Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

248 reviews

spookylettuce's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

I was captivated by the mystery and setting of this book. 
I found Piranesi’s voice compelling and exploring the setting through his eyes effective for both the plot and characterization. 
The unreality of the setting combined with the recognizable deepens the mystery. It compelled me to continue reading to try and unravel what was going on and explore even more of the setting through Piranesi’s eyes.
If you like mystery, environmental storytelling, and interesting/slightly fantastical settings this book may interest you.
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clarkg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful 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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The adjectives that come to mind when I reflect on this book are "intricate", "obsessive" and "labyrinthian". The story does not unfold, it unravels. The characters to do not so much develop as they rearticulate. If you approach this book with curiosity and a beginner's mind, the result is dazzling.
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utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

I cannot believe I made my partner wait 6 months for me to read this so we could talk about it.  Absolutely gripping. Spellbinding. What an incredible concept, and what phenomenal writing.
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sophiestasyna's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

A stunning & unique read that's nearly impossible to describe.
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meganemarshall's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

I don't know how I feel about Piranesi. I feel like it's the kind of book that you have to sit on. I'm still pretty kinda confused after reading. The basic story was obvious the 'mystery' was simple. I am left wondering if I'm missing some big philosophical question that this book poses, which  just went completely over my head.

I did enjoy the book. I had a good time reading it.  I liked the Labyrinth. I found it to be peaceful,  beautiful, and calming. To me, Piranesi was a simpler lifestyle where the focus was survival/needs but overall peaceful. And in comparison Other was modern times - cruel, violent, and chaotic. Maybe it's supposed to be a metaphor for finding peace and a sense of purpose in religion/worship of whoever/whatever. That it's about the act itself, not the specifics. 

Or maybe I'm trying to assign a deeper meeting into a book that's supposed to be surface level. Overall, I did like the book even though it's going to give me an existential crisis.
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vidotson's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was such a strange book. Stockholm syndrome set in what is basically a flooded Louvre or Uffizi in an alternate universe. At least the villain’s death was satisfying. 
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evarinya's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

It wasn't bad per se, but... it gave me nothing? Very philosophical sure, but, nothing that really caught my interest at all. The climax was interesting and there were glimpses of something good in between, but... not enough to be anything substantial for me.
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allylujah's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

without the insane hype I probably would have rated it higher which is a recommendation double edged sword

definitely recommend going in with as little prior knowledge as possible—makes it a lot more engaging and immersive 
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soapfaced's review against another edition

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challenging 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? No

4.25

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bernard_black's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

The naiveness drove me crazy and the ending The Other got was a bit too cartoonish
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