TV Adaptation of "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell"

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I have read the descriptions and a little of the start of the book, it reads OK, not too different from Mercedes Lackey's approach.

It would certainly never have occurred to me to compare Susanna Clarke's writing style with that of Mercedes Lackey, but I guess we all see these things differently .

Hope you're able to sort out your download problems, and I'd be interested to know your impressions of the book if you are able to read it.

[Rizla]

I found it very slow. I don't know how such a slow, long debut novel was published it all.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I don't know how such a slow, long debut novel was published it all.

Perhaps simply because there's enough readers out there who don't (exclusively) enjoy fast-paced, short novels?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I found it very slow. I don't know how such a slow, long debut novel was published it all.

It's deliberately slow; the writing style is an intentional imitation of that of 19th century authors like Dickens. I know you're not alone in disliking it, though. I loved it, but there again, I love 19th century literature. It's certainly not a book that's going to have universal appeal.

Given that it was long-listed for the Man Booker prize, and won the Hugo, a fair number of people seem to have liked it.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's deliberately slow; the writing style is an intentional imitation of that of 19th century authors like Dickens. I know you're not alone in disliking it, though. I loved it, but there again, I love 19th century literature. It's certainly not a book that's going to have universal appeal.

Given that it was long-listed for the Man Booker prize, and won the Hugo, a fair number of people seem to have liked it.

Sadly, and as has been frequently discussed on these forums, nomination for awards frequently has little to do with what people like in the greater world outside the award.

In any case, my point, regardless of the work's merits, is that it is generally hard to impossible for a debut author to publish a very long work, and I don't know how she achieved it.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Perhaps simply because there's enough readers out there who don't (exclusively) enjoy fast-paced, short novels?

I'm sure you're right. If only publishers shared this view and were more willing to give long debut works a chance. But as I understand it, they are not. In this books case, they were. I don't know how she did it.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I'm sure you're right. If only publishers shared this view and were more willing to give long debut works a chance. But as I understand it, they are not. In this books case, they were. I don't know how she did it.

Bloomsbury, its publisher, seems to have absolutely loved it. It had an initial hardback print run of 250,000 copies, which is quite remarkable for a debut author. And that print run sold out, too, so their optimism was justified. My own hardback version (it's one of the few books I've loved so much in recent years that I bought a hardback version) is a 5th print run.

[Rizla]

Checked. She worked in publishing for twenty years prior to publishing.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Checked. She worked in publishing for twenty years prior to publishing.

She would have known how to do everything right to maximise its chances of publication, given her background. Good for her.

[DiapDealer]

I'm guessing she impressed an agent who went to bat (successfully) for her and the book. Stranger things have happened than people who publish books being imprressed with a big book from a newcomer. There's always exceptions to rules. Besides ... the original hardcover was under 800 pages. That's hardly uncharted territory for Speculative Fiction.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's deliberately slow; the writing style is an intentional imitation of that of 19th century authors like Dickens. I know you're not alone in disliking it, though. I loved it, but there again, I love 19th century literature. It's certainly not a book that's going to have universal appeal.

Given that it was long-listed for the Man Booker prize, and won the Hugo, a fair number of people seem to have liked it.

And it was kind of a bestseller.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Sadly, and as has been frequently discussed on these forums, nomination for awards frequently has little to do with what people like in the greater world outside the award.

In any case, my point, regardless of the work's merits, is that it is generally hard to impossible for a debut author to publish a very long work, and I don't know how she achieved it.

By writing a very good book.

[Ken Maltby]

I got the ebook from Amazon and it looks great as an .epub on my Kobo AuraHD. The ebook cover shows the two actors from the TV series. The ebook has a number of illustrations, as you would see in a book from the period. They look just as good on my ereader, running Koreader, as they appear in the PC browser. The drawing of Mr Norrell, before Chapter 1, even looks somewhat like the actor playing the part.

Also, I was able to schedule the BBC America series for recording on my DirecTV DVR.

Luck;
Ken

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by tompe

And it was kind of a bestseller.

Yes, over a million copies sold is pretty good.


The trailer for the show...

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by tompe

By writing a very good book.

That will work for a short / medium length book for a debut author. Not for a long work. Even Tolkien had to split his book into three, and he'd already published The Hobbit.