Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Piranesi

If you like academia, wether that be light or dark or whatever, you would enjoy this book. I have never gotten into that genre/trope before but it was interesting. I loved the writing style it was beautifully lyrical and simple to understand. It didn’t feel like the author was trying to be overly intellectual or talk down to the reader.
However this book fell a little flat for me. I think that many people would adore this book and many people may not like it. Personally it was just kinda there for me. I could see the plot twist coming from the fist chapter, and I don’t know if that’s because I analyze peoples writing too much or watch too many mystery shows but when the “plot twist” came I was like FINALLY. I also went into the book completely blind. I didn’t read the back cover or anything about it.
If you enjoy the academia trope you should give this book a try!

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annablume's review against another edition

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dark 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? It's complicated

2.75

Not worth the hype, very foreseeable, weird about police, women and queerness??? Very hard to get into

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paracosmicmess's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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tragedies's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.25

Clarke's labyrinthine House feels like Plato's cave. Instead of shadows, there are statues. And instead of prisoners, there is Piranesi. He resides in these halls, alone with only marble sculptures and birds to keep him company. Except for the occasional visit from The Other, he remains alone... until he is not.

The story follows Piranesi's quest for truth and explores the eventual pitfalls that come with uncovering it. Though the pace was slow at first and the narrative rather tedious, I still found it incredibly compelling. I just couldn't help but flip the page. It was captivating enough to pique my curiosity yet disturbing enough to make me suspicious, even queasy. The entire time, the writing felt like there was something beneath the surface, a feeling that someone or something was watching. It's strange and intriguing but also enthralling and oddly profound. Rather than a fantasy adventure, it's more of an existential journey, one that used otherworldly elements to raise questions and prove a point.

In the end, everything was tied together beautifully. It was touching and poetic, leaving me with an aching melancholy that I don't quite know how to deal with.

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chrisljm's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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? Yes

4.0

Despite the short length of the book, it is a slow start full of world building. However once you get past that it is so incredibly captivating, and I come to realize how amazing the world building is. Although Piranesi isn’t the only character, he is pretty much the only character you see majority of the time, but even so he’s engaging and the storytelling is fantastic, immersive, and so unique. I loved how soft the fantasy elements were and the way the novel was structured. Basically everything that I found slightly confusing at first were all things that I came to appreciate and really enjoy.

I think Susanna Clarke deserved the awards she got for this book, and I understand why I heard so much praise for it, but I can also see how this book wouldn’t be for every type of reader. Luckily, I enjoyed it immensely and I found that this is the type of story that lingers and leaves a lot to think on afterwards. One of them being that personally, I would love to see The House because to Me it sounded beautiful despite its solitude. I also think it would be interesting to see how other readers viewed The House, in a personality test type of way.

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elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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borisignatievich's review against another edition

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3.0

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