I finished Sorcery and Cecelia last night. I thought it was a fun and enjoyable read. I have to admit that I found the magic elements a tad jarring. The setting is regency England (think Jane Austen), which is my favorite of all the eras; I have read literally hundreds of books set in this time period, and I have never read one quite like this. It was an age of reason and scientific discoveries, so to throw in an acceptance of magic that felt more like a throw back to medieval times kept tripping me up. I thought that they captured the language and sensibility of the age perfectly though, and I definitely want to read the next in the series and see what happens next to both pairs of lovers.
I will be very interested to hear everybody's opinions and comparisons next month when the selection is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. And I am considering hosting a P&P party at my house later in the month to watch the excellent BBC version starring Colin Firth as a most delicious Mr. Darcy. Anyone interested in joining us? (I say us because I know that Caitlin is a given without having to ask her....) Then we can have a spirited discussion about book vs. movie. :)
So I find it interesting that you found the magic element jarring. The fact that this was a regency era book (which i've also read a large number of) and they talked about magic like it was the most normal thing in the world (the colleges and societies right along with parliament, etc.) was one of the things I loved most about it. I thought, "This is how it would be if magic was real and accepted, not hidden in another world like Harry Potter".
ReplyDeleteAs far as your P&P night, I have to say I prefer the Kiera Knighly version...;)
I like that idea, not being hidden like in Harry Potter. I can see that making sense as I read through the next book.
ReplyDeleteI do like the Kiera Knightly version too, esp. for time constraints. But if you want to prefer it over the Colin Firth version then we are just going to have to agree to disagree. :)