Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (2006)
Description
Fiction. Short Stories. HTML: Following the enormous success of 2004 bestseller and critics' favorite Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke delivers a delicious collection of ten stories set in the same fairy-crossed world of 19th-century England. With Clarke's characteristic historical detail and diction, these dark, enchanting tales unfold in a slightly distorted version of our own world, where people are bedeviled by mischievous interventions from the fairies. With appearances from beloved characters from her novel, including Jonathan Strange and Childermass, and an entirely new spin on certain historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, this is a must-have for fans of Susanna Clarke and an enticing introduction to her work for new listeners..… (more)
Media reviews
In the end, Ladies of Grace weaves a similar magic as Jonathan Strange, but perhaps the book is not magical enough.
the stories in The Ladies of Grace Adieu are consistently subtle and enchanting, and as charismatic as any reader could wish, but, while the collection has the panache of [Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell], it lacks its glorious self-possession. The stories feel a little adrift, a little raw,
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occasionally too neat; they're not the natural heirs to the magnum opus. But then, how could they be, and why should they be? A short fiction collection is a different beast to a novel, and is bound to work on its readers in entirely different ways.
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They are uniformly clever and meticulously composed, knowledgeable of folk traditions while giving them a modern spin.
Whether it takes 10 months or 10 years to produce her next full-length work, Susanna Clarke is a better writer than this showcase would have you believe. Devotees and completist fans of Strange and Norrell will want to get their hands on this book, but the rest will probably want to wait.
"Mr. Simonelli or the Fairy Widower" is the most authentically creepy story here. A tale of a fairy who kidnaps young women and consigns them to the direst conditions imaginable, it wanders into Stephen King territory, though without the overt gore. "John Uskglass and the Cambrian Charcoal Burner"
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is a perfectly constructed fable with a witty, judicious outcome.
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Clarke, in following her 800-page bestseller with these short pieces, is engaged in an experiment, and it isn't entirely successful.
User reviews
LibraryThing member richardderus
What a delectable cocktail peanut of a book. I wish it had been available before Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, because it would have made a perfect gateway drug to the longer, more intense, and more exhausting high of the Big One. But that's like complaining that you only won $10 million in the
Nine stories set in Miss Clarke's vastly improved nineteenth-century England, the one where magical beings are and the operations of magic happen to all the people. These operations aren't always pleasant, or even kind ("Mrs Mabb", "Antickes and Frets"); sometimes, though, the balance of justice gets a magical turbocharge with satisfying results ("Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby", "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner"); and for the rest? Sheer pleasure to read.
Clarke creates this magical England carefully, a term I use despite its connotations of grindhood and laborious tedium; the care, gratefully, is virtually invisible to the reader. It shows itself in the effortless naturalism of these clearly contra-natural stories. It is a sign of a master storyteller working at close to peak performance. One never thinks, "Oh c'mon!" about the antics of the magical characters, since they are provided with clear, though sometimes skewed, motives for their actions. It's a pleasure to meet John Uskglass and see his interaction with the mundane world in all its bilateral confusion and misunderstanding! Tom Brightwind and Dr. Montefiore are the classic mismatched buddies that I do honestly meet in real life; even though one is a fairy that doesn't change their dynamic.
The physical book, the hardcover edition that I have anyway, is as pleasurable to possess as the stories themselves are. The handsome cloth binding, stamped with Charles Voss's beautiful floral illustration, begins the pleasure; beautiful oxblood colored endsheets are rich, inviting, somewhat unsettlingly colored; then the line drawings within the text and the handsome, clear typography complete the impression of careful, thoughtful presentation of these delightful tales.
Anyone who quailed at the sheer massiveness of the tome Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell should read these stories, and understand that equal pleasures of a more sustained sort await between those widely separated covers. Anyone who simply loves good storytelling and good stories told should run and get this book. It's very much worth your time and money.
