Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Title:  Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary (with spoilers):

This book is huge, so I'm leaving out a lot of minor characters, as well as bits that aren't essential to the main plot.

The book opens with a meeting of the York Society of Magicians, who study magic, but don't actually practice it. The group reaches out to Mr. Norrell, who is known to have an impressive library of magical texts. Norrell claims he can do actual magic, proving so by animating the statues in York Cathedral. The York magicians are forced to abandon their group, based on an agreement made with Norrell, but Mr. Segundus is allowed to continue the study of magic.

Norrell moves to London with the intention of offering his services to the government. He's befriended by two scoundrels, Lascelles and Drawlight, who associate with Norrell for their own profit. Norrell is having trouble getting the government to take him seriously, so he offers to do a favor for government official Walter Poole by bringing his fiance back to life. He completes the magic by summoning a fairy, a gentleman with thistledown hair, who requires Lady Poole's finger and half her life in exchange. The fairy puts Lady Poole and Walter Poole's servant Stephen Black under an enchantment, forcing them to spend their nights at Lost-hope in the fairy realm.

Norrell asks his servent, John Childermass, to force the street magician Vinculus out of town. Vinculus invades Norrell's house and recites a prophecy to him, the same prophecy which induces Johnathan Strange to become a magician.

After marrying Arabella, Strange comes to London in hopes of being taught magic by Norrell. Although hesitant at first, Norrell soon warms to Strange, the only person with which he can truly discuss magic.

Strange goes to the front to aid Wellington with the war effort against Napoleon. Many entertaining episodes ensue. When Strange gets back to London, he realizes that he would like to express his own ideas about magical theory, causing him to make a break with Norrell.

Meanwhile, everyone thinks Lady Poole is mad, and Stephen Black isn't having such a great time, either. Lady Poole is placed in a care facility run my Mr. Segundus. The fairy, wreaking more havoc, decides to kidnap Strange's wife and make everyone believe she is dead.

Devastated by the "death" of his wife, Strange travels to Italy, where he meets the Greysteel family and manages to summon the fairy. The fairy offers him any gift in the world, and Strange asks for whatever the last magician he talked to gave him. Strange receives Lady Poole's finger, travels to the land of fairy, and realizes that Arabella is alive. The fairy casts a spell so that Strange is covered by a darkness which follows him everywhere.

Strange casts a spell that changes all of England, allowing magic back into the world for anyone who wants to practice it. Drawlight appears in Italy, and Strange sends him back to London with a message for Norrell that he is coming. However, Lascelles murders Drawlight before the message can be delivered.

Strange appears at Norrell's library. Instead of fighting, the two try to summon the Raven King. The fairy murders Vinculus, who has the Raven King's book written upon him, but the Raven King appears (while Childermass is there) to bring Vinculus back to life. Strange and Norrell cast a spell so that England will greet the Raven King, but they accidentally name Stephen Black, who with his new powers is able to kill the fairy, releasing everyone from their enchantments. Stephen then becomes the new king of the fairy land.

Arabella makes it safely to Italy, and is cared for by the Greysteels. Strange and Norrell disappear to fairy, still trapped within the eternal darkness. Strange returns to Arabella, saying he will come to her once they have found a spell to lift the darkness, although he certainly doesn't seem to be in a hurry about it. Arabella promises to wait for him.

My Thoughts:
Excellent world building throughout the book. Clarke makes us believe that magic is a part of English history, creating a detailed magical history through the use of extensive footnotes. She uses phrases such as, "all school children know of [insert famous magician here]." Very well done.

The Jane Austen/regency style of writing was wonderful. She uses the same rhythm and complex sentence structure as classics of the 1800s. The book also has bits of humor here and there. Her writing style made for a delightful read.

However, the book certainly could have been shorter. The whole novel is actually three books in one, coming in at about 800 pages. I think the same story could have been told in 300 or 400 pages. We get a lot of detail about minor characters, like the Greysteels, and Stephen's love interest (who is never mentioned again.) There are also times where the plot loses focus, such as the description of all the various magical tasks of Strange and Norrell. I know this adds to the flavor of the book, but I would have preferred a tighter story.

I'm bothered by the ending. Arabella promises to wait for Strange, who seems in no hurry at all to get back to her. I suppose this is his way of saying goodbye to her, since I don't think either one expects to see the other again. I just wish that Arabella had had a more proactive role in the story, and that she could be defined by something other than her marriage to Strange or the fact that she was enchanted by a fairy. The weird thing is, she's described as being quite independent, and her dialog suggests this as well, but her role within the book is one of subservience. Arabella is not in control of her life.

The Wave in the Mind

The Wave in the Mind by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 Summary (with spoilers)
 A collection of non-fiction essays on reading, writing, and life, including essays on scanning text for stressed/unstressed syllabus, experiences being a woman writer (and a woman in general), discussion of writing workshops, and an essay on uncomfortable footwear for women.

 Thoughts
Such an interesting look into Le Guin's ideas and writing processes. I loved her flowing, yet practical and complex, tips for writing. Le Guin discusses where the ideas for writing come from (hint: not from a mail in order), trying to honestly describe that nebulous, creative space of the writer's mind. She also notes that it can be dangerous to do writing in luxury (such as at a retreat), that luxury should not be a prerequisite for writing, and that it's up to you to make sure you have the practicalities of life (and your real way of making money) squared away. In another piece, Le Guin lays out the assumptions that is found in most fiction, that everyone is male, white, Christian, straight, and young. Breaking down these assumptions is useful for any writer.

 What most surprised me was her essay on women's footwear, noting that American cultural norms encourage women to wear shoes that damage their feet. I'm not sure I'm okay with her use of the practice of foot binding as an analogy, but it is an essay that seriously changed the way I think about this issue. I don't want to be complicit in the idea that women have to ruin their feet to be attractive, so I'm considering never wearing high heels again. The poem at the end about the writing woman was wonderful.