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Readers longing for the lilting language of fairy tales mixed with a dark take on the fantastical world of fairies and witches will find both in Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke.
In 2004, the British author made a splash on both sides of the Atlantic with Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, a nearly 800-page doorstop of a novel many called Harry Potter for adults.
Ladies can't match the physical size of Jonathan Strange but it certainly matches, pound for pound, its literary tone and spirit. Jonathan Strange re-imagined 600 years of British history as if magic were an everyday reality, mostly the period between 1806 and 1817 when Britain was at war with Napoleon. Fans of these compatible and powerful magicians -- Mr. Norrell, "almost as famous for his insignificant face and long silences," and Strange, "with his almost handsome face and lively conversation" -- will be pleased to know that they are featured in the collection's title story, "The Ladies of Grace Adieu."
In the country town of Grace Adieu, Strange and Norrell meet their match in three young witches who are hardly intimidated by the visiting celebrities as the women alter the life courses of several acquaintances to suit their own fancies.
One of the most charming facets of Clarke's stories is her mingling of historical characters with ones of her own creation.
"The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" is set in the village of Wall, created by Neil Gaiman in the fantasy novel Stardust. The illustrations in Clarke's collection are drawn by Charles Vess, who also did Stardust's.
When the uppity duke gets into a dustup with an innkeeper, the townsman gets his revenge by grazing the duke's horse in a meadow that borders a window into a fantasy world. It is here that the duke must defend himself from a fetching embroiderer who has the power to stitch violent scenes that become reality.
There's also a nod to the Brothers Grimm. In "On Lickerish Hill," Miranda, a young wife, seeks the help of a Rumpelstiltskin-like creature when her mother promises her daughter's wealthy husband that she can spin five skeins of flax a day -- a nearly impossible task.
It's easy to get swept up in these adventurous tales of spells and dark powers.
The reader's enjoyment is summed up by Strange in "The Ladies of Grace Adieu": "Magic, madam, is like fine wine and, if you are not used to it, it will make you drunk."
The Ladies of Grace Adieu
and Other Stories
By Susanna Clarke
Bloomsbury, 235 pp., $23.95
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