piranesi describes the story of a man, titularly named, locked away in a house of infinite size and grandeur, at least according to his own perspective. its halls are lined with statues, each of which depict a story in themselves. piranesi exists within this house by himself, except for the other, a man he meets with weekly, and the skeletons of thirteen dead he tends to. and various birds. the house is mystical in nature, containing within its halls a complex system of water that ebbs, flows, and floods. he has studied its character meticulously, as he has the house itself, and has learned well how to survive within it. his experiences are recorded in written journals, the perspective from which this novel is told. life as piranesi knows it is turned on its head when he discovers that not all is as it appears as a new presence, aptly named "16," appears. its natural to get warped into this house and its storyline as you join the narrator in discovering exactly what his world might be. despite the utter monotony that might pair setting construction for a book with of an infinitely endless house, clarke's writing and use of the statues perfectly places you into this realm. perhaps the most beautiful points in the novel come at its conclusion where many of the questions a reader has built throughout their reading experience are resolved.an absolute must read and a beautifully written work of fiction. ( )

Piranesi is lovely. It is beautiful and contemplative. It is about the fullness of emptiness, and about the kinds of things people try to fill emptiness with. Also, there is mystery and A mystery.

It's definitely my cup of tea. But probably won't appeal to everyone. ( )

The story is like none other, the Borgesian unveiling of levels and the detail of the world are excellent. Really enjoyed reading this book. ( )

Good ( )

On the fifth day of the twelfth month of avoiding people for fear of germs.

I rated the book at a 3.5. In the vestibule of couches and screens.

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People compare this to Ocean at the End of the Lane. I can sort of get that.

This story is like trippy af. I had to flip pages back to see if I missed something.

I feel like there is probably a good discussion at the end of this in a book club or group about mental health.
The book was good. I knocked it down some because the idea of the days being written as such in the beginning of this review. I sincerely found myself skimming and thus page flipping because I was like how bloody long has it been? Wait, why is he... I felt unnerved at parts. Perhaps I should rate it higher just because it did. But I think I'll leave it at a 3.5. ( )

An expert exploration of the limited narrator voice. ( )

This is one of those books that the less said about it, the better. Don't even read the numerous positive reviews on the front matter, though fortunately they're pretty spoiler-free. This is begins as if it will be an extended literary metaphor -- the diary of someone who lives and roams a House of seemingly unlimited rooms, filled with statues, threatened by tides. It has that detached observer feel about it, that usually means there will be events but little emotion. But it develops in surprising ways. and there is an emotional resolution, delayed almost to the breaking point.

I was a great fan of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and enjoyed The Ladies of Grace Adieu, though it was much of a piece with Strange. This is another creation entirely.

Highly recommended. ( )

This was a confusing, unqiue story. It's a mystery for a very long time. A man, Piranesi, is roaming the halls of a very large space. It is filled with statues and birds and he will describe all of this for chapters upon chapters. But slowly, as he rambles, you will begin to notice clues. Those clues will stack until you start to make some connections and by then, the plot is really off and running and you just may spend the rest of the book trying to catch up.

But it is spoilable and I'm afraid to type much more than that. If you pick this one up, go in to it a bit blind. Don't google or look anything up, just roll with the story and see where it goes. I did end up liking it even though I felt there were a few too many loops to get to the end. I did love the end. ( )

Strange and beautiful.

I'm not even going to succinctly wrap up the plot as you're supposed to do with a review. It wouldn't help you appreciate the story.

For a long time now I've been looking for a story that uses possible physical spaces to describe the impossible. If that sounds like nonsense to you then read this book and it will make sense. Not only will it make sense the world described will setup a whole range of feelings and sensations you've never experienced before. That, I believe, puts this work solidly in the realm of horror, although I originally did not think about it that way and thought of it more as fantasy or even magical realism.

