Susanna Clarke: Revise for Length

At long last I managed to finish Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a whopper of a novel by first-timer Susanna Clarke. My relationship with JS&MN has been a peculiar one. As I've said a few times, I usually like what I read, and when I take chances with new authors, it usually turns out I -like Indy- chose wisely. I normally finish the books I read rather fast, and it's really unusual for me to put a book aside without finishing it (but I've done it in the past: Robinson Crusoe and Moby Dick are the two examples that come to mind). So let's keep all that in mind.
Over a year and a half ago, a friend of mine who also likes fantasy and sci-fi, and who happens to be another big Joss Whedon fan, told me about JS&MN. She said it was a great book… if you could get past the first 80 pages or so. I checked out the book on Amazon, and the plot sounded really cool. Back in the 19th century, a couple of British magicians are recruited by the Government to fight against Napoleon and the French army using magic to aid Lord Wellington's army. Also, it was on sale, so I decided to give it a try.
I got the book. I started it. I struggled with it, but I kept thinking "get past the first 80 pages or so". My main problem with the book was that it was mind-numbingly boring. Nothing whatsoever happened in those pages. There was a lot of narration and an incredible amount of description: the paragraphs were long and thick, and the text offered this air of dense inscrutability that deters readers from taking on such works. And the occasional dialogue was not any better, with long, wordy, and not too natural conversations.
I kept going, and at some point, I decided to read another book in between chapters. So I started to do that every chapter, so I'd read a chapter of JS&MN, a book, and then another chapter. But after 200 pages (which comprise "volume I" out of three) I just couldn't take it anymore, and I put the book back in my "To Read" shelf.
A bit over a year went by, and I decided to give it another try (I'm really stubborn, I confess). The first volume was about Mr. Norrell, one of the two magicians, and not the likable one, as it happens. Volume two introduced Jonathan Strange, a more agreeable wizard. And it is when these two characters meet that the book actually takes off. I read the remaining 580 pages in a couple of weeks (and I admit that I read a few other books in between chapters this time as well), and I'm glad I stuck with it.
The story is good, and that's what kept me reading, regardless of what I think are the book's big problems. Or maybe I should say the author's big problems. Now you are going to hate me, but the main problem I have with her is her tolkienesque style. The world loves Tolkien, but I'm not one of them. He has great stories, but he just can't tell them in an entertaining -not to mention compelling- way. (And yeah: I put The Silmarillion aside after 60 pages a few weeks ago, so sue me.) Susanna Clarke suffers from the same disease: wordiness. She just uses too many words to describe anything, everything. She goes around and around, beating about the bush, describing the most insignificant of details, actions, and characters. This gives some richness to the universe she has created, no question about it. But why can't she stick to the story and be direct and to the point? She, like Tolkien, seems to be enchanted by her fictitious world, and gets lost in the details. And while doing that, she bores the reader, who keeps wondering why that is relevant. (Surprise: it is not.)
The hardcover edition I own is 780 pages long, and I can honestly tell you that the book would be twice as good if you got rid of 250 to 300 pages. I'm not exaggerating. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: cut it down to half its length, and it's gonna be twice as good.
And still, I liked it, after a fashion. It is certainly a book I will not recommend anybody, but I'm glad I got through it. I think this is going to be one of those few and exceptional cases (along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Bridget Jones's Diary) in which the movie is better than the book. Not that they're working on a movie version as far as I know; but if they do it eventually (and, let's face it, it is likely), I say you skip the book and go see the movie. When they "cram" the story down into a couple of hours (no cramming needed, since that's plenty of time for what there is to tell), it's going to be a blast. I hope.