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The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

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The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

By: Susanna Clarke
Narrated by: Simon Prebble, Davina Porter
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About this listen

Following the enormous success of 2004 bestseller and critics' favorite Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke delivers a delicious collection of ten stories set in the same fairy-crossed world of 19th-century England. With Clarke's characteristic historical detail and diction, these dark, enchanting tales unfold in a slightly distorted version of our own world, where people are bedeviled by mischievous interventions from the fairies. With appearances from beloved characters from her novel, including Jonathan Strange and Childermass, and an entirely new spin on certain historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, this is a must-have for fans of Susanna Clarke and an enticing introduction to her work for new listeners.

©2006 Susanna Clarke (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a divison of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Short Stories Feel-Good Paranormal

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Critic reviews

"All but one of the stories takes place in or around 1811, and Clarke uses the language, diction, and historical settings beautifully, just hinting at Jane Austen. Each character is elegantly drawn and comes to life....These stories are charming, engaging, and deceptively simple." ( Booklist)
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The collection is very mixed in its quality. In general, the shorter stories work quite well but the longest, about Mr Simonelli and John Hollyshoes, is incredibly tedious. Had the 'chapters' in the book coincided with the reading then I would have skipped past it almost entirely. This is not the fault of the narrators, who are excellent, but of the author.

This is not a book I can see me ever bothering with again. I would say that, even if you enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, this is not a book worth buying.

Very mixed bag.

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If you loved the world of Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell, then you will feel at home here. Returning is like visiting an old friend. The compendium of short stories however all feel a little unfinished and there's very little connection between them either. Ultimately when it ends you find yourself thinking-- 'Is that it? I was watching that.'

Big mistake to change the narrator from those used on Strange & Norrell.

An appendix to Strange & Norrell

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Very enjoyable tales. Annoyingly the chapter spacings are regularly spaced throughout the audio book rather than at the start/finish of the stories. Very well read with a variety of narrators.

Great stories - shame about the chapter spacings

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I've listened to this book over the years multiple times. . I've no doubt I'll listen to it multiple times in the future.. I recomended it to anyone who enjoys a little magic

really enjoyable

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I absolutely loved Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel so decided to give the Ladies of Grace Adieu a whirl. I did enjoy the book and the stories were compact, cleverly written and entertaining. However I think it is fair to say that I was spoilt by JS&MN so this book felt lacking in someway. I probably should have done them the other way around.
The audio quality was clean and crisp, Simon Prebble is a joy to listen to and the reading pace was great. I can't fault the book in any way,, other than I was probably wanting more of JS and didn't get it. A good book on the whole and well worth a listen. I give it four out of five.

Lacked something but still enjoyable

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Clarke is clearly one of the best writers alive, and Davina Porter's work with accents skilfully brings this stylised prose to life. I have only one problem with the audiobook: "The Fairy Widower" has been cut in half, and the latter half has been included in the chapter about the fairy bridge. Because of that, I thought it was a two-parter, and read only half of the story for my class on Clarke. Sad.

Wonderful work, wonderfully read, BUT

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I downloaded this book after listening to 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell'. JS&MN is a long story with single plot running through the book, with little subplots and stories of faerie woven in. 'The Ladies of Grace Adieu' is a collection of shorter stories, all which have the same charm as those in the former book. Whilst this collection does not lead to as fulfilling an experience, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Not quite as good as JS&MN- but still good

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I enjoyed these short stories but many felt incomplete. I don't mind being left with the feeling of wanting more of a story but this was unsatisfactory and at times confusing.

Enjoyable but felt incomplete.

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I was disappointed in that I didn't enjoy this as much as Norrel and Strange, while some of the stories were interesting I found others flat with the titular one being one such story. Not bad overall but not up to what I expected.

A mixture

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Having listened to Piranesi and Jonathan Strange in quick succession I was pleased to find this collection of stories set in the worlds of Jonathan Strange and Faery. It didn’t disappoint and I’m sad there’s nothing else to hear. Beautifully written and read.

Another fantastic book from Susannah Clarke

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