A review by lydiavinar
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wow…just wow. My experience with Piranesi was a breathless, less than 24 hour, gasp, put down and breathe, pick up again kind of read.

Goodness vs evil, innocence vs agenda, wonder vs mundanity. All of these major themes wrapped in gorgeous prose and a spellbinding pace. Clarke’s gifted ability to world-build is accompanied by characters you can’t help but have strong feelings about. I’ve never read a plot like this one and am so excited to read what others have had to say. 

I do wish there had been more plot expansion in particular portions (specifically, the middle). The end wrapped up quite quickly and I feel like another fifty pages would’ve answered some questions. However, I wasn’t disappointed with the ending and now have a new favorite fictional character in Piranesi.

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