Thomas Bewick, The Wolf Trap(November 21) Liked it. I didn't think I would at first -- I was wincing over the pseudo-19th-century style and debating whether I could stick it out when, on page 32, Clarke came up with the most imaginative and captivating description of how statuary might behave if animated, and I was hooked.
I thought she did very well throughout with scenic description, and the characters were vivid. The magic element was interesting and inventive, but I wouldn't say JSMN is "Harry Potter for adults" as a lot of reviews have; there's still something goofy and Mother Goose-ish about it all (and I don't know what "Harry Potter for adults" is supposed to mean, anyway -- I, an adult, love the Potter books).
Editing related: Susanna Clarke is the most comma-free author I've read in a long, long time (or "long long time," as she would have it). At first this unkemptness grated on me, but it's amazing what you can get used to after 200 or 300 (eventually 800) pages. Comma, shmomma!
I thought she did very well throughout with scenic description, and the characters were vivid. The magic element was interesting and inventive, but I wouldn't say JSMN is "Harry Potter for adults" as a lot of reviews have; there's still something goofy and Mother Goose-ish about it all (and I don't know what "Harry Potter for adults" is supposed to mean, anyway -- I, an adult, love the Potter books).
Editing related: Susanna Clarke is the most comma-free author I've read in a long, long time (or "long long time," as she would have it). At first this unkemptness grated on me, but it's amazing what you can get used to after 200 or 300 (eventually 800) pages. Comma, shmomma!
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