I finally had to stop reading this book. It just didn't hold my attention despite my continuing on and hoping it'd get better like a lot of people claimed. In the end I read what happened on Wikipedia (which I'm sure is a heinous crime among book lovers) to decide if it was worth finishing. Nope, didn't sound like it. 
 This book had the amazing ability to make very interesting happenings very boring. It's something about the writing that doesn't set well with me at all. Comparing this to another book I'm reading right now, Seabiscuit, the contrast is amazing. Seabiscuit is about a topic I really don't find interesting and yet the book is so well written that I find myself sucked in and wanting more. What makes this sadder is that I really enjoy Jane Austen and even Dickins and a lot of people recommend this book for those who do. But I feel that this novel is missing something...I can't say exactly what it is, but it's missing. 
 I think at least part of it is a lack of good characters. Mr. Norrell is absolutely a complete selfish prick while Jonathan Strange, while much more likable, is still irritating with his rush headfirst approach. I found some of the side characters to be much more appealing, but even then I didn't feel passionate about any of them. Everyone was somewhat bland. 
 It's all a shame really. I can't even say that this book is poorly written, because it isn't. It's boringly written. I do feel bad about not finishing this one because I did read a lot of it and I want to finish with the book club, however, I don't want to continue to torture myself when I'm extremely uninterested.