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The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
 
 
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The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories [Kindle Edition]

Susanna Clarke (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £7.99
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Product Description

Review

'An unholy alliance of Austen and Angela Carter' Daily Mail 'These tales read as if Jane Austen had rewritten the Brothers Grimm ... wonderful' Spectator 'Witty rejoinders and genteel manners to contrast nicely with the darker tones of hauntings, shape-changing and black magic ... Clarke is a natural storyteller' Sunday Telegraph 'Even if you don't believe in magic it is a tour de force' Sunday Times

Review

'An unholy alliance of Austen and Angela Carter' Daily Mail 'These tales read as if Jane Austen had rewritten the Brothers Grimm ... wonderful' Spectator 'Witty rejoinders and genteel manners to contrast nicely with the darker tones of hauntings, shape-changing and black magic ... Clarke is a natural storyteller' Sunday Telegraph 'Even if you don't believe in magic it is a tour de force' Sunday Times
See all Product Description

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2919 KB
  • Print Length: 257 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1596913835
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (21 Dec 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0035XOQVI
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #75,645 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous 1 Mar 2008
By A. Smith
Format:Paperback
Gorgeous. Beautifully written, delectably malign English fairytales. It's as if Jane Austen met Harry Potter on a lonely path in a dark wood and beat him with a stick until he lost his mind.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical. 18 Jan 2007
By L. Doughton VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
A collection of wonderful short stories upon the themes of English magic and the inhabitants of Faerie by Susanna Clarke, author of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel. Once again Clarke's attention to detail, us of annotation and academic conventions bestows an extra layer of realism to these tales, so they read almost as histories, or at least well established folklores with hundreds of years of tradition and storytelling behind them. These are true fairy-tales, in the tradition of the brothers grimm. One or two of the tales may be confusing if the reader is not entirely familiar with the story of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel (although the ingenous use of footnotes fills in the gaps for the uninitiated), however for those who found Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel too long and difficult to get into, this may be the perfect way to get into the work of a truely original writer. And for those who did enjoy it, well, this is just a treat. Highly recommended, Susanna Clarke is definately a writer I will be watching closely from now onwards.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Ladies, ladies! 6 Nov 2006
By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAME TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Susanna Clarke made a dazzling debut with "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell," which was the sort of fantasy story that Jane Austen would have written. Still fresh from her first bestseller, she presents a new array of captivating stories in "The Ladies of Grace Adieu." But expect it to be more whimsical.

The title story takes place in the magical Regency period of her debut: dull Mr. Field remarries after his wife died, and his pretty second wife, his niece, and a friend soon become good friends. When Mr. Strange passes by on a family errand, he discovers that there is more -- these ladies are all magicians, and have quietly escaped the boundaries placed by society.

From there on, Clarke trips through a series of strange, fantastical stories: when a young newlywed finds that her rich hubby expects her to spin flax, she asks for help from a nasty little fairy, who will kidnap her if she doesn't guess his name. Think a Regency "Rumplestiltskin."

Then a young lady tries to regain her boyfriend from the mysterious "Mrs. Mabb"; a Duke changes his destiny with a pair of scissors and a needle; a Jewish doctor and a fairy nobleman travel through England; the Queen of Scots becomes fascinated by an embroidered figure; and a young pastor finds himself enmeshed with a cruel fairy lord. One of the stories is even set in the world of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust."

"The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories" is more fantasy and less history than the full-length novel, although it leans more heavily on history. But then, most of these short stories may not be in the same universe, and they range from whimsical little fluff pieces to almost-horror.... Read more ›
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Ladies, ladies! 12 Oct 2007
By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAME TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Susanna Clarke made a dazzling debut with "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell," which was the sort of fantasy story that Jane Austen would have written. Still fresh from her first bestseller, she presents a new array of captivating stories in "The Ladies of Grace Adieu." But expect it to be more whimsical.

The title story takes place in the magical Regency period of her debut: dull Mr. Field remarries after his wife died, and his pretty second wife, his niece, and a friend soon become good friends. When Mr. Strange passes by on a family errand, he discovers that there is more -- these ladies are all magicians, and have quietly escaped the boundaries placed by society.

