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glitterenby's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.”
Piranesi has lived his entire life in “the House,” wandering it’s endless, cavernous halls and vestibules full of statues, watching the crashing oceans that occasionally cause great floods and the clouds that obscure his vision of the upper level. He divides his time among gathering the supplies that he needs to survive (“The House provides much food for the active and enterprising person. There is no excuse for going hungry!”), caring with almost religious reverence for the Dead that he has found tucked in odd places, and gathering information about his surroundings. He documents his explorations meticulously in a hand-written journal and shares them with his mysterious friend, “the Other,” with whom he meets for an hour twice per week. His life is everything that he needs, and he is thankful for it. But one day, the Other tells Piranesi something that sends him back through his old journal entries, and slowly, his understanding of himself and his world begins to unravel.
I rarely give books five-star ratings, but I gave one to this book with hardly a second thought. It is the best piece of fiction I have read in years. Unfortunately, because of the nature of this book, if I say much about the plot, I will ruin much of what it makes it great; I can say, however, that the sophisticated way in which it deals with themes of Christianity, confinement, and identity affected me deeply, so deeply, in fact, that I cried when I finished reading.
I can also say that I loved being in the head of Piranesi. This story is told via his journal entries, which do a splendid job of communicating his personality and his changing mental states. Normally, I don’t gravitate toward books that are in the form of journals because I find that they provide too limited of a view of events, but, in this case, that limited view of events is an essential element of what makes this story work. This story’s impact comes in no small part from finding our way out of a limited and incorrect understanding along with Piranesi. I experienced confusion, surprise, and revelation alongside him, and this process was made all the more enjoyable for me because I was deeply invested in him. His dedication to the comfort and well-being of everyone around him –the Other, the resident animals, even the Dead– made me love him and hope that he would survive the mysteries of the House.
This book’s prose is also absolutely gorgeous in an understated and precise way. We are given (through the writings of Piranesi) descriptions that are vivid because of their use of sense detail and metaphor. These descriptions, however, did not draw attention to themselves or draw me out of the flow of the book. One of my favorite examples is found early on in the book:
“The Vestibule was full of birds and the birds were all aflight. They circled and spiraled, creating a whiling dance. They filled the Vestibule like a column of smoke, which grew darker and denser in places and the next moment lighter and airier. I have witnessed this dance on several occasions, always in the evening and in the later months of the year.”
My one qualm with this book is that how it deals with LGBTQ+ representation worries me. The only character who is identified as queer is also one of the most dangerous, erratic characters in the book and seems to be sexually predatory. While I definitely think there is a place for negative queer characters in literature -and this character is fascinating- the fact that he is the only representation might be seen as playing into the stereotypes of queer people as being morally bankrupt. I wish that Clark had included a positive character who is obviously queer to counter that issue.
Overall, though, I am deeply impressed with this book and recommend it especially to lovers of books that invite you to ask questions and sit in the darkness of lacking certainty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Blood
vessel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Beauty of the House is immesurable; its Kindness infinite.
This book was very interesting, though for me, a bit hard to get into. My personal issue was that due to attention problems, I found the protagonist's voice extremely difficult to read at times, since he tends to capitalize every word he finds important. This is excellent characterization, and I do not wish it was different, but it made getting into the groove more challenging for me.
It's a beautiful, achingly human story. I recommend borrowing or getting a physical copy if at all possible, because when the connections started connecting, I really wanted to flip back to look at stuff that was going on 50 pages ago in a new light, which was difficult with a digital copy. It's a lot of fun watching the mystery unfold.
This book was very interesting, though for me, a bit hard to get into. My personal issue was that due to attention problems, I found the protagonist's voice extremely difficult to read at times, since he tends to capitalize every word he finds important. This is excellent characterization, and I do not wish it was different, but it made getting into the groove more challenging for me.
It's a beautiful, achingly human story. I recommend borrowing or getting a physical copy if at all possible, because when the connections started connecting, I really wanted to flip back to look at stuff that was going on 50 pages ago in a new light, which was difficult with a digital copy. It's a lot of fun watching the mystery unfold.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Grief
Minor: Murder, Fatphobia, and Blood
sxndaze's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.
an absolute whirlwind
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Murder and Blood
ursa_arlo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
I really liked this book, especially the slow unraveling of Myself's mystery and the descriptions of the House, but I think I was led astray by all of the positive reviews.
Because, while Piranesi is a good book with an interesting format and mystery, I have read similar books that are similar in subject that hit a little harder and push the boundaries a little further. (A personal favourite is Beneath the world, a sea.) So ultimately I was a bit disappointed by the end.
Because, while Piranesi is a good book with an interesting format and mystery, I have read similar books that are similar in subject that hit a little harder and push the boundaries a little further. (A personal favourite is Beneath the world, a sea.) So ultimately I was a bit disappointed by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Minor: Blood
desiderium_incarnate's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
This was a pretty surprising read. I would say it starts with fantasy, then adds in some dark academia and towards the ends becomes a bit of a thriller. I did not expect that. It was also a quick read and well written.
It gives you a lot to think about, which can be nice.
It gives you a lot to think about, which can be nice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Mental illness, Death, Child death, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Confinement
sunflower7skull's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Very interesting book. Very psychological with a very slow start, but I found it very intruiging as I continued, especially with the unreliable narrator aspect. I enjoyed the mystery, though I found it somewhat predictable at times. I honestly don't get the hype myself, but I can see why others would like it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Death, Abandonment, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Homophobia, Excrement, Mental illness, and Vomit
Warning for amnesia / character not in stable mindset at all!danasaur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Trafficking, Torture, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Abandonment, Murder, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit
aas's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Child death, Vomit, Confinement, Death, Blood, Murder, Violence, Grief, and Kidnapping
miller8d's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved that this book felt like a refreshing escape from the normal structure and narrative that many fiction books follow. I was surprised by most of the book, and deeply appreciated that the magic of this universe was both fantastical and simple, both logical and inexplicable. I found myself confused about the storyline/losing focus frequently throughout the book, which normally would bother me, but it felt like I was experiencing the same thing as the narrator LOL, which I enjoyed. I found the narrator’s genuinely kind soul very touching and deeply enjoyed the process of discovering what had happened. I didn’t realize it was a mystery novel until halfway through which is awesome. The well-established isolated world meant that, with the appearance of each new person or information, it was genuinely shocking. Very interesting and refreshing read. Also, I pictured The Other as Brett Goldstein.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Gun violence, Dementia, Confinement, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Vomit and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Trafficking, and Blood
Although this book covers many dark topics,nefariousbee's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.75
i wish we'd get more in certain parts of the story. more backstory maybe, more time in the other world. but apart from that, this story was right up my alley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Confinement
Moderate: Blood and Murder