Breezy ... As the novel zips along—there are lively depictions of the Blitz, plenty of sex and a rom-com’s worth of flirtatious patter—Mr. Spufford’s reasons for withholding information about the science-fiction conceit become clearer.
The novel is a pleasing pasticcio of romance, occultism, non-Euclidean geometry and airborne adventure across the blitz-stricken rooftops of London. It is difficult to imagine it would hold together quite so well in other hands than Spufford’s ... Dazzling ... A formidable achievement, a popcorny delight of a novel – and those who agree will be pleased by an ending that hints we’ve plenty more to come from Spufford’s fantasy multiverse.
Very enjoyable ... The more fantastical elements of the novel can be a little hard to follow – even for Spufford himself, who doesn’t seem to have made up his mind whether the time traveller, having changed the past, is able to remember that they have done so. Such inconsistencies are frustrating in a novel that relies on complex rules of magic. But while the wilder plot points can feel a little silly, Spufford reconstructs London at war with fabulous, awful detail.
A very bookish sort of book ... It’s a story that shakes together different genres and creates something wholly new from them: a romantic fantasy that contains meaty dollops of sex; a time-travelling adventure that is seamed with Keynesian economics.
The novel begins as a vividly realistic account of the beginnings of the war ... The balance of historical realism and fantasy is handled with a degree of mastery and attention to detail that is far more convincing than it probably ought to be – and that suggests further complications to come.
The novel unfolds at a leisurely pace but tension mounts and the story eventually concludes in a cliff-hanger. Spufford paints a portrait of an embattled London that suffers relentless bombing and destruction, its survival dependent upon the actions of a flawed and complex anti-heroine.
Rich period detail, an unhurried narrative pace and a fascination with moments when the familiar world becomes transformed. Spufford’s prose is at once deeply committed to the enjoyment of actualities and fascinated by what lies beyond sight or easy understanding; his imagination is a powerful compound of secular and religious elements ... That said, the sheer strangeness of the story told in Nonesuch sets it apart from the rest of Spufford’s work ... The distinction of his book is that it conveys by all manner of means the pleasures of finding the unexpected within the predictable.
Ambitious ... The more fantastic elements of the story feel overworked. Spufford conjures up an inspiring climax and suggests a sequel—one that hopefully approaches the material with a lighter touch. A magical, clever, sometimes convoluted reimagining of London under attack.