From there on, Clarke trips through a series of strange, fantastical stories: when a young newlywed finds that her rich hubby expects her to spin flax, she asks for help from a nasty little fairy, who will kidnap her if she doesn't guess his name. Think a Regency "Rumplestiltskin."

Then a young lady tries to regain her boyfriend from the mysterious "Mrs. Mabb"; a Duke changes his destiny with a pair of scissors and a needle; a Jewish doctor and a fairy nobleman travel through England; the Queen of Scots becomes fascinated by an embroidered figure; and a young pastor finds himself enmeshed with a cruel fairy lord. One of the stories is even set in the world of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust."

"The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories" is more fantasy and less history than the full-length novel, although it leans more heavily on history. But then, most of these short stories may not be in the same universe, and they range from whimsical little fluff pieces to almost-horror.... Read more ›
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun With Fairies 25 Aug 2006
By A. Ross TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
The eight short stories in this collection are set in the same England as Clarke's popular novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (which I have not read), an England in which magic is at least nominally present and faeries are human-like creatures with very considerable powers. All but one of the stories, which range in length from a few pages to 45 pages, have been previously published over the last ten years in various anthologies such as Starlight 1, 2, and 3, and Black Swan, White Raven and Black Heart, Ivory Bones.

Although the leadoff story, which gives the book it's title, concerns Dr. Strange and a trio of witches, the bulk of the stories (and certainly the more memorable ones), revolve around the capricious doings of various powerful fairies. A somewhat less powerful fairy is at the heart of he second story, "On Likerish Hill", which riffs on the Rumplestilsken story. The third story, "Mrs. Mabb", is an excellent old-fashioned tale about a poor young woman whose fiancee has been ensorcelled by a fairy queen. "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse," is a comic interlude featuring the famous hero of the Peninsular and Napoleonic Wars, and how he survives an accidental visit the the Fairy Kingdom.

Another longer, and somewhat more engaging story is "Mr. Simonelli or the Fairy Widower", in which a Cambridge scholar turned local rector matches wits with the local fairy lord. Another long and fairly decent story is "Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge...," in which a Jewish doctor and fairy lord making their way cross-country stumble upon a village severely in need of a bridge. What happens is somewhat obvious, but it's a story well told. The seventh story, "Antickes and Frets" is a somewhat perfunctory one about Mary Queen of Scots and some magical embroidery.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A very rare delight.
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... Read more
Published 22 days ago by E.A. COLE
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book
Susannah Clarke must be one of the best writers in the world. Her imagination, giving us the world of 'Faerie' is fantastic. Read more
Published 1 month ago by JF
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful escapism
Yet more magical story telling from this wonderful author. A collection of sublime tales that whisk you away from our mundane world to a place both recognizable yet mysterious. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lex Elbow
4.0 out of 5 stars Fairytales meet Jane Austen
This is a collection of short stories from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I am a bit of a fairytale junkie and as the stories in this book are based on traditional... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Zoe Brooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Eight Trips Back to Faerie
In this first collection of short stories, Susanna Clarke returns to the world she created in her first novel, the excellent "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell", with more stories... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Noel
4.0 out of 5 stars Great stories, weak format
I read this book straight after Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which I hugely enjoyed, as a way of stringing out the experience. Read more
Published 12 months ago by AnOnAnOnAnOn
4.0 out of 5 stars A good companion piece to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Susanna Clarke's much-acclaimed 2004 novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell explored a world in which real English history and fairy folklore are deeply entwined, where magicians... Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. Whitehead
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Witty, fascinating and beautifully written, a most satisfying read for those who long for more of the same after reading her wonderful "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell". Read more
Published 17 months ago by Stargazer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
This is a fantastic book. It's original, beautifully written and great fun.
You never know where the plot will lead to, and it's a treat.
Published on 30 May 2011 by K. Brent
2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment
Ms Clarke's "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" is such a wonderful story and beautifully told. Apart from the title story (which earned it the second star), this was a huge... Read more
Published on 1 April 2011 by Andrew AC Asteriades
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