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lottery..."oh shut up" is the best response.Nine stories set in Miss Clarke's vastly improved nineteenth-century England, the one where magical beings are and the operations of magic happen to all the people. These operations aren't always pleasant, or even kind ("Mrs Mabb", "Antickes and Frets"); sometimes, though, the balance of justice gets a magical turbocharge with satisfying results ("Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby", "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner"); and for the rest? Sheer pleasure to read.
Clarke creates this magical England carefully, a term I use despite its connotations of grindhood and laborious tedium; the care, gratefully, is virtually invisible to the reader. It shows itself in the effortless naturalism of these clearly contra-natural stories. It is a sign of a master storyteller working at close to peak performance. One never thinks, "Oh c'mon!" about the antics of the magical characters, since they are provided with clear, though sometimes skewed, motives for their actions. It's a pleasure to meet John Uskglass and see his interaction with the mundane world in all its bilateral confusion and misunderstanding! Tom Brightwind and Dr. Montefiore are the classic mismatched buddies that I do honestly meet in real life; even though one is a fairy that doesn't change their dynamic.
The physical book, the hardcover edition that I have anyway, is as pleasurable to possess as the stories themselves are. The handsome cloth binding, stamped with Charles Voss's beautiful floral illustration, begins the pleasure; beautiful oxblood colored endsheets are rich, inviting, somewhat unsettlingly colored; then the line drawings within the text and the handsome, clear typography complete the impression of careful, thoughtful presentation of these delightful tales.
Anyone who quailed at the sheer massiveness of the tome Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell should read these stories, and understand that equal pleasures of a more sustained sort await between those widely separated covers. Anyone who simply loves good storytelling and good stories told should run and get this book. It's very much worth your time and money.
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LibraryThing member ncgraham
Susanna Clarke is clearly one of the bright new lights on the fantasy fiction horizon. Her debut novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, topped bestseller lists, garnered positive reviews from the critics, and crossed genre boundaries with its elegant mixture of style and inventiveness. This
I must admit that I found the opening story—from which the collection's title is taken—rather unappealing, for reasons I shall not reveal (else I should give away the ending). Even there, however, I kept picking out sentences that caught my interest. This excellence of writing continues even as the narrative qualities improve. "On Lickerish Hill" is an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin legend, written in the non-standardized spelling typical of its setting ("His beard curles naturallie—a certaine sign of witt"), while "Mrs. Mabb" chronicles a strong-willed girl's efforts to rescue her love from fairy captivity. "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" transposes the England and Fairyland of Jonathan Strange with those of Neil Gaiman's Stardust as the Duke has an adventure while staying in the mysterious village of Wall. John Hollyshoes, the antagonist of "Mr. Simonelli or The Fairy Widower," may remind Clarkites of the Gentleman with Thistled-Down Hair, com with his meddling ways and evil intentions; then again, Tom Brightwind of "Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby" possesses much of the Gentleman's airs as well, but little of his villainy. "Antickes and Frets" is an alternative, mystical history of Mary Stuart's imprisonment, in which she plays some role in her execution, which ultimately brings her release. "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner" takes the form of a folktale, and a very entertaining one at that; I particularly enjoyed the Charcoal Burner's interactions with the various saints.
Beautiful illustrations by Charles Vess add to the magic of each tale, and this hardcover edition is lovely enough that it is worth keeping as literary eye candy alone. Highly recommended for Strangites and Norrellites everywhere!
