1 post tagged “fiction”
Susanna Clarke is not for everybody, and The Ladies Of Grace Adieu is not even a sure thing for those who liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. The book reads like a series of eminently competent five-finger exercises prior to bashing out Norrell. A good number of the stories are "covers" of folk tales, including a nice Rumplestiltskin variant via Cornwall. I am infatuated with Clarke's understated wit and mastery of Regency-style prose; she could write a technical manual about a hairdryer and I would find it engrossing. If a reader is just out for a ripping yarn, Grace Adieu may not be the best place to look.