It occurred to me that I can only describe this book in vague and abstract terms, but that really is the best way to approach it given what is described. Walking through a dream or nightmare doesn't do it remotely justice. Just give it a try and read it. You'll never be the same. ( )

I heard so many people raving about this book but unable to describe it, and now I know why! I absolutely devoured this book. Books and Bao described it as a mystery - and it kind of is. Not a mystery novel, but as in you start the book not knowing where you are or what is going on. But over the course of the book we slowly learn where we are, the backstory, who these people are, the plot. It is masterfully done. I’m sure there are some Deep and Profound Themes, but it was also just enjoyable as an unfolding story. I found the narrator to be a very engaging character. He has a very generous, spiritual, benevolent nature. You could see him as naive, but it seems to spring from the relationship he has with “the House.” Anyway, great book, well worth the read! ( )

As the novel opens the narrator, Piranesi, introduces us to his home, "The House," a vast, spartan complex of rooms and corridors, in all of which there resides only one other individual, The Other, whom Piranesi encounters only occasionally. The rest of his time is spent exploring the environs, fishing and harvesting seaweed for food and fuel, documenting his activities in his journal, studying the tides which flood the edifice with regularity and caretaking of the deceased residents. As far as Piranesi is aware, he and The Other are the only two living people remaining in the entire world.

My curiosity was piqued from the start: What is happening? Where are they? Am I being given clues that reveal an upcoming "aha" moment or twist? Though the narrative didn't travel quite in the direction I was hoping for (not really a fan of woo in my fiction) I was only mildly disappointed about that and still really enjoyed the book. I kept thinking about Borges' wonderful short story "The Labyrinth." The ending was okay, but overall my expectation of that awe-inducing twist just around the corner might have kept me from enjoying it as much as I was hoping to (admittedly, that's partly my fault). One kind of strange thing that happened while reading this book is that, despite text explicitly telling me otherwise, I experienced the protagonist as female, and I could not shake that feeling for the first three quarters of the story. Curious whether other readers had similar experiences. Also intriguing was learning afterward Clarke's inspiration for the book (look it up!). ( )

It’s hard to talk about what I liked about this book without spoiling anything, but I’ll do my best. The setting is beautiful and intriguing and the story offers surprises without shoehorned plot twists. It was a joy to inhabit the protagonist, who is naive and kind but still (nearly always) very reasonable based on the information he has. Even once I was confident I knew more than the narrator about what was happening, I was never frustrated, but enjoyed following along in his process of discovery.

I’ve seen in reviews that some people shy away from this book and end up DNFing because of the disorienting start. It might be that this book isn’t for everyone, but it’s not at all what I would call slow-paced or withholding, after things get going. It doesn’t take long for the reader to find their footing and start getting answers. I’d hate for anyone to abandon reading this book prematurely when they might otherwise have loved it as much as I did, so please go into the first 1/5 of the book or so with some patience. ( )

The first 20% of this book almost made me put it down. I like a good mystery, but this just went on and on about statues and vestibules and houses....and it just didn't land the plane.

But I kept reading and I really enjoyed the rest of the book. This is a fantasy story (ish?) and a mystery starts to unfold, although the narrator is unreliable and you're seeing everything through his eyes. The writing is well done, but I'm glad the book wasn't any longer. The pace quickens as the story unfolds and the worldbuilding becomes clearer.

So....yeah. This is a good one. Not great. Not bad by any means. Just...good. ( )

An unusual fantasy, a bit confusing at the beginning. But it grew on me. Piranesi lives in The House which is a labyrinth of Vestibules with Halls and Alcoves off them. The bottom floor is filled with an ocean with tides and the topmost floor opens to clouds and sky. Windows in the Halls show the walls of more connected building and courtyards. That is his world and he is happy living and exploring there. Two times a week the Other visits. Piranesi calls him that because he is the only other person he knows. The Other is seeking the Great and Secret Knowledge and set tasks for Piranesi to do. When another person starts appearing Other warns Piranesi to avoid the person who will try to harm him. But the person called 16 will set everything Piranesi believes into question. I ended up really liking this story and think I will look for other works by this author. ( )

