Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Two birthdays ago, a friend wanted to buy me a gift. I said to her that she could get me a book that she felt was worth keeping. Well, she sent me Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It did not disappoint.

The book is nearly 1006 pages long. Yes, you read that right. It is an engaging book about English magic, and whether it is possible to bring back magic to England.

I enjoyed a mythical walk alongside interesting characters, was ensnared by their pettiness, pridefulness, chuckled behind their backs, all the while wondering how the book would end.

Gilbert Norrell knows a lot about magic and would be a great magician if he weren't too cautious and proud, and a little too self-regarding. Jonathan Strange is the oppositive; a juvenile knowledge of magic, inquisitive, daring, eager, and is given the dashing looks and charm and gentlemanliness that we want to daydream about in a magician we might like. The master and understudy relationship between these two is tested, really tested. Will they find common ground? Is this their wish, and if so, what might be the sacrifice? If not, then what is the point of their being and the magic they practice – dangerous or not? Is all magic dangerous? How about England and magic – will English magic return? You’ve got to read this book for yourself.

There is war, death, limbo, darkness -- dangerous darkness -- and if you go far enough, you might not return. Some people will stop at nothing to discover the truth, and Jonathan is not one to shy away from a challenge. Some stumble upon truth and discover it was what they had always hoped for and more. In all of this, we need someone with whom we journey into the unknown.

It is a book worth reading, owning, and reading again and again. If you have the opportunity, try the audio book too.