I finally finished Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It’s a huge book, and challenging to read because of its classical style but it was worth it in the end. Susanna Clarke has a vivid, warped and extraordinary imagination, filling the book with weird and wonderful stories within stories. It’s easy to get immersed in the world she creates because it’s written as if it is a factual record of events and ties in several actual historical events and personalities.

This book was hailed as “Harry Potter for adults” by publicists and the media, but I don’t think that description does it justice. The only thing this book has in common with the Harry Potter series is magic, and even then the magic is completely different. It’s like comparing Brave New World with Star Trek just because they’re both set in the future.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a remarkable achievement, exquisitely written. It takes a bit of dedication to get through it though.