Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

35 reviews

calyxworld's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

There is something enthralling and poignant in the shift between Piranesi's charm, enthusiasm, and naïvety, and the vicious and destructive forces of academia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Abandonment, Dementia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death

meg_elyse's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

deerclara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Kidnapping

Minor: Fatphobia

iviarelle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this, and I have a feeling it's gonna stick with me a long while.

This book does an incredible job making the fantastical seem mundane. The House is simply Piranesi's home, his World, his entire existence... of course it's mundane to him. It's a really neat contrasting effect against just how magical and unreal the House would be to us.

And that's not even touching the mysteries and conflicts at the heart of the story. Piranesi has to discover the truth of the House, and why he's here and remembers nothing but the House, no matter how much he wants to avoid it. The mystery was gripping, and while I felt I had a decent grasp of it well before the halfway mark, the journey to the end was still very enjoyable, if you can say that for such a dark series of events.

Also, the very last pages, wherein

the Mark Rose Sorensen that is also Piranesi and the original Mark Rose Sorensen, discovers that the statues exist in the "other world" as real, living people

is fantastic. A perfect capstone, although I could've done without the weirdly shoehorned in fatphobia as he reflects on his journey, so watch out for that. It's so blatant, and right there at the end where it'll be noticed and remembered so well, that I can't help but remove part of a star for it. It really removes the shine from an otherwise incredible read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia

mscalls's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Confinement, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cursing