Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

65 reviews

roraisabella's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

I picked this up by chance, and it was amazing, I read it so fast as I couldn’t put it down. Even in the beginning where I had no idea what was going on, it was not confusing or boring but instead intriguing and fantastical. The world building is so original and beautiful, I felt as though I was in The House, lost with the protagonist, and having his revelations with him. I recommended this book to anyone into fantasy or mystery genres. Even after reading and researching the inspirations behind ‘Piranesi’, I am still thinking about and wondering about this story, wanting more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Excrement, Slavery, and Violence

voiceofreason's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Piranesi is a beautiful dream-like story! It's unique and unlike anything that I've ever read before. Susanna Clarke has a true gift with words, she's managed to create a beautiful, mysterious story that is dark and yet still so innocent and beautiful. Everything about this book is perfect, the characters, the writing, the plot and pacing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Confinement

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Excrement and Blood

atlas_oliver's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

mogmogmog's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Kidnapping, and Confinement

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Gun violence, and Medical content

aelunny's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

This was a fun trip into another world! If you ever wake up in the morning feeling like you could've just been created and had all your memories implanted, this would be an interesting story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Excrement

yrlaevelyn's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Excrement and Confinement

angelaaaa's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death

Minor: Child death, Excrement, and Kidnapping

ghiblies's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

5.0

This book is phenomenal. I’ve never read anything like this, not even Susanna Clarke’s first book.

The first chapter was a bit of a hurdle for me, but once I got past that first bit, something just clicked. It was beautiful, the way the mystery unfolded so methodically, combined with a very meticulous and rhythmic style of narration. It created a very haunting, almost hushed atmosphere. I also loved the mythical and vast feeling you got while reading this, but it’s also intimate, like you’re being let in on a brilliant secret that never knew you needed to be in on.

And if I could just have a moment for this immaculate quote (put in a spoiler for caution):

"It began to snow. The low clouds made a grey ceiling for the city; the snow muffled the noise of the cars until it became almost rhythmical; a steady, shushing noise, like the sound of tides beating endlessly on marble walls.
I closed my eyes. I felt calm."

If you've read Piranesi then you'll understand why I find this moment so heart-wrenching. It’s so good you guys. Please read it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Excrement, and Kidnapping

lizardbet's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Dementia, and Kidnapping

Minor: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Violence

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