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Good things come not only in small packages but sometimes in unique ones as well. The first thing a reader of Susanna Clarke's latest work, THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU, will notice is that the publisher flaunted contemporary convention by offering this hardcover without the obligatory dust jacket. The cover image is pressed directly onto the book: viney pink flowers on a dark gray background. The design immediately sets the book apart. And once the cover is opened and the spine cracked, the contents will surely continue to surprise and please readers.
THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU is written in the same genre-challenging prose of Clarke's previous bestselling book, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL. It is not historical drama, though it's mostly set in 18th and 19th century England. It is not quite fantasy, though it's mostly concerned with magical and mystical creatures. And it's not a collection of fairy tales, though it's concerned with fairies. Or, more properly, Sidhe, as we are told in the introduction by Professor James Sutherland (another character of Clarke's). The Sidhe, Sutherland explains, "impinge upon our quotidian world" and Clarke's tales "create a sort of primer to Faerie and fairies."
All the stories are whimsical yet have a dark and deadly serious undercurrent; they are about the romance and appeal of magic but also its danger. Some tales in the collection are, of course, more successful than others. The title story is one of the best; in it, readers meet three women in the small village of Grace Adieu in Gloucestershire.
These ladies are more powerful than they first appear and wise in traditional magic and the ways of the Raven King. When the famed and charming magician Jonathan Strange shows up in the village, they challenge him in unexpected ways. More importantly, they are able to thwart the evil plans of Captain Winbright, the legal guardian of young Ursula and Flora, with whom Miss Tobias, one of the three titular ladies, is charged with raising. This first tale sets the stage for the rest: a world of spells and magic, enchanted woods and houses, figures both charming and diabolical. Even Mary, Queen of Scots makes an appearance.
Clarke's writing is beautiful and engaging, and her stories blend wit and darkness. However, while all the tales and characters are interesting, they are not always very original (Clarke's version of Rumpelstiltskin, for example). Furthermore, they are often just too short. It would be lovely to be able to lose yourself in these fantastic and colorful tales, but the book offers eight stories in fewer than 250 pages. Once you begin to get swept up in the plot and setting, it is off to the next.
Still, THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU is very readable and quite enchanting overall. Charles Vess's Victorian line drawing illustrations lend to the specialness of the volume. If nothing else, this book will keep Clarke's readers happy until her next full-length novel and create some new fans along the way. Her voice is unique and hard to define, and it might stray a bit too far off the beaten path to make this book recommendable to all readers. But those seeking literary adventure and huge imagination, coupled with a precise and unforgettable writing style, will find much to enjoy here.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
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