Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke (2004)

1006 pages

2 great English magicians

1 thistle-haired gentleman

1 raven king

If you like Guy Gavriel Kay and Jane Austen, you will love this one! Full of wonderfully rich characters, extraordinary magic and deliciously wicked social commentary... you'll never want this one to end.

"Extraordinary... If Harry Potter is the kind of book that makes you want to be a kid again, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is the kind of novel that will remind you that being an adult should be a whole lot more fun." Altlanta Journal-Constitution

"Here is a writer who remembers that true fairy tales carry a sting and their creatures themselves were never properly domesticated to the nursery. Her uncanny book is an object lesson in the pleasure - and risks - of enchantment." Village Voice

"This 1000+ page work of fantasy - think Harry Potter sprinkled with the dust of Tolkien and Alasdair Gray - posits an extraordinary alternative history of England where magic, fairies, spirits and enchantments were once part of every day life.... This incredible work of the imagination, which took Clarke more than 10 years to write, ends all too soon" New York Post.

Published in 2004 - I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading this one! Loved it. It's staying on my shelf so that when I miss Norrell and Strange, I can reach out and grab it and have a lovely visit again.

See: http://www.jonathanstrange.com/ for more goodies.

Have you read this? What did you think?!