The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

by Susanna Clarke

Overview

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's and an enticing introduction to her work for new readers. Some of these stories have never before been published; others have appeared in the New York Times or in highly regarded anthologies. In this collection, they come together to expand the reach of Clarke's land of enchantment--and anticipate her next novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780747592402
Publisher:	Gardners Books
Publication date:	09/03/2007
Sales rank:	147,897
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Susanna Clarke is the author of Piranesi, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Hugo Award–winning Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, and The Wood at Midwinter. She lives in England.

Hometown:

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England

Date of Birth:

November 16, 1959

Place of Birth:

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Education:

B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 1981

Website:

http://www.jonathanstrange.com

Table of Contents

The Ladies of Grace Adieu On Lickerish Hill Mrs. Mabb The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse Mr. Simonellie or The Fairy Widower Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby Antickes and Frets John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner

Editorial Reviews

In this set of short stories, the author of the dazzling fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell returns readers to that novel's unique milieu, a vision of 19th-century Britain that combines urbane comedy with the uncanny atmosphere of classic fairy stories. Proper young women who might have stepped from the pages of Mansfield Park practice very un-Austenian magic, a fairy mobilizes a town to help him pursue an object of lust, and a king matches wits with a beggar. At once achingly familiar and completely fresh, Susanna Clarke's stories arrive like postcards from an enchanted kingdom.

Fans of Clarke's bestselling Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrellshould be pleased with this book, as the stories collected here are very much cut from the same cloth. The stories (seven previously published and one original tale, "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner") deal with fairies and the history of English magic, and are told in the same Victorian style that made JS&MNso distinct. Prebble (who also narrated JS&MN) returns and once again triumphantly brings Clarke's richly imagined world to life. Sharing narrative duties this time around is Porter, who is equally skilled at playing prim and high-born ladies as she is using more folksy tones in "On Lickerish Hill." The footnotes that bogged down the audio edition of JS&MNare mostly absent, and the narrators' very different styles work well to give each story its own distinct feel. A lyrical and thoroughly enjoyable collection from a burgeoning master of fantasy literature. Simultaneous release with the Bloomsbury hardcover (Reviews, July 31). (Nov.)

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Publishers Weekly

Materials from British folklore are reworked with beguiling narrative energy and mischievous wit in this first collection from the English author of the wonderful adult fantasy Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (2004). Two of that book's major characters make vivid reappearances here. In "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner," the legendary magician the Raven King (aka Uskglass) tramples on a humble woodsman's property while hunting, and is himself humbled when his victim enlists various saints to redress his grievance. In the amusing title story, gentleman sorcerer Jonathan Strange discovers during a country visit that "the magic of wild creatures [notably owls] and the magic of women" are indeed a match for his own. Elsewhere, Mary Queen of Scots, while imprisoned by her rival, England's Elizabeth I, plots revenge through the medium of pictorial embroidery: Still, Elizabeth survives, and Mary loses her head (in "Antickes and Frets"). That tactic achieves better results when a British military hero strays into a remote domicile ruled by similar domestic magic (in "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse"). Odd things will happen, evidently, when mortals join forces or contend with fairy folk. "Tom Brightwind and How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby" describes how Tom, a vainglorious and dictatorial otherworldly paterfamilias, is gently persuaded by his best human friend to improve the fortunes of the inhabitants of Thoresby, a village hitherto cut off from the world beyond it. Less benign supernatural intervention operates in tales relating an unhappy young wife's risky escape from her boring old husband ("On Lickerish Hill"); a forsaken fiancee's perilous dealings withthe fairy temptress ("Mrs. Mabb") who has stolen her beloved; and, in "Mr. Simonelli or The Fairy Widower," a country cleric's refusal to be intimidated by a "powerful fairy" landowner's disagreeable habit of seducing and exploiting innocent young women. Irresistible storytelling, from a splendidly gifted enchantress.

Kirkus Reviews

Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty.” —The New York Times

“Nobody writes about magic the way Clarke does . . . She writes about magic as if she's actually worked it.” —TIME Magazine

“[Clarke is] one of the greatest novelists writing today.” —Vox

From the Publisher

This should have been a terrific production. Clarke's first novel, JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL, was wonderfully written and deservedly popular. Narrator Simon Prebble, who did such a great job narrating that book, is an AUDIOFILE Golden Voice, as is Davina Porter. So why is this collection of short stories of limited appeal? One reason is that even though the stories are magical, highly literate, and complex, they are also often hard to follow, despite the best narration. Another reason is that while the many admirers of JONATHAN STRANGE will recognize some characters, and other readers will appreciate the folk and fairy tale traditions Clarke draws upon, many will find those references obscure. That said, there <> an audience that will like this production very much. S.K. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 07 - AudioFile