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follow-up collection of stories claims to be a contemporary academic review of various literary and historical sources that shed light onto the development of English magic and the intertwining of our world with the land of Faerie. Both themes will be familiar to readers of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, as will the general nineteenth-century setting. The mythology of these works are also similar, so that they must be seen as companions. This volume is best read after the novel, as a couple of the stories will make little sense without background information.I must admit that I found the opening story—from which the collection's title is taken—rather unappealing, for reasons I shall not reveal (else I should give away the ending). Even there, however, I kept picking out sentences that caught my interest. This excellence of writing continues even as the narrative qualities improve. "On Lickerish Hill" is an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin legend, written in the non-standardized spelling typical of its setting ("His beard curles naturallie—a certaine sign of witt"), while "Mrs. Mabb" chronicles a strong-willed girl's efforts to rescue her love from fairy captivity. "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" transposes the England and Fairyland of Jonathan Strange with those of Neil Gaiman's Stardust as the Duke has an adventure while staying in the mysterious village of Wall. John Hollyshoes, the antagonist of "Mr. Simonelli or The Fairy Widower," may remind Clarkites of the Gentleman with Thistled-Down Hair, com with his meddling ways and evil intentions; then again, Tom Brightwind of "Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby" possesses much of the Gentleman's airs as well, but little of his villainy. "Antickes and Frets" is an alternative, mystical history of Mary Stuart's imprisonment, in which she plays some role in her execution, which ultimately brings her release. "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner" takes the form of a folktale, and a very entertaining one at that; I particularly enjoyed the Charcoal Burner's interactions with the various saints.
Beautiful illustrations by Charles Vess add to the magic of each tale, and this hardcover edition is lovely enough that it is worth keeping as literary eye candy alone. Highly recommended for Strangites and Norrellites everywhere!
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LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
Clarke's debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell made such a positive impression on me that I can't really imagine away that context when reading this collection of short stories which share its fantasy worldview. They are individually lovely, though, and they bode well for the rumored prospect
In "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse," Clarke sets a tale in the village of Wall, originally created by Neil Gaiman for his short novel Stardust. (Clarke is evidently friends with Gaiman, and Stardust illustrator Charles Vess contributes drawings to The Ladies and Others--much more beneficially than Portia Rosenberg did in Strange & Norrell.) Gaiman's story was in turn conspicuously dependent on Lord Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter. In contemplating this filiation, it occurred to me that much of what makes Clarke's fairy fantasies distinctive is their inclusion of realistic historical context with social minutiae, which is exactly what Dunsany expunged from his in order to achieve the sort of quasi-mythical exoticism that was his hallmark.
If Clarke keeps this sort of thing going for another decade or so, I suspect it will get to the point that it seems natural to readers for fairy fantasy to incorporate English Restoration comedy of manners, in much the same way that Anne Rice eventually made it natural for vampires to be erotic and morally ambiguous.
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of a sequel novel of some sort. My favorites were perhaps "Mr Simonelli or the Fairy Widower," composed in the form of a journal, and the hyperfolkloric and rather Cabellian "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner." There is an academic conceit in the fictional introduction by "Professor James Sutherland, Director of Sidhe Studies, University of Aberdeen," but the longish "Tom Brightwind" is the only one of the eight stories to take up the footnoted form that gave some readers such alarm in Strange & Norrell.In "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse," Clarke sets a tale in the village of Wall, originally created by Neil Gaiman for his short novel Stardust. (Clarke is evidently friends with Gaiman, and Stardust illustrator Charles Vess contributes drawings to The Ladies and Others--much more beneficially than Portia Rosenberg did in Strange & Norrell.) Gaiman's story was in turn conspicuously dependent on Lord Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter. In contemplating this filiation, it occurred to me that much of what makes Clarke's fairy fantasies distinctive is their inclusion of realistic historical context with social minutiae, which is exactly what Dunsany expunged from his in order to achieve the sort of quasi-mythical exoticism that was his hallmark.
If Clarke keeps this sort of thing going for another decade or so, I suspect it will get to the point that it seems natural to readers for fairy fantasy to incorporate English Restoration comedy of manners, in much the same way that Anne Rice eventually made it natural for vampires to be erotic and morally ambiguous.
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LibraryThing member valke
This is a charming follow up to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell, and I think it should appeal to those readers who might like the world of Jonathan Strange without actually liking the book. I normally prefer mass market paperbacks, but I intend to buy this book for its book design with the embossed
The introduction by the fictional Professor Sutherland is in keeping with Clarke's conceit that the books are scholarly works about faeries, but it does a good job of introducing the stories.
