Reading the Chunksters discussion

Ok...here is the final discussion thread.

What were your thoughts on this section?

What about the entire book as a whole?

Also, Let us know what *star* rating you are giving this book so the group bookshelf can rate it.

I've just finished it. Wow, what a ride. That's really all I can say right now... I'll have to collect my thoughts a bit more before writing a review.

As a whole, I thought it was marvellously inventive. The ending disappointed me a little - it was not quite the climax I had hoped for. Arabella was left out on a limb and I wondered if the author was just making a point of avoiding the 'happy ending' on principle. And I would have liked to have seen John Uskglass play a bigger part. But I gave it 5 stars because I thought 'amazing' fitted it well.

I finished this morning and while I enjoyed the book, I can't seem to give it more than 3 stars. It was a fun read, with lots of interesting things throughout, but it wasn't what I normally tag as a 4-5 star read.

The footnotes at times bogged me down, other times I found them fun and interesting. As a whole though, I'm not a fan of them.

I loved how the intensity grew at the end and I'm ok with the ending between Strange and Arabella. I like that it wasn't happy ever after but that there remains hope that they will be reunited at some point.

Overall, fun and I'm glad I read it. I think this is my first book finished with the group so that is also a fun thing. :)

I thought the ending was marvellous. I don't like endings all neatly tied up. Life isn't like that. I prefer the ending of a great story to leave me thinking.

I loved John Uskglass's brief appearance. His air of mystery thus retained. I felt sad for Arabella and Jonathan and wonder if they ever got back together. I doubt it. I felt Arabella accepted magic would always come first with him and she was independent enough to live without him. It's clear they love each other but are prepared to set each other free and if they come back together, then they are meant to be.

I also wonder if Strange and Norrell managed to dispell the eternal darkness. I think Norrell, who was happiest shut up in his library away from society, would be quite happy tethered to Strange from now on. He seemed to see the error of his ways and realise the respect he had for Strange.

I just loved the whole story, the characters, the flippant tone. The magic was fantastic, the way it was described. And I liked the alternative c19y history we were offered. I won't view Wellington, Buonaparte, Byron etc. in the same light again.

So glad I finally read the book, thanks to this group. I can't stop thinking about John Uskglass. I like how Clarke left me wanting more.

5 stars from me.

Glynis wrote: "I thought the ending was marvellous. I don't like endings all neatly tied up. Life isn't like that. I prefer the ending of a great story to leave me thinking."

Agreed. I really liked the ending for the same reasons.

I did find John Uskglass's appearance a bit anticlimactic, though. So much of the book was about the mystery surrounding him, and I guess I expected that when he showed up we would learn more about the real story -- the man, as opposed to the myth. I'm not sure what was missing exactly, I just thought there were some loose ends there.

I agree virtually with everyone who posted earlier. The book was worth the effort - it is beautifully written and such a delight. I would say it is a literary dessert - it is not a literary cannon like Dickens, Dostoevsky, or Hardy, but without desserts out life will be less enjoyable and less accomplished. It is the scrumptious, delicious, and beckoning dessert. And I also like the fact that events take place not in the imaginary 'once upon a time', but in the true historical environment.

I am somewhat disappointed by the presence/absence of John Uskglass (I expected his presence to be more of a revelation), but otherwise the plot, though inconclusive and a tad amorphous, is logical and bitter-sweet, or, because I used the metaphor of the dessert earlier, this literary dessert has a tart and tangy aftertaste. I stand in awe of Clarke - she successfully managed to combine hilarious, sad, and even scary and gruesome passages in the book. In my opinion the book deserves four stars.

Any good book is only half of its value without the discussion. And I would like to thank our moderator and the participants - your insightful posts immensely enriched my perception and turned this long literary journey into a treasure-trove of fun and stimulating book banter.

I rated it 5 stars.

I really loved the ending, it allowed an air of mystery to linger while at the same time resolving the plots- perhaps not in a happy ever after way, but you weren't left thinking "Wait, so what *did* happen to so-and-so."

As for Uskglass's minor appearance I think that Strange said it best when he realized how large the eye of the raven was, and how he was perfectly happy not being in The Raven Kings line of sight for a while.

I want to know what other people thought about Vinculus saying that Strange and Norrell were part of the spell that Uskglass had been casting, that everything was a part of it? That part really struck me and I've been left wondering about it. Magic has returned to England, but it seems much more egalitarian, do you think the Uskglass wanted to England to rely on other means than magic, and to make sure that it wasn't in the hands of just a few?

I finally finished the book today and gave it 4 stars. I thought that the writing was fantastic and I was perfectly content with the ending. I think I would have been a little disappointed if the ending wrapped itself in a pretty bow and lived happily ever after. The book was such a dark almost gothic type read, that a happy ending would be a contradiction.

I enjoyed reading everyone's comments and discussions of the story. I can not wait to read another with this group.

Glynis wrote: "I thought the ending was marvellous. I don't like endings all neatly tied up. Life isn't like that. I prefer the ending of a great story to leave me thinking.

I loved John Uskglass's brief appear..."

Agree in every point. I know I will be thinking about this book for weeks.
For Uskglass: As Vinculus said, he was not absent, he was there all the time - in Strange and Norrell. Also in this third part of the book, when everybody adopted the ability to read the sky/ground/..., it made Uskglass present for me.
I love Vinculus being a book. I love how everything fits in the end, and how it doesn't fit in the way one would expect it. I love the stories edges. I wish I could rate it six stars; it is one of the most extraordinary books I have read. It holds a special place in my shelf.

John Uskglass rewrote Vinculus-the-book because his prophecy came to pass. Uskglass has always been present. I can see how the characters were part of his spell to return his magic to England.

By the way, I liked what happened to Lascelles. I wonder if he is still there defending the lady in the tower.

In mythology the trickster raven has been on the earth from the dawn of time. The magic of John Uskglass will always be there.

I wish there were a follow up book. I also love how the stones, sky etc. spoke to the other. It's quite nice to imagine that the universe listens to us and that we are all connected.

i absolutely love this book! i thought everything was tied up nicely. seriously, this is the first chunkster that i've finished ahead.

i hear there's going to be a sequel: http://www.sfsite.com/02a/su193.htm

of course, it took her ten years to write this one, so...

although, truth be told, i like the way it ends. it isn't sad, but it isn't perfect either. i'm not sure that either of the two men deserve...not sure if deserve it the right word...happy endings. what lessons would they learn?

Stephanie wrote: "i absolutely love this book! i thought everything was tied up nicely. seriously, this is the first chunkster that i've finished ahead.

i hear there's going to be a sequel: http://www.sfsite.com/02..."

I liked that she portrayed them in a grey color - Mr. Strange, to my taste, has more redeeming features than Mr. Norrell, but neither of them is perfect. And there is a certain pervasive feeling of sadness. Magic is not 'elitistic' any more, but those two are bound to be together, at least for a while.

yes, exactly...hmm, progress is always bittersweet and does not come without sacrifice.

I am very intrigued by a sequel!! I am going to keep my eyes out for that book.

Definitely! I'm glad this novel is so rich that you could also reread it, just in case there won't be a sequel after all. But let's not hope it!

I would definitely re-read this, sequel or not. It was brilliant. I had to ponder the ending for a bit, because I didn't like some of it (Strange seems so emotionally detached from Arabella, for example) but I think I liked it after all. The ragged edges kind of leave the rest to "history" as it were.

The writing drew me in almost from the beginning (the first few chapters were a little slow), and I flew through it. I listened on audio and it still only took me a few days. I haven't been that entranced (enchanted?) with a book in quite some time. A new favorite, for sure!