Paperback, 256 pages
Published Sept. 3, 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, published in October 2006, is a collection of eight short stories by Susanna Clarke and illustrated by Charles Vess. The stories, which are sophisticated fairy tales, focus on the power of women and are set in the same alternate history as Clarke's debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004), in which magic has returned to England. The stories are written in a pastiche of 18th- and 19th-century styles and their tone is macabre as well as satirical. The volume was generally well received, though some critics compared it unfavorably to Jonathan Strange.
This made me think of fan fiction, but with writing as good as the original. I really like the way Clarke approximates the style of 19th Century English literature. It doesn't have the scope of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but to me that's a good thing. it's like a purer distillation of that world.
Faux-Victorian writing is a delicate art; most attempts are tedious or even grating. Clarke has the gift: her language is exquisite, her stories quirky, filled with understated surrealism and wonder.
4.5 stars
Auffällig fand ich, wie man auf dem, ähm, Papier frauenfreundlich schreiben kann ("Frauen können WOHL auch Magier werden"), aber gleichzeitig Frauen in so gut wie allen Geschichten hier und im Vorgängerbuch ("Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell") überhaupt keine interessanten Rollen haben. Sie sind bestenfalls Entführungs- und Rettungsmaterial, meistens kommen sie gar nicht vor.
Not exactly worth it..."Amnesiac" to the "Kid A" that is Jonathan Strange
