I read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell when the TV series came out a few years ago and although it was quite a long book, I did complete and enjoy it. With this in mind, I was excited to see what else Susanna Clarke would come up with (because I believe this was her only book before.)
The premise sounded really interesting to me and because I love gothic horror, I thought this would be right up my street. I did enjoy it, but I absolutely had to be in the right mood for it. I couldn't force myself to read it because the narrative and language is quite convoluted and requires a lot of concentration. Having said that, it was also so descriptive and I could vividly see the characters in the story, which is something not many books can carry off in a way which holds attention. Overall I would say read this if you like Jonathan Strange or if you like something which take a lot of concentration and will challenge you.
The premise sounded really interesting to me and because I love gothic horror, I thought this would be right up my street. I did enjoy it, but I absolutely had to be in the right mood for it. I couldn't force myself to read it because the narrative and language is quite convoluted and requires a lot of concentration. Having said that, it was also so descriptive and I could vividly see the characters in the story, which is something not many books can carry off in a way which holds attention. Overall I would say read this if you like Jonathan Strange or if you like something which take a lot of concentration and will challenge you.