Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Piranesi by Viktor Plesl, Susanna Clarke

66 reviews

rieviolet's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think what I liked the most was Piranesi himself as a narrator, how we slowly discover the house and the story connnected to it from his point of view. 

It is a very imaginative story and certainly very unique, I was really captured by the first half and I still enjoyed the second one, but I think that as the plot progressed and we discovered the darker aspects of it, some of the initial brillance got lost, at least for me. It was still a very enjoyable read that I had trouble putting down (a good half of it I read in just one sitting) and a very well crafted story. 

I also had some personal quibbles over the treatment of certain topics (mailny the only depiction of queerness and also a quite fatphobic description at the very end of the story that really annoyed me) that dimmed my general enjoyment of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Violence, Torture, Gun violence, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Murder, Gore, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Blood, Murder, and Excrement

zanni_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Blood, Death, Excrement, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, and Vomit

li_reading's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Excrement and Gaslighting

Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Violence, Vomit, and Gun violence

thebetterstory's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Well, that was a lovely thing.

I liked it best at the very beginning, when the World was all that Piranesi knew. His descriptions of the House, his errands, and the small shifts in life with which he marks time are enchanting, and reminiscent of one of my favourite of all books, The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

 

Eventually the real world intrudes. It is carefully done, and the way the mystery unfolds is gripping. It's to the book's credit that it understands that you, too, will grow fascinated with the House and have mixed feelings about Matthew/Piranesi returning to it. It's nice, too, that the way back isn't barred to him when he does.

I'll admit to being a little annoyed that the World

representing all the lost knowledge, magic and splendour of Ancient Man

is entirely Greco-Roman based, which seems a bit short-sighted given the immensity of the 

Earth and all its cultures. There isn't so much as a nod to anything that isn't strictly European-focused. It feels like a failure of imagination, or an old-fashioned colonial mindset, to think that's a good representation of all of humanity.

 

Altogether, however, it's easy to recommend—those who don't like the eventual thriller elements may well enjoy the quiet beginning, and vice versa. It's also short, and doesn't add any more than it needs to, which is refreshing in a world of bloated fiction.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Excrement, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Vomit and Gun violence

soaphest's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

this book made me feel like i should edit all my other 5 star reviews to remove half a star from each one because holy shit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Death and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death, Excrement, and Murder

booksandmo's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Excrement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

tinyelfarcanist's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a strange and whimsical tale!

This cover needs a disclaimer: Piranesi is NOT a satyr. I was very disappointed.

It was very confusing at the beginning and I was bothered that it made no sense for Piranesi to know what an albatross is, or the meaning of wife and aristocratic. Once you start to get what is going on you can't put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Bullying, Excrement, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Vomit

unboxedjack's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Gun violence

nyoom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Suicide attempt