What reader can resist fiction with footnotes? Strike that. What could be better than a book so dense it inflicts physical pain upon the reader (in the form of carpal tunnel syndrome)? Strike that.

You know you’re in for an epic when the titular hero is introduced on page 200, by which time you’re likely already in it for the long haul. Yes, indeed, brevity is for the weak and Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is anything but brief. It is a genre-bending romp, a careering yarn, a lucid dream of a book.

Very good, but hard to read. The main reason it was hard to read was its mass – over a kilogram, and a paperback and borrowed to boot. Usually when I have books of this size, they’re hardcover and mine so I don’t have to be quite so careful with them. I actually became physically tired reading this one.
I loved nearly everything else about it. The pacing was excellent – slow at the beginning and gradually building up as the story progressed. Clarke’s writing style was very enjoyable and I really liked how she developed the characters, especially the two greatest magicians of the age. The way she wrote the story felt early 19th century England – the voice was fabulous. The only real nit I have is that the magic and the way it was handled was at times a little inconsistent, but not too bad, and really it was incidental, so it didn’t detract from the story at all.
Good enough to buy, even after reading.

I LOVE this book. But as they say here in Oxford: Term is short, Middlemarch long. I can’t bring pleasure reading on that scale with me or I’d never get any work done. But one of my Midsummer Treats will be to go home, pick it up and finish it. Yea!

Took me a few chapters to get into it, but after about 150 pages, I was hooked! And it took a decently long time to read, which is great for anyone who reads books way too fast

Mind bogglingly well-researched. Lived in it for several weeks last year. The footnotes provide a convincing backstory, that adds to the feeling of this being a historical novel, really, and not one of fantasy. Also, good to hit someome over the head with, though haven’t had a chance to yet.

I’m not a fan of scifi or fantasy books at all. Well, with the exception of some of the Harry Potter books. But this one was surprisingly good. It was entertaining in a way that is hard to describe. The best (and oddest) thing I can say about this book is that I kept seeing ravens out of the corner of my eye during the few weeks I was reading this. Creepy.

I thought that Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was really good. I’ve seen a few people mention that they couldn’t get into it, but I was hooked from page one. I especially liked the footnotes with explanations and side stories. Clarke has an amazing ability to build a very intricate world of politics with enchanting magic. I especially loved how each character played an important role in the eventual outcome of the novel.

At the end of the novel I was left with a feeling of fullness. I felt like everything made sense and I didn’t have a list of questions. The only thing I wondered was whether or not Lady Pole ever forgave the magicians (especially Strange) upon realizing that it wasn’t Strange’s fault for the events that she endured and it was ultimately their (Norrell and Strange) doings that helped her.

Also, who loved the outcome of Lascelles? I thought it was great!

I have to agree with radmadhatter, this book just meanders on aimlessly. Decided to shelf it and go look for a book with more of a plot.

A wonderful book with Dickensian overtones. Read this one.

I was intrigued because it was Time’s Book of The Year, and the fact that usually fantasy books tend to not get this much attention. It is a little bit hard to get into, and it’s alot to get through, but if you stick with it, the world the Clarke paints for you is something you want to keep coming back to. The characters are unusual, and though it’s not a ‘fast-paced’ novel, the subtleties of every single detail in this book (though at times a little too much) are all part of the whole, and that is what makes it brilliant.

I have not finished this book and probably will not come back to it. I had a really hard time getting into the story.