"The Ladies of Grace Adieu" is a subtly sinister story of three ladies who seem above reproach but for some strange happenings one night. Jonathan Strange appears, but he does precious little.
"On Lickerish Hill" is a take on the Rumplestiltskin story, written by a semi-literate maid's daughter who marries a rich man of uncertain temper.
"Mrs Mabb" is a classic faerie tale in which a beautiful faerie lady tries to bewitch a mortal man to the consternation of the man's beloved.
"The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" is a brief story that is actually set in Neil Gaiman's town of Wall, but I barely noticed that because Wellington dominates the story so.
"Mr Simonelli" is an epistolary story in which an Oxford scholar is forced to become the rector of a village and inadvertently becomes tangled in faerie affairs when he assists in the birth of a faerie child.
"Tom Brightwind" is an interesting story that depicts the difference between human and faerie mores.
"Antickes and Frets" is about the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots.
"John Uskglass and the Charcoal Burner" is a fable which shows that even kings and gifted magicians cannot do what they please without consequences.
Of the stories, my favorites are "The Duke of Wellington," "John Uskglass," and "Antickes and Frets."
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pink flowers and the wonderful line drawings by Charles Vess.The introduction by the fictional Professor Sutherland is in keeping with Clarke's conceit that the books are scholarly works about faeries, but it does a good job of introducing the stories.
"The Ladies of Grace Adieu" is a subtly sinister story of three ladies who seem above reproach but for some strange happenings one night. Jonathan Strange appears, but he does precious little.
"On Lickerish Hill" is a take on the Rumplestiltskin story, written by a semi-literate maid's daughter who marries a rich man of uncertain temper.
"Mrs Mabb" is a classic faerie tale in which a beautiful faerie lady tries to bewitch a mortal man to the consternation of the man's beloved.
"The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" is a brief story that is actually set in Neil Gaiman's town of Wall, but I barely noticed that because Wellington dominates the story so.
"Mr Simonelli" is an epistolary story in which an Oxford scholar is forced to become the rector of a village and inadvertently becomes tangled in faerie affairs when he assists in the birth of a faerie child.
"Tom Brightwind" is an interesting story that depicts the difference between human and faerie mores.
"Antickes and Frets" is about the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots.
"John Uskglass and the Charcoal Burner" is a fable which shows that even kings and gifted magicians cannot do what they please without consequences.
Of the stories, my favorites are "The Duke of Wellington," "John Uskglass," and "Antickes and Frets."
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LibraryThing member lorelorn_2007
This book, while failing to capture the same essence as the incredible Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, offers a nice snack to fans eager for more.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu is a series of short stories, all dealing with English magic in some sense. For the most part,characters from the first book
I was struck by the sheer depth of research the author had obviously put into Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. This anthology is I think further testament to that research. Rather than a second novel, Yorke shares with us more of the results of her research for the first.
This means the book has limited appeal beyond the (wide) circle of those who have previously read and enjoyed her first work.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu is a series of short stories, all dealing with English magic in some sense. For the most part,characters from the first book
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do not feature, save for Strange himself in the first short story, and in another, the Duke of Wellington. John Uskglass makes an appearance in person.I was struck by the sheer depth of research the author had obviously put into Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. This anthology is I think further testament to that research. Rather than a second novel, Yorke shares with us more of the results of her research for the first.
This means the book has limited appeal beyond the (wide) circle of those who have previously read and enjoyed her first work.
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LibraryThing member beserene
This is a short collection of stories by the Gaiman-esque author who brought us Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. If that novel's length and loquacity drove you crazy, you are in luck here -- Clarke revisits the same magical world vision and uses much of the same neo-victorian tone as in the novel,
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but none of these stories is overwrought or over-long. If, on the other hand, you didn't care for the novels tone or characters or style or perspective, you may as well pass on the stories, because not only do we have the same world, etc. but some very familiar characters pop up here as well. For those who really enjoyed the novel, I suspect you are the target audience. There are some inside nods and some satisfying plots here. While not a collection to be read at one sitting -- one does need some time in between each piece to consider and savor -- I think this is well worth the read. Show Less
LibraryThing member avanders
I finally sat down with Clarke's second, the Ladies of Grace Adieu. I'm fairly certain I waited as long as I did because I was afraid I'd be disappointed. Because Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is one of my favorites.
