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As the title implies, this was a collection of stories. They were written by Susanna Clarke, who had also written Strange and Norrell.
Whereas S&N were focused on the male sphere of magic, this book was more about the female sphere.
The first story, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, takes place directly in the S&N story. But in it Strange is a minor character. Personally, I didn't like this story much at all. It felt like it was something left on the editing room floor while making the novel. I later learned that it was the story that helped her get her book deal, so I guess its real problem was just that it was a very early work.
The story I liked best was Mrs Mabb. In it, a woman learns that her fiance has left her for the mysterious and wealthy Mrs Mabb. Every time she attempts to visit Mrs Mabb and her fiance, she becomes enchanted and ends up in strange places with tattered clothes and bloody feet. Rather than outwitting Mabb, like most fairy tale heroines, the woman uses brute force and persistence to get her man back. I won't spoil it, but I thought her solution was a lovely way to deal with an annoying thieving fairy.
I think the worst story in the collection was On Lickerish Hill, which was basically a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I didn't feel like Clarke made any real interesting changes to the original story to make this retelling worth it. Why bother?
I don't think I would suggest this collection to someone unless they were super super excited after finishing S&N. I think that would be the only person to really enjoy the whole collection. If you do come across Mrs Mabb though in another story collection, that one is worth a read.
Whereas S&N were focused on the male sphere of magic, this book was more about the female sphere.
The first story, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, takes place directly in the S&N story. But in it Strange is a minor character. Personally, I didn't like this story much at all. It felt like it was something left on the editing room floor while making the novel. I later learned that it was the story that helped her get her book deal, so I guess its real problem was just that it was a very early work.
The story I liked best was Mrs Mabb. In it, a woman learns that her fiance has left her for the mysterious and wealthy Mrs Mabb. Every time she attempts to visit Mrs Mabb and her fiance, she becomes enchanted and ends up in strange places with tattered clothes and bloody feet. Rather than outwitting Mabb, like most fairy tale heroines, the woman uses brute force and persistence to get her man back. I won't spoil it, but I thought her solution was a lovely way to deal with an annoying thieving fairy.
I think the worst story in the collection was On Lickerish Hill, which was basically a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I didn't feel like Clarke made any real interesting changes to the original story to make this retelling worth it. Why bother?
I don't think I would suggest this collection to someone unless they were super super excited after finishing S&N. I think that would be the only person to really enjoy the whole collection. If you do come across Mrs Mabb though in another story collection, that one is worth a read.