The mystery was intriguing enough to continue reading without feeling bored or getting the urge to DNF but towards the end after most of it was revealed I admit I Skimmed the rest. the ending was obsure and a letdown for me. ( )

I feel like I only imagined reading this ( )

Piranesi was a perfect balance of the “vibes” of the place, and a mysterious setting with enough of a plot payoff to justify the story as a thread. My major takeaway was the theme and idea of happiness and satisfaction being contingent on one’s expectations. ( )

This book was so enjoyable. The visual descriptions of the House were stunning, the overall narrative had me hooked from the first page, and the ending was gratifying. One of my fave book club choices! ( )

I ordered 'Piranesi' from my favourite local bookshop (now thankfully offering mail order) as a treat to get me through the library closures. I started reading it almost as soon as I'd opened the parcel. Putting content aside for a moment, the hardback edition is a very beautiful book. The binding has a lovely metallic design of pillars with the letters of the title on top of them and the end papers have delightful maritime designs. The novel itself lives up to its gorgeous presentation, as I found it entirely beguiling. That said, I inevitably compared it with [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357027589l/14201._SY75_.jpg|3921305] and found myself wishing it was longer. 'Piranesi' is told in diary format by a man living in a mysterious and virtually deserted place. Even had there not been a quote from [b:The Magician's Nephew|65605|The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308814770l/65605._SY75_.jpg|1031537] at the start, I would have been strongly reminded of the Narnia chronicles. Clarke is perhaps extrapolating from experiments conducted in [b:The Magician's Nephew|65605|The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308814770l/65605._SY75_.jpg|1031537] and subsequent events of [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|100915|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353029077l/100915._SY75_.jpg|4790821]. Even the narrative voice seems somehow similar to C.S. Lewis in its combination of practicality and enchantment.

One of all-time favourite novels is [b:Gormenghast|258392|Gormenghast (Gormenghast, #2)|Mervyn Peake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480786154l/258392._SY75_.jpg|3599885], as I have particular fondness for overwhelming, crumbling physical structures that have such an obtrusive psychic presence as to be main characters. Thus I adored everything about the Halls. What a brilliantly atmospheric and exquisitely described setting. I can easily visualise them and anticipate that, like Gormenghast, they will make an appearance in my dreams. Piranesi was also a deeply appealing protagonist and I very much enjoyed following his gradual progress towards understanding. In fact, the whole book was over far too quickly. I tried to savour it but couldn't manage to stretch my reading over more than an 18 hour period. I do not want to seem ungrateful, but would absolutely love another 250 or 500 pages about the Halls and the people who've been there. I still have so many questions!

I greatly appreciated that Piranesi's two defining traits were kindness and organisation. As the Halls stripped away his memory, these characteristics remained. It's striking that by the end the narrator no longer considers himself to be Piranesi (which he never accepted as his name) or Matthew Rose Sorensen, but someone new. Did the Halls actively alter his personality, or did he change solely due to memory suppression and solitary survival experience? Why did Ketterley think that doing rituals in the Halls would convey powers and what else did he know about them? What was Laurence Arne-Sayles up to and what did he know about the Halls? Who were the other dead people in the Halls? Where did the birds come from and were they genuinely communicating with Piranesi? More fundamentally, how long have the Halls existed? Did someone or something create them? Do they have some manner of consciousness? Are they like the Woods Between the Worlds in the Narnia Chronicles, or can they only be accessed from our world? Or are they all that remains of Narnia? Are the Halls an endless memory palace for humankind, as described in [b:The Art of Memory|245831|The Art of Memory|Frances A. Yates|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388724015l/245831._SY75_.jpg|2664243]? Is each statue the relic of a former belief? Is 'Piranesi' set in a similar (or the same) world to [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357027589l/14201._SY75_.jpg|3921305], where magic has been forgotten but begins to return? When at the end the narrator begins to recognise people from the statutes, is this purely in his mind or does it tell us something about the Halls?

