girl in greenwood

I heard about this LiveJournal meme - basically, read 50 books this year and blog about it. I can do that!

#1: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I was really excited to get this from the library because the holds list was so long, I figured it must be good. I enjoyed it at first, but then it started to drag. And drag. And it's a really long book. Fortunately, I thought it picked up again near the end, and by the time the book was finished, I was fully engaged.

One aspect I liked was the idea that magic is part of the land, and that most people are just too dense to notice it happening. I also liked the incorporation of the ancient idea that fairies are right here with us, just on the other side of an invisible barrier of time and space. And, I was charmed by the concept that magic can be learned through diligent study.

On the other hand, I felt like the characters never really came alive, and that I never really could visualize the characters or the settings very clearly. Maybe I read too fast or was too distracted... or maybe the author just didn't evoke those things as well as she could have.

Labels: book reports, science fiction