The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories Paperback – October 6, 2007

I'm giving the book five stars because I'm really enjoying it -- but I wish there were a separate grading system for Kindle coding.A warning for others considering the ebook version: For some reason, there is no double-space between scenes. So it's jarring when you're in one place, then the next paragraph sends you somewhere else, to a different group of characters. I actually had to reread the start of the first story out of confusion until I figured out what was going on. (In my hardback edition, there are double spaces.) If you think this would be detrimental to your reading enjoyment, you might not want the Kindle version. I can't imagine the author is very happy with the appearance of the book, if she knows.As for the stories themselves... I am fresh off my second reading of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell," and I am loving this further immersion into Clarke's world. I haven't read all of her stories yet, but what I've encountered so far is wonderful.

Like all short story collections, The Ladies of Grace Adieu is a mixed bag. While it does not have any truly horrible stories, there are some that are mediocre (along with some rather wonderful ones.)These stories are set in the same world of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but they are independent stories and can be read as such. If you’re wary of picking up the 1,000 pages of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, you might want to try out these stories first to get an idea of how she writes.Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell showed how wonderfully Susanna Clarke craft her writing style, but The Ladies of Grace Adieu showed her impressive ability to craft unique voices for her narrators. This quality is what made “On Lickerish Hill” my favorite story of the bunch. While it’s basically the Rumpelstiltskin story, I really came to enjoy the young woman who narrated it. She was wonderfully entertaining and clever, even if I did have some trouble with the 17th century spelling.“The Ladies of Grace Adieu” was an excerpt from Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell that did not make it into the novel but that is referenced in a footnote. The story concerns three lady magicians in a Regency era England that did not view magic as an appropriate pastime for women.“Mrs Mabb” follows the exploits of Venetia Moore as she goes head to head with the mysterious Mrs. Mabb.“The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse” actually uses a setting from Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. In it, the Duke of Wellington ventures into fairy land to recover his horse. It’s probably the shortest story in the collection, and I found it to be amusing.The narrator of “Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower” is not a very pleasant person, but once again, Susanna Clarke does a wonderful job of crafting his voice through his diary entries.I felt the last three stories to be the weakest. “Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby” was probably my least favorite. It didn’t go anywhere unexpected and didn’t have the same feel of the others. The characters themselves also didn’t come alive; Tom Brightwind in particular felt like the standard Susanna Clarke fairy. “Antickes and Frets” and “John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner” were both a bit better, but I still found them weaker than the beginning stories.Interestingly, the many stories with female protagonists provide a different viewpoint than her novel, which focuses on the male magicians.Also, The Ladies of Grace Adieu is illustrated by Charles Vess! I adore these illustrations. They’re these beautiful pen and ink drawings that go so well with the stories.

For fans of "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell," this is a collection of short stories by the same author, set in the same timeline. (A timeline so thoroughly developed and well-constructed, that while reading Strange & Norell, I sometimes had to consult google to make sure my own knowledge of English history hadn't abandoned me.) We have vengeful embroidery; insufferable magicians; arrogant fairies; and yes, John Uskglass himself, the Raven King. Who does not fare so well as he is accustomed.

After reading Dr Norrell and Mr Strange I decided I had to have a hard copy of Susanna Clark’s charming short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu. I had only listened to it as an audio book, where I do most of my reading, but if it is obvious I will reread every year or so I like a quality hard cover on hand. It is a beautiful book in excellent condition, embossed cover and heavy weight paper, it reminds me of a turn of the century printing. Surprising inexpensive, prompt shipping, a lovely addition to my library. I am delighted, looking forward to adventures with The Raven King while relaxing in a cozy window seat.

Chiefly I wanted to write this review to address some of the reviews of the Kindle edition that mentioned typos in the book. While the book is not entirely typo-free, it seems like the most egregious errors have been fixed by the publisher since those reviews were written -- there is no "Raven Icing" and the book is not noticeably worse in terms of formatting than any other Kindle book I've read.In terms of the content, it is fine, but nowhere near the quality of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. The characters and plots are very lightly sketched and in the one story where Strange does show up he seems curiously passive and almost out of character. This is more like a collection of fairy tales (in multiple senses of the word) than a typical collection of short stories.Oddly, the story everybody seems to hate, On Lickerish Hill, is so far my favorite of the collection. There is no accounting for taste!

When you've just finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and feel like life is going to be pretty bad unless you can get some more Susanna Clarke, this book makes you very, very happy. Under normal circumstances I am left feeling unsatisfied by short stories because they feel unfinished, however in this case the stories themselves were the perfect finish.

I couldn't bear to depart from the world of Strange and Norrell at the close of the novel, so I immediately alighted on 'The Ladies'. I found it charming and was delighted to be back in the same universe without the overarching narrative of the first novel - I felt as if I could take my time here, there was less urgency to find out what was to come (also, this is quite short so I think I was more aware of savouring it). I don't want to include spoilers but noting characters and allusions, familiar from the first novel felt satisfyingly like an inside joke. There were also new things, and the extra information about Faerie made me want to read more/read the first one again.Despite really enjoying this, I must say that I don't think that I would have been as captivated by it had I not read Strange and Norrell first. Nonetheless, it worked for me well, I enjoyed it and by the time I had finished it I was happy enough to read something different without feeling bereft.

A series of short stories from the author of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.Good stories, sort of Jane Austen meets Faery Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. The authors second book, I believe, and nothing more since - perhaps the creative juices have dried up? I had heard somewhere that a further book was in the pipeline, but delayed due to ill health?If one does get published, I will be near the front of the queue to purchase one!

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is definitely in my top twenty books list so when I came across this slim volume of eight previously published stories based on the same characters and ideas from that novel I just had to read it. Only I didn't just read it I devoured it in an evening and reread each story more slowly the next.The world Susanna Clarke has created - a Regency England where magic has shaped its history, magicians practice their art and one, The Raven King, once ruled the North; where fairies, malevolent or benign, exist alongside men and women who may either be helped by them or be kidnapped by them into 'other' lands - is witty, delightful and beyond compare.It's Arthurian Legend dressed in a frock coat. It's English mythos channelled through Jane Austen. I love it!My favourite story - Mr Simonelli or The Fairy Widower -fits firmly in the latter mould with the hapless hero, a Reverend Gentleman, pitting wits with a particularly wicked fairy leading him to an unexpected discovery, whilst trying to improve his prospects by courting some rich young ladies!In the other stories The Duke of Wellington and Mary, Queen of Scots make appearances, as does The Raven King himself in a moral tale that is as funny as it is charming.The fact that Susanna Clarke has chosen the quality not quantity route of writing, (though JS&MN is a massive novel it took some years to write), makes each story in this book rare and precious. I await more with patience...

THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU is a collection of short stories, all of which have a fairytale twist to them. As with all collections, some of the stories are better than others; personally my favourite is "Mrs Mabb". What I like about all of the stories is that Clarke has adapted her writing style, trying to make them seem as authentic as possible. There is dark humour, hidden messages and she has adopted old spellings for words (or just changed them for her purpose), to make it feel more genuine. The reason I have only awarded three stars is because some of the stories were weaker than others. However, I am now eager to read her previous novel, JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORELL.

If you like the mannered style (and personally I do), then these stories will go down a treat, delivering the atmosphere and texture of the Johnathan Strange universe in a much more manageable format.