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  • Slow, long and not worth the effort.

  • As a high school British Literature teacher, I normally enjoy prose written in the Victorian style the author pitifully tried to re-create. The only reason this novel avoided a 1 star rating was the hilarious portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Byron. That is it. Those were the only things I ... Continue

    As a high school British Literature teacher, I normally enjoy prose written in the Victorian style the author pitifully tried to re-create. The only reason this novel avoided a 1 star rating was the hilarious portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Byron. That is it. Those were the only things I even remotely enjoyed. The ending was very quick and horrible. The characters were flat and uninteresting. I basically wasted 2 weeks of my reading life forcing myself through the 846 pages of overrated jargon.

    

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• ― shanetucker said on Aug 12, 2009 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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  • could not get into this book

    

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• ― Vfwkim said on Aug 9, 2008 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

• .

  • Brilliant story

  • Okay, so the beginning may have been a little bit slow - but not enough to put you off of the book. And as you keep reading, you realise how necessary all of it was.

    The character and location development is gorgeous. The storytelling is witty and intelligent and moves along well after the fir ... Continue

    Okay, so the beginning may have been a little bit slow - but not enough to put you off of the book. And as you keep reading, you realise how necessary all of it was.

    The character and location development is gorgeous. The storytelling is witty and intelligent and moves along well after the first bit.

    I absolutely loved the story, mostly because of its depth and intelligence.

    

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• ― Joel Goodman said on Jun 5, 2008 about the Hardcover edition| Add your feedback

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  • My thoughts

  • I admit when I first saw this book I was reluctant to read it - not because of the subject. I like books about magic and history, but because of the size. From the beginning, however, Clarke's writing pulled me into this world in which magic is studied and practiced, used and misunderstood. I especi ... Continue

    I admit when I first saw this book I was reluctant to read it - not because of the subject. I like books about magic and history, but because of the size. From the beginning, however, Clarke's writing pulled me into this world in which magic is studied and practiced, used and misunderstood. I especially liked the interactions between Norrell and Strange and the ones between the servant Stephen Black and the faery gentleman with the thistle-down hair.

    

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• ― krin5292 said on May 30, 2008 about the Hardcover edition| Add your feedback

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  • This book started a bit slowly but I gradually became very engrossed in it. I found myself feeling that this was very real and I couldn't figure out why I didn't know a lot of this history!

    

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• ― Mccauslinj said on May 15, 2008 about the Hardcover edition| Add your feedback

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  • Finally finished this book on audiobook. Was too long for me, and I'm just not crazy about the Victorian type prose.

    

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• ― Avi said on Jan 24, 2008 about the Hardcover edition| Add your feedback

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The Collective (37)

NY Times Notable Book Club (328)

50 Book Challenge! (445)

Eclectic Book Club (230)

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