As it is said in the preface, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories, aims to throw some sort of light on the development of magic in the British Isles
and create a sort of primer to Faerie and fairies
. As she shew us in her novel recounting the history of the (Glorious) Revival of English Magic, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Miss Susanna Clarke has a remarkable talent for telling fantastic stories of men and faeries.
Last year, Strange & Norrell ended on the third spot in my annual list. One of the reasons for that was the kind of language I tried to emulate in this first paragraph. That book was flowing over with it and dense with descriptions, subplots and footnotes. It build a 19th century England to which Magic returns. This collection of short stories expands that world in the same language. These stories are just as good.
- Book read
- Susanna Clarke — The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories
- First line
- Above all remember this: that magic belongs as much to the heart as to the head and everything which is done, should be done from love or joy or righteous anger.