And I kind of was and kind of was not. The short story collection definitely did
The writing is, of course, immaculate. The story-telling is good.. great, even. The collection read quickly, and each story felt complete in its own right. I'm not sure what more I wanted, but it seems that I did want something more. When I was done, I felt it was sort of anti-climactic.
So, I would definitely recommend to Clarke fans and people who would be Clarke fans (but who just haven't had the good sense to read her yet ;)), but with the note that it is good, really good, great, but not as satisfying and fulfilling as Strange & Norrell...
Overall, FOUR of five stars.
And I kind of was and kind of was not. The short story collection definitely did
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not blow me away. But it was also really well done, really well written, well imagined. Each of the stories advances the world Clarke's created, or a version of the world. It feels almost like anecdotes that you might have heard told by characters from Jonathan Strange's world... fables, tales, stories.The writing is, of course, immaculate. The story-telling is good.. great, even. The collection read quickly, and each story felt complete in its own right. I'm not sure what more I wanted, but it seems that I did want something more. When I was done, I felt it was sort of anti-climactic.
So, I would definitely recommend to Clarke fans and people who would be Clarke fans (but who just haven't had the good sense to read her yet ;)), but with the note that it is good, really good, great, but not as satisfying and fulfilling as Strange & Norrell...
Overall, FOUR of five stars.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
I loved this book! If possible, I loved it even more than "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It is a collection of eight short stories in the style of the aforementioned book. It has droll humor, great characters and world building. Granted, it is our world, but an alternate version which seems
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entirely plausible. Usually in a book of collected short stories, there are a few clinkers, but I can's say that about any of these. Some I enjoyed more than others, but usually my favorite was the one I was reading at the moment. Show Less
LibraryThing member Panopticon2
Thank God for Susanna Clarke and her ilk. Every year or two (if I'm lucky), I read a book like "The Ladies of Grace Adieu", and it reminds me why reading is my favourite pastime. This little collection of short stories is a gem; a box of gaily-wrapped, toothsome literary/historical bonbons which
Re-immersing myself in the landscape of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" - where the boundaries between Faerie and the workaday world of late-18th and early-19th century England are ever-blurred and shifting - was sheer joy. It made me all the more impatient for Clarke's next book.
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readers may savour slowly, one at a time - or gobble greedily all in one sitting.Re-immersing myself in the landscape of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" - where the boundaries between Faerie and the workaday world of late-18th and early-19th century England are ever-blurred and shifting - was sheer joy. It made me all the more impatient for Clarke's next book.
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LibraryThing member billiecat
Susanna Clarke's collection of short stories isn't as ground-breaking as her novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, although in fact these works predate publication of her novel, and can be seen, perhaps, as the breaking of ground that lead to the greater work. But that book's complexity and depth
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is a large part of what made it so great, and of a necessity, these short stories are, well, short. Except for the titular story, they are not, strictly speaking, part of the same world as the novel, but instead seem to be variations on the theme. Some stories are mere bagatelles (such as "Antics and Frets," a fable of Mary, Queen of Scots). Others, such as "The Fairy Widower" and "Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby" more substantive, but while thoroughly enjoyable, none are as engrossing as Ms. Clarke's novel. If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, you will enjoy this, but it won't entirely quench your thirst. Show Less
LibraryThing member JACrobat
It isn’t fair to compare an author’s second book to their first, particularly when it must follow the phenomenal Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but the comparison is inevitable when Strange returns for a cameo appearance in The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Susanna Clarke’s collection of short
The best story in the collection, “Mr Simonelli or the Fairy Widower,” is one which bears no striking resemblance to any of its predecessors. It is comprised of a letter from Reverend Simonelli proclaiming his innocence to an influential parishioner, Mrs. Gathercole, the mother of five unmarried daughters, followed by his own journal entries recounting his remarkable encounters with an insidious fairy incongruously named John Hollyshoes. Simonelli took drastic measures to protect the Gathercole family from the fairy, and it is these measures which he must justify to their mother.
