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Title: Why the hype?
Review: It escapes me why this book was the darling of a number of critics. The only gripping episodes were those involving the gentleman with thistledown hair, Stephen, and Lady Pole. The lengthy footnotes could be entertaining but grew tiresome as the book progressed (and it is a long book, to put it mildly); Norrell is more a spoiled whiner than a threat to Strange; and the use of magic in the Napoleonic Wars never attains the suspense and drama of a real battle. In short, steer clear.
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