sell here. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book half as much if it weren't being read to me with all the appropriate accents delivered in all the right places. I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but if Jane Austen and Neil Gaiman already share space on your bookshelf this is certainly a reading well worth your time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ryan Marr
- 2023-01-21
fantastic world building
The format and storytelling in the book make the world feel alive and grounded with magical themes that are very intriguing. A few of the characters have personalities that I found a bit dry almost to the point of being abrasive. They are not bad characters or poorly written, just so believable, and you can be so immersed in the world that you can feel the same discomfort as other characters do when in the same room.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-08-02
Complex, on occasion odious, but simply fantastic
My only suggestion for the audio version would be an option to turn off the sometimes lengthy footnotes.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael I Bax
- 2018-09-04
An amazing tale of magic
At times parts of this book seemed so drenched in historic fiction I was almost giggling with delight as it unfolded while trying to keep up with all of the characters and descriptions. A truly entertaining novel.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Devonius
- 2020-08-30
Enjoyed every word
I didn’t like the movie based on the book, so I wasn’t sure about this one, but I’ve found generally that books are better than the resulting movies/series, and this was no exception. The characters were perfectly presented. The two magicians have very different personalities, and they were very well written so as to make you see both flaws and strengths, no one-dimensional heroes and villains here. The story was engaging and held my interest all the way through, and at no point did I wish for this long story to “just be over already”. Thoroughly enjoyable. Excellent narration, too, particularly for a book with so many characters.
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1 person found this helpful