The three magical ladies of Grace Adieu cannot match the abilities of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and the same can be said of their eponymous books. The Ladies of Grace Adieu seems to be an expansion of the ubiquitous footnotes found in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell rather than a stand-alone work. That may not bother some readers, but Clarke’s second spell is less potent than her first.
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stories (now available in paperback). One title character (Strange) meets the others in the first of these stories set in the same England/Faerie as Clarke’s debut novel. The Duke of Wellington and John Uskglass the Raven King are likewise featured again, and Mary, Queen of Scots, joins the ranks of nobility who find their paths crossed by fairy magic. “On Lickerish Hill” is a retelling of the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin with more emphasis on the fairy tale.The best story in the collection, “Mr Simonelli or the Fairy Widower,” is one which bears no striking resemblance to any of its predecessors. It is comprised of a letter from Reverend Simonelli proclaiming his innocence to an influential parishioner, Mrs. Gathercole, the mother of five unmarried daughters, followed by his own journal entries recounting his remarkable encounters with an insidious fairy incongruously named John Hollyshoes. Simonelli took drastic measures to protect the Gathercole family from the fairy, and it is these measures which he must justify to their mother.
The three magical ladies of Grace Adieu cannot match the abilities of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and the same can be said of their eponymous books. The Ladies of Grace Adieu seems to be an expansion of the ubiquitous footnotes found in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell rather than a stand-alone work. That may not bother some readers, but Clarke’s second spell is less potent than her first.
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LibraryThing member duck2ducks
Clarke has a fantastic ability to tap into the sideways logic and whimsy of fairy tales, and so the short stories in this collection evoke the many fairy tale collections I read as a young child; several in this anthology I could easily have supposed to be genuine and many centuries old. She
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mentioned in her talk with Neil that she finds short stories much harder to write than a novel, but you'd never guess it; clearly she has just as much talent in this form as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member brakketh
Really enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. I really love the way that Susanna Clarke thinks about magic and the social conventions of the time. I can see why the reviewers feel the need to compare her to Jane Austen.
LibraryThing member vnovak
Doesn't nearly approach Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but there are some interesting stories here. The title story gives some background to events surrounding Jonathan Strange. The best story, "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse," is set in Neil Gaiman's world of Wall, featured in
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Stardust. Two stories feature malicious embroidery (!), one with the great line, "The Queen of Scots was impressed. She had heard of a poisonous dart sewn into a bodice to pierce the flesh, but she had never heard of anyone being killed by embroidery before. She herself was very fond of embroidery." Show Less
LibraryThing member jemsw
I came to this book without having read Clarke's celebrated Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, so I'm afraid I can't offer any kind of comparisons. I enjoyed this collection of stories, though I found it strongest in stories like "Mrs. Mabb" or the title story where a female subjectivity was
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explored. I found the stories playing with historical figures charming, and enjoyed Clarke's use of fairy tale material. Show Less
LibraryThing member princessponti
I have just finished reading 'The Ladies of Grace Adieu' by Susanna Clarke, it's a collection of short stories mostly all set in the same world as her last book 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell'; set in the 19th Century, lots of magic and fairies, mostly written like a Jane Austin novel. I really
Susanna dables with different writing styles in this book, one story 'On Lickerish Hill' is written in the style of 'John Aubrey' (whom I've never read), but I really enjoyed the rambliness of it: "My mother was mayde and cook to Dr Quince, an ancient and learned gentleman (face, very uglie like the picture of a horse not well done; dry, scantie beard; moist, pale eyes)."
