PIRANESI - Susanna Clarke

Suitability:Good qualityQuality is really good! The books were individually wrapped plus wrapped together for delivery, came in good condition and colors weren't faded and no damage! Thanks seller!

A quiet portrait of a world within a world

What I love most about Susanna Clarke's novels is how she can use tiny little details to make a fantastic world real and lived-in. I love Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I love this book for totally different reasons. For me, this book is a description of a sanctuary, a space of safety, but at the same time a risk of losing yourself in it. The thoughts between this novel will be with me for a long time.

Can’t wait to read this!

Haven’t read the book yet but this was highly recommended by my friends that’s why I bought it. The copy I got was in pristine condition. I always worry about ordering books online since most of the time they get damaged during delivery. However, this wasn’t the case for this one.

Slow start - strange end, once finished - simply amazing.

Piranesi is a well written mystery box. The story, as written from the narrator's journals perspective, unfolds in an interestingly unusual way.Piranesi the character is naively hopeful and optimistic, constantly choosing to overlook the sinister side of the house, that is clearly foretold through his own journalistic writing. Clarke deliberately made the character "dumber" than the reader, so the reader can understand the mental decay Piranesi has gone through, and the solutions he applies once back in the real world. Although rescued, Piranesi, through the last sentence of the novel, has not truly, nor will he ever, leave the house. The house has become transient, and as much a part of him, as he was it.Whilst patience is required for the first third of the ... MorePiranesi is a well written mystery box. The story, as written from the narrator's journals perspective, unfolds in an interestingly unusual way.Piranesi the character is naively hopeful and optimistic, constantly choosing to overlook the sinister side of the house, that is clearly foretold through his own journalistic writing. Clarke deliberately made the character "dumber" than the reader, so the reader can understand the mental decay Piranesi has gone through, and the solutions he applies once back in the real world. Although rescued, Piranesi, through the last sentence of the novel, has not truly, nor will he ever, leave the house. The house has become transient, and as much a part of him, as he was it.Whilst patience is required for the first third of the novel, and it's hard to gather a rhythm during this methodical, and over descriptive section, it makes sense, and allows for true empathy with Piranesi, as you're forced into a glimpse of his prison. Clarke's great story telling ability is exposed after having finished, and examining the why of it all. Clark's exceptional writing prose, is only exposed in the last couple pages, making the ending all too beautiful.

So Strange and Beautiful

Well this was a rollercoaster of a read. I started off almost DNFing it, then became intrigued, then horrified, and ended melancholic. It was beautiful, frightening, and strangely magical, and also weirdly simplistic and complex. I feel like I should have been on something to fully understand this story. It was definitely too smart for me a lot of the time, but I still thoroughly enjoyed what I did understand!

Still deciding if it was worth it

The beginning of this book is incredibly slow, filled with descriptions and numbers of halls repeating themselves over and over again. Around half way through the book, it no longer felt like a mystery and the motives of everyone involved were clear. The later 'reveal' did not feel rewarding. The climax of the story was wrapped up quickly and then the end dragged a little. I heard fantastic things about this book and perhaps my expectations were too high. That being said, the author has a great writing style that makes it easy to follow what's happening (if you don't dwell on the numbers too much) and the naivity of the main character was, at times, endearing.

excellent and intriguing start, unsatisfactory ending.

at the start, and for most of the book, the content was intriguing and very different from anything else I have read. however the ending was disappointing; the author seems to have taken the easy option just to finish the book. there could have been some attempts at further exploration, and some explorations of Piranesi's reactions and emotions to provide a more satisfactory ending, perhaps leading to a second book.