It's funny that [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357027589l/14201._SY75_.jpg|3921305] made a point to explain every detail of world-building through fussy footnotes, whereas 'Piranesi' leaves everything outside the perspective of its protagonist to be a mystery. As you might be able to tell, I am wildly curious for footnotes. There are nonetheless similarities to be found: both novels concern academic methods of enquiry into the peculiar and miraculous. These are themes that I love to read about. Moreover, speculation about what a novel leaves ambiguous is also a pleasure. 'Piranesi' was an complete joy to read and, unexpectedly, makes a highly persuasive argument for the bullet journal system. ( )

2.5 stars

“Piranesi” is in some world where there are multiple connected Halls and there are statues everywhere. There is only one other (live) person (whom he calls The Other), but Piranesi has found bones of about thirteen other people, so includes them in his count, as well. Piranesi and The Other are scientists.

This was odd. It got slightly more interesting toward the end, but still odd. Combine some parts fantasy (and/or magical realism) and literary fiction (and maybe some philosophy?) and it’s mostly not my thing. ( )

I really loved this book, it provoked a lot of deep thoughts about the meaning of trauma, the value of symbolism, the mind as an unknown landscape. The joyous part is that Suzanna Clarke does not resolve these issues nor does she impose any external view on the readers experience.

( )

After a slow start, I warmed to it. Having finished the novel I was struck by the idea that this was about Jungian Shadow Work as the main character Piranesi finds himself in a strange world with a limited number of other characters with him, many of whom seemed to be archetypes trapped in time-frozen as it were by the force of the deep.
The waters represent the emotions of Piranesi who seemed to slip into this other world by being put into trance by the slippery Other. This Other who goes by the name of Valentine Ketterley turns out to be the main protagonist he put Piranesi into this strange world and endeavoured to keep him there, we see Stockholm syndrome at work as Piranesi bonds with the Other and does not want to upset him. Then along comes 16, the Hero, the one who rescues him from this strange dream-like world Raphael turns out to be a policewoman who can enter the Labyrinth at any time. In my opinion, she represents the Higher Self the wisdom of Sophia and she carefully brings Piranesi back to this world, this mundane reality, which he struggles with and longs for another deep dive into the dangerous unconscious. ( )

Before starting this book, I saw many reviews recommending to go into the story without knowing much about what happens.

This is one of the most unique books I have ever read. I was immediately entranced by the cover art and thought it might have been more fantasy or Greek mythology type story (I was partially correct). It's formatted as a journal with a date system that took me a few chapters to fully grasp. I absolutely loved the world building in this story. While I longed for some kind of map or visual aid to help understand the layout better, the lack of visuals added to the mystery fitting to the narrative.

We meet Piranesi on a normal day, like many others. He lives in a world where there is only himself and the "Other" (the only other person in his world). Piranesi lives to take care of and map the "house" which is a series of seemingly endless hallways across three levels. The rooms are filled with beautiful statues that captivate his imagination. The "Other" comes to visit him twice a week to track Piranesi's progress on mapping the house and any important items he may have found.

About halfway through the story, clues start leading Piranesi to believe the world he lives in may not be all it seems to be. This story falls right between the lines of fantasy and sci-fi, with a touch of mystery. It felt like putting together a puzzle only to find out you were using the wrong reference image.

This is one I'm definitely going to reread down the line after having a chance to digest. Piranesi himself is a charming and loyal character despite his main companions being statues or birds. The twist at the end has been living rent free in my brain since finishing the book weeks ago. ( )

2.5

Guy who wanders around a seaside labyrinth eventually finds out how he got there and who he was.

I would have DNFd this if a lot of ppl hadn’t raved about it as the first 70pages is just him cataloguing rooms in his journal and being a lost cunt. It’s boring until he has a proper conversation with The Other that things begin to get a bit interesting. But that’s all they get - a bit interesting.
The book is mostly about this guy talking about tides, birds and statues. ( )