Another story 'The Duke of Wellington Misplaces his horse' is set in the village of Wall, a fictional village from the head of Neil Gaiman in his novel 'Stardust'. My favourite story by far was 'Mrs Mabb', which tells the story of a love lost to another; me and my soppy heart!
Although the story was set in the world of Jonathan Strange, I really don't think it would spoil her first novel if you were to read this first. It doesn't relate to what happened in that book; however, you may not get all of the references or understand the characters (Mr Strange is featured in one of the stories) if you haven't read Jonathan Strange first. To get the most out of the books, I would definately recommend reading them in the right order.
The short stories are a little longer than most short stories, but perfect to read one a day, to and from work on the tube. Would definately recommend if you want a break from a full length novel.
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enjoyed it! I found the title story a little lacking, I didn't really understand what was going on (may go back and read it again!), but the others were wonderful. Susanna dables with different writing styles in this book, one story 'On Lickerish Hill' is written in the style of 'John Aubrey' (whom I've never read), but I really enjoyed the rambliness of it: "My mother was mayde and cook to Dr Quince, an ancient and learned gentleman (face, very uglie like the picture of a horse not well done; dry, scantie beard; moist, pale eyes)."
Another story 'The Duke of Wellington Misplaces his horse' is set in the village of Wall, a fictional village from the head of Neil Gaiman in his novel 'Stardust'. My favourite story by far was 'Mrs Mabb', which tells the story of a love lost to another; me and my soppy heart!
Although the story was set in the world of Jonathan Strange, I really don't think it would spoil her first novel if you were to read this first. It doesn't relate to what happened in that book; however, you may not get all of the references or understand the characters (Mr Strange is featured in one of the stories) if you haven't read Jonathan Strange first. To get the most out of the books, I would definately recommend reading them in the right order.
The short stories are a little longer than most short stories, but perfect to read one a day, to and from work on the tube. Would definately recommend if you want a break from a full length novel.
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LibraryThing member sloopjonb
The Ladies of Grace Adieu, by Miss Susanna Clarke – a Critickal Review
I have had cause to speak of Miss Clarke’s writings before, in connexion with her work Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and therein the chief critickism I had to make was as to the length of that novel, which I judged to be
Addendum: I note that a moving picture is to be made of the adventures of Messrs Strange & Norrell. No good can come of this.
I have had cause to speak of Miss Clarke’s writings before, in connexion with her work Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and therein the chief critickism I had to make was as to the length of that novel, which I judged to be
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some two hundred pages (out of eight hundred) too long. No such cavil attends the remarks I wish to make of this present collection, which consists of a number of shorter tales, set within the same fantastickal and fascinating other-England of the longer book. Each and all are nothing less than a delight from beginning to end. Miss Clarke has a remarkable facility for evoking the strange and alarming world of Faerie, and creates a truly enchanting atmosphere when writing of it and of the ways in which men and women can become entangled in it. As if that were not enough, she swims in the English language as a dolphin might swim in the Ocean, playing and leaping through its currents and tides with a sly smile on her face. To read stories at once so absorbing and so witty, and with such finely drawn characters, is a rare delight, and I for one can scarcely bear to wait for her promised sequel to her original novel, and learn more of her original and marvellous other-England, and of the men and women she has peopled it with – most especially that fascinating and enigmatic figure John Uskglass, the Raven King.Addendum: I note that a moving picture is to be made of the adventures of Messrs Strange & Norrell. No good can come of this.
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LibraryThing member acl
A collection of short stories set in the alternate England Susanna Clarke established in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Some are better than others, but all are worth reading, especially if you're a fan of her first novel.
LibraryThing member WinterFox
As much as I liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, I was wary of picking up the short story collection that Clarke released as a follow-up. These things often don't turn out all that well, particularly when the book was so well-crafted and took so long to put together.
