Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

Piranesi

By Susanna Clarke

  • Release Date: 2020-09-15
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,062 Ratings

Description

New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction
World Fantasy Awards Finalist

From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality.

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

For readers of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.

Reviews

  • I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did

    5
    By easybriezi
    I typically don’t go for the slower burn books where there isn’t a lot of high stakes action but this book and it’s concept was so captivating! The world building and the mystery behind it were out of this world. Was whimsical in such a hauntingly dark way it was like nothing I’d ever read before. Leaves you satisfied but still asking questions. Probably one of the best books I have ever read and I could not recommend it highly enough!
  • Good read.

    4
    By Camyoung1495
    I found myself wanting to draw my own map of the labyrinth in the first part, wanting to shake Piranesi throughout, and looking for my own worlds in liminal spaces by the end.
  • Absolutely stunning

    5
    By Big Mifty
    Amazing world building and fantasy collide with a philosophical story about identity, religion, and self perception. I cannot stress enough how beautiful the world the author created is. A must read!
  • Snooze fest

    2
    By amcdavid
    I literally can't stay awake reading this book. I get that it's a slow burn, but the writing style never really gets engaging, even after 150 pages and many accidental naps. I read the synopsis, and the story seems interesting. I just can't make my way through the writing style to get anywhere.
  • A Strange Delight

    5
    By Tommy Townshend
    Ineffably rich. Clarke plumbs a piece of psyche both unknowable and infinitely familiar.
  • A Very Different and Magical Fantasy Novel

    5
    By Prairie_Dog
    “Piranesi” is a very different fantasy novel by English author Susanna Clarke. It was critically acclaimed having been nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, it did win the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction. It is Ms. Clarke’s second novel. Piranesi is a young man who lives in a marble house with infinite rooms, stairways, and vestibules. It has clouds on its upper floor, and ocean and tides in its basement, and the rooms are filled with many beautiful and strange statues. Our protagonist has no idea how he came to be here, but he is happy with his life in this place. He fishes, gathers shellfish and seaweed, and twice a week meets for an hour with a man who he calls The Other. His only other companions are the various birds that roost or nest in the halls, and the thirteen dead. He reverently cares for these skeletal remains, and keeps them in good order. He does not know how these remains came to be here or who they are, but he offers them food, water, and waterlily blossoms to show his respect. As the story unfolds, we begin to learn more about the alternate world that Piranesi lives in, and eventually how he came to be there. It’s a very personal journey and I almost didn’t want it to occur, because Piranesi seemed so peaceful and happy with his simple existence. It was a loss of innocence in a way, but in the end, I found that the magic of the early chapters remained in a quiet and peaceful way.
  • Wonderful

    4
    By 254@easy
    A joy to read.
  • What a world

    5
    By MrProteinshake
    This is the most unique piece of written art I’ve ever read. It transports you to the house and its hallways, every room has different details, the characters are described to the point you can see them, the smells you can sniff, and feel the emotions that will allow you to share with Piranesi. What a piece of art.
  • What did I just read

    3
    By tc_sting
    What? How? Why? None of these questions will be answered in this book. But it’s a good distraction from long toilet sits
  • Susanna Clarke does it again

    5
    By Diego Brosta
    Hopefully we don’t have to wait 16 years for next novel, but if we do, it’ll likely be worth the wait.

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