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eni_iilorak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dementia, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Death, and Gun violence
Minor: Murder and Cursing
harper11's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping and Slavery
Moderate: Death, Torture, Gun violence, and Forced institutionalization
iammmartina_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death and Gun violence
emmymgb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence
menagerie_of's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence
naes's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The journalistic style of writing is exceptionally done with prose that is lovely and dreamlike. The premise seems wholly original and was like nothing I have read before. I wish this had been enough to for me to rate it higher.
The first 80-100 pages for me were totally stagnant. There seemed to be no real movement with either the plot or the characters. It was constant descriptions of statues, the rooms, fish and birds. It was a bit dull and I did consider adding it to my DNF pile.
Once you get to part three, things start to get a bit more interesting with no major development until part five. It wasn’t quite enough to make me totally enthralled in the book however. I was mildly invested in what was going on but don't considered it a page turner that I couldn't put down. The ending seemed to happen too quickly as well. I did like that the ending has been left somewhat to interpretation of the reader though. That was a nice touch.
Overall I didn't hate the story, it was just far to slow with no real development in my opinion.
Moderate: Gun violence and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death and Death
yellowbinge's review
- 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
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Vomit
lianaet's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Also minor spoilers? Kind of? But this book resonated with me towards the end, with the gaslighting, and the realisation of what's really going on - but still feeling a confusing type of way towards that person. As well that Piranesi is forever changed by the House and what he lived through there.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
Minor: Vomit, Murder, Gun violence, Death, and Excrement
godfrina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
When the Moon rose in the Third Northern Hall I went to the Ninth Vestibule.
If I have to read the word "vestibule" one more time this year...
Look, I gotta be honest, I did not love it.
Obviously, I read it for the hype / just wanted a shorter story inbetween other reads. I don't know what I expected.
The first 40% or so were an absolute slog for me. I dredged through, like Piranesi through the Drowned Halls; I was this close to my first DNF for the year.
Don't get me wrong, the prose as a whole is beautiful, albeit almost unintelligible. There is paragraphs of "I read it, but that's it". It knits together in the end, yes, however, it left me with an "huh"-feeling, with looming ✨anxiety and dread✨ behind it. I did not think it inspirational or hopeful.
I upped my initial rating of 2 for the second half of the novel to 2.5 as I clearly had a lot of thoughts right after finishing the story and that in itself always counts for something in my book.
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death, Mental illness, and Gun violence
kajasversion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Confinement, and Mental illness
Moderate: Gun violence