BiblioAddict

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke finished at a time unknown on September 22, 2008.

Narrative: The Ladies of Grace Adieu is a collection of eight short stories written with the substance and style of old fairy tales.  “On Likerish Hill” retells the classic “Rumplestiltskin” story but with a much darker tone, in “Mrs. Mabb” a young woman loses her beau to a powerful woman bent on using magic to keep her away, and in “Mr. Simonelli or The Fairy Widower” a reverend with secrets of his own tangles with the resident fairy and suffers the consequences.

Closing lines:

In the next fifty or sixty years his lords and servants often reminded him of the excellent hunting to be had in Cumbria, but he was careful never to go there again until he was sure the Charcoal Burner was dead.

– ” John Uskglass,” pg. 235

Finishing thoughts:

This collection of short stories turned out to be (again) much better than I thought it was going to be.  Clarke has a deft hand at creating stories that feel and read as if they were as old as time.  I loved the way she used antiquated spellings and out-of-date turns of phrases to give the reader the impression that what they held in their hands was an old, dusty book of dark, allegorical tales rather than a slick paperback with stories written  only recently.  The Ladies of Grace Adieu transported me back to a time and place where fairies walk the hills and dark things reside in the woods.  Which, in other words, made it the perfect book for this time of year.

Out of all the stories in this book, there was only one that I didn’t care for.  Ironically, it was the story which probably drew a lot of readers to this book in the first place – the title piece, “The Ladies of Grace Adieu” which features an appearance by Jonathan Strange from Clarke’s bestseller novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.  In it, three independently-minded small town women gather to discuss their love lives over tea and magic.  When an old friend comes to town threatening their quiet way of life, the women strike back, showing the urbanite Jonathan Strange just how little he knows about true magic.

The premise of “The Ladies of Grace Adieu” was a solid one, but the reason why we aren’t supposed to like the stranger is never really clear.  Nor is it particularly clear if we’re supposed to sympathize with the three women.  I appreciated that they were living in a time when women had very little power beyond the operations of the household, but these women struck me as being dangerously reckless with their power.  One thing I did like about it, however, was that it provided me with my favorite line from the book (see below).

I’m happy to say the rest of the stories in The Ladies of Grace Adieu were superb.  They were not only a pleasure to read but they were, in many cases, surprising.  I never knew what dark corner Clarke would lead me around next, but I always enjoyed where I ended up.

Neil Gaiman fans will be tickled by the fact that she sets one of her stories, “The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse,” in the village of Wall (see Stardust) where “there is an actual wall that divides our world and the Faerie.”  In it, the Duke of Wellington – what an interesting character to use, by the way – goes in search of his horse on the other side of the wall and stumbles upon a single lady embroidering his terrible fate to pass the time.

In another favorite of mine, “Antickes and Frets,” Mary, Queen of Scots, seeks to enlist the help of a powerful countess in exacting her revenge against Elizabeth, Queen of England – with disastrous consequences.  That Clarke would use such a politically fraught setting for an unsettling story about magic, loyalty, and greed was bold, surprising, and effective.  I don’t normally associate this period in English history with magic and witchery, but after reading Clarke’s story I probably always will.

All of these stories were immensely readable. And as the leaves fall and the woods darken, these enchanting and haunting tales are sure to keep you engrossed and entertained by the low-burning fire for hours.

Favorite quote:

Magic, madam, is like wine and, if you are not used to it, it will make you drunk.

– “The Ladies of Grace Adieu,” pg. 29

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Bloomsbury USA / Oct. 2007
$13.96 / 256 pps.

FYI: This is my third book for Carl V.’s R.I.P. III challenge. One more to go!  Wahoo!!!