Piranesi Book Reviews

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An enchanting and compelling mystery. Piranesi has always lived in the house as long as he can remember. He wanders the many halls and vestibules filled with giant statues of people, and animals, and minotaurs. He spends his days fishing, gathering and drying seaweed, writing in his journal, talking to birds. The only other person in the house is The Other, a mysterious individual who meets up with Piranesi regularly and occasionally gives him gifts. Told through his journal, this is book unravels the mystery of Piranesi and the house. I didn’t know anything about this book before I started. I read “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” by Clarke years ago and I loved it. I knew I had to get this book the day it came out. I suggest reading this book knowing as little as possible so you can enjoy the ride that this book takes you on. It’s a confusion book. The novel is a mystery told from Piranesi’s point of view, who is trying to solve the mystery. I can see how this might be frustrating to some readers, dropped in a world with no explanation, no context. Trust me, this book is a fun and wild ride and it will make sense. Just be patient and accept the mystery as it unfolds. CW: this book contains references to abuse, while not explicit, may not be for everyone. ★★★★★ • Hardcover • Fiction - Literary, Fantasy, Mystery • Published by Bloomsbury on 9/15/20. ◾︎

Susanna Clarke does it again. Hopefully we don’t have to wait 16 years for next novel, but if we do, it’ll likely be worth the wait.

Marvelous and moving. The main character and narrator pulls you along with his innocent, affable voice, taking you through the labyrinth of his own mysterious life, and the gradual escalation of his life-altering adventure, while charming you with his intricate knowledge of the infinite House that he dutifully explores, and calls home.

Ghostly. Hard to start, but worth the trip.

Delightful. This book was delightful!

Stilted, tedious, and boring.. This was like something Diane from Cheers would write. It is full of sequential polysyllabic words making small points.

Couldn’t put it down!. This story is mysterious and enchanting in a way I haven’t experienced before in a book.

Intriguing but A Letdown. Started well, lost it in second half. Ending just blah. Good idea but disappointing.

Great. FANTASTIC read! Incredible story.

Great. Can’t recommend enough. The mystery aspect is cool, but the main draw is the story’s protagonist. Such a lovable character.

A master piece. The beauty of this book is immeasurable, it’s kindness, infinite.

Big house. Someone told me the book was about a big house and I didn't believe them but it really is. 4/5 the ending was too quick for my tastes but the rest is good.

Wonderful. A joy to read.

Not as completely original as ‘Strange but a good read nevertheless. Yeah

A Surprise. This book was not the usual book I look for when reading. I am not a fan of fantasy and yet because of a novel I stumbled upon this summer, I have found myself in a new reading world. This book takes you away immediately into a world of beauty and yet it is a world of loneliness at the same time. The main character knows this world like the artist he is named after knows his artwork. It is a world of frozen mysteries, constant love, changing tides and a sea that will provide for you. And that is just what fills the house. There is a selfish plot that comes to its just conclusion. The main character then must decide whether to stay or to go back to our world. Our world is reality in all its messy outcomes. The House is creativity, imagination and so much love with its birds, its quietness and its beautiful water. There is a sense of fairness and justice in the ending. The metaphor this writer creates for existence between reality and imagination with their different demands is beautifully developed and surprisingly connected.

Fantastic. I was told not to read anything about the book and trust that the story would reveal itself. It did.

Piranesi. I agree with Juliusa. Magical first half that drew me into the beauty and mystery of the other world. Then the Prophet enters the story and, over many pages, gives a lot of it away. The infrequent but jarring profanity broke the spell further. The second half was satisfying but there were several plot gaps and nowhere near as much beauty as the first half. In the end it became a tender, understated love story between two people from different worlds. The theme I took away was maintaining a sense of awe, curiosity, mystery, and beauty in the face of the vicissitudes of life. In other words, the perfect book for escaping from politics and the virus.

search is broken on books for mac. The book itself is 5 stars for me, but there's something wrong with ibooks edition. Whenever I try to search for any substring of a chapter title, e.g. "prophet", the mac app crashes for me with an NSRangeException iBooks is always pushing book updates at me, I would really like an update that fixes search?

Thoughtful and Surprisingly Deep. I thought this book was very fulfilling. Much shorter than the lauded Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrel, this book is a little faster paced and kept me turning the pages until there weren’t anymore! I wish I could read it again not knowing where it was going to end up. Definitely a recommended read from me!

Wonderful. Breathtaking and impossible to put down

Beautifully written and unique. After reading the sample I was intrigued, but I still had no idea what to expect. I decided to take the plunge and purchase anyway and I’m so glad I did. This book is engaging, at times heart wrenching and also so different than anything I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend!

A Strange Delight. Ineffably rich. Clarke plumbs a piece of psyche both unknowable and infinitely familiar.

Great mystery. Beautiful book

Amazing. I absolutely loved this book! I’m not usually a reader of this kind of book. I enjoyed it so much! Would highly recommend it!

Beautiful, Strange, Captivating. This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read. It is a must read

Excellent. Excellent. You should read

Enjoyable, Mysterious and Strange. A strange start to an enigmatic book. A rare case of a writer able to keep things mysterious and opaque but goading the reader to carry on. Well worth the read.

Best book I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down. Finished it in one day and I’ll probably re-read it again tomorrow. Amazing, brilliant. I felt like I received insight from Plato himself

The less you know the better. In the beginning I had trouble relating to any of the story, but it is a short book so I recommend sticking with it. It will draw you in, at which point you will not be able to put it down

Piranesi is a charming escape. Absolutely charming book with truly original contents. Highly recommended!

Creeps up on you. Solid read. I was so tempted to google and find out who He is, but I’m so glad I waited and read. A great mystery twist I was not expecting!

Piranesi. I fell so quickly in love with Piranesi. Constantly pondering the words on the pages! Captivating and unique. Suspenseful and enlightening. Sad to finish this lovely book.

Eerie in the best way possible. The book was just great from beginning to end. From the description of the whole scenery to then the unraveling of the mystery. This book just took me to beautiful and eerie new world and kept me at the edge of my seat almost the whole way through. You must read it

What did I just read. What? How? Why? None of these questions will be answered in this book. But it’s a good distraction from long toilet sits

A Very Different and Magical Fantasy Novel. “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.

Fascinating. Okay—this book is strange. I usually read pretty mainstream fiction (and a lot of it) so this book, especially at first, felt literally like a different world. BUT I could not put it down! I read it in a few days and loved it. The main character’s simplistic perception of the world was so incredibly refreshing.

Wow. At first, I was concerned that I wouldn’t like it.. but the more I read, the more enthralling it became. Give it at least 50 pages before giving up - yes, it is about a house, but it’s a beautiful novel.

What a world. 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.

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