All things considered, this
All things considered, this
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wasn't that bad, although much of what I liked about the book isn't present here. The scope of the stories are naturally less than the novel, but the feel of the writing is varied over the stories. Perhaps this isn't a surprise, since the stories were written over the course of several years, but it does feel somewhat uneven. There weren't any stories that I outright disliked, but there were only a couple that I really enjoyed. Probably my favorite was Tom Brightwind, and the Fairy Widower was quite good as well. Most, though, I finished and felt sorta meh. I'm not a huge short story fan, so maybe others will like it better, but I'm more looking forward to her next novel, personally. Show Less
LibraryThing member TiffGabler
Clake writes great fairy tales in that the "fairy" element is what it was originally meant to be. She invokes the sinister, the dark and the unknown into the fantastic things that we have overlooked in our everyday fairy tales. Her stories feel REAL which as great as you can gt with an author.
LibraryThing member Carms_k
This is a collection of short stories that draws from fairy tales, the world from her last book Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel as well as drawing from other universes including that of Neil Gaiman's Stardust. The stories are easy and quirky and made me smile when I read them. Highly recomended for
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a quick and really read. Show Less
LibraryThing member PghDragonMan
Having so thoroughly enjoyed Susanna Clarke’s previous tale of magical England, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, I was pleased to find The Ladies of Grace Adieu, a collection of stories set in the same time period building on the same theme and using some of the previous characters.
As with any
If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, you will find this to your liking as well. This should also attract fans of fantasy and magic of the kind found in the works of Lovecraft, not Crowley. Victorian and Gothic fans should find a lot to enjoy here as well.
As with any
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anthology, the stories vary in quality, but these were all enjoyable. Almost like bookends, I found the first story, the title story of the book, and the last story, John Uskglass and the Cambrian Charcoal Burner, the most enjoyable. What sets The Ladies of Grace Adieu apart was the sustained sense of the macabre and the ease with which the story was visualized. The final story had a twisted sense of humor about it that had me laughing out loud while reading.If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, you will find this to your liking as well. This should also attract fans of fantasy and magic of the kind found in the works of Lovecraft, not Crowley. Victorian and Gothic fans should find a lot to enjoy here as well.
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LibraryThing member jcelrod
A charming collection of stories from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I definitely recommend reading this *after* JS & MN.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
I was not particularly in love with Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and was slightly reluctant to read more in that vein, but I was pleased to discover that this short story collection contains all the best parts and none of the tedious ones. Amusing Victorian social commentary, baroque language,
It's fairly short - I would have happily plowed through another half-dozen stories at least - but there weren't any real duds in the book. Good stuff.
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a thoroughly-imagined fairy world, plus - bonus! - lots of entertaining if not always exactly likeable characters, and lots of strong, competent women.It's fairly short - I would have happily plowed through another half-dozen stories at least - but there weren't any real duds in the book. Good stuff.
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LibraryThing member icarusgeoff
Something in the way [author: Susanna Clarke] writes gives her work the air of having been written a long time ago. It's the literary equivalent of handmade lacework, or of a chest of drawers made by some old-world craftsman: beautiful, precise, and with a subtle air of antiquity. Her previous
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book, [book: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel], gained much of its charm from the way the style of the prose matched the setting of the novel. [book: The Ladies of Grace Adieu] could be considered a companion piece, taking place as it does in the same alternate England. Rather than being a large and weighty tome as was her previous effort, though, this slimmer volume is a collection of short stories.It takes a different sort of writing (and perhaps a different sort of writer) to make a successful short story than to make a successful novel. There is an economy of words and setting that must be observed, or it just doesn't work. Clarke grasps this idea well, and the stories in this book are largely enjoyable and readable. As is the case with any selection of short stories, some are better than others. I particularly like John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner, which feels like an old fairy tale in the way it plays out. I am somewhat less fond of Lickerish Hill, less for the actual story than for its being written in the actual style of a journal from the 1800s, i.e. difficult to read.If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange, this book offers more of the same. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Collection — 2007)
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Adult Literature — 2007)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Collection — 2007)
SF Site Editor's Choice (2006)
Language
Original publication date
2006-10-16