Negative Positive
Title: Overwrought, anticlimactic, and in need of an editor
Review: Susanna Clarke's debut novel begins promisingly, but by about page 500 the book is starting to bog down beneath its own weight. The footnotes have by now worn on the reader's patience (they're either needlessly discursive or else pointless in their obviousness), and the dead-end plot lines are mounting (cf. the backstory of Jeremy and Strange's father, the old lady with the cats, and whatever happened to Lady Pole and Sir Walter?) After nearly 800 pages, one would think that Clarke could reward her readers (who have by now forgiven her meanderings and heavyhandedness) with some resolution. No. There is no resolution and the ending is far too 'cinematic' (and I mean that in the worst way possible). The possibility of a regrettable sequel is left wide open (though I won't bother reading it).
Is the review positive or negative? 