Piranesi
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4.4 • 1.7K Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The award-winning, New York Times bestselling fantasy sensation that Madeline Miller called, "a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling," Piranesi is an intoxicating, hypnotic novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls lined with thousands upon thousands of statues. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; and waves thunder up staircases, while 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.
"Spellbinding, strange, and unforgettably original" (Esquire), Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Some authors think outside the box. With her second novel, Susanna Clarke thinks outside the room the box is in. A man called Piranesi lives in a fantastically sprawling building that goes on and on for miles. The bottommost floor is filled with an ocean, the topmost is sprinkled with clouds, and the rest is a maze of pillars, staircases, and exquisite marble statues. Clarke, the author of the delightful bestseller Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, turns this quirky notion into a thrilling and esoteric mystery. At first, we didn’t know what to think about the hero’s odd, heartbreakingly innocent first-person narration. But soon enough, we couldn’t put this strange story down. We wanted to figure out exactly who Piranesi is and how he ended up recording the tides and living on saltwater fish inside this surreal Escher painting of a home. We won’t spoil any more details about the captivating events and plot twists that unfold—the less you know about this unpredictable novel, the better.
Customer Reviews
Piranesi
Loved the character Piranesi and the aspects of the other world (the house). Learning about the character and about the house through the perspective of Piranesi himself was quite enjoyable. I would possibly prefer the story to be just about the house itself, and its mysteries and sacredness with no ties to another world, it being its own thing. Quite predictable at times, and anticlimactic, in reference to The Other. Started off strong but loses momentum towards the end of the book, but overall a great read.
Let me clear up the mixed reviews
I tried to read this book when I was younger and I didn’t get it. I definitely didn’t finish it. Now that I’m a bit older, I drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s important to understand that this story, in the hands of a worse writer, would probably be boring. I think it’d probably be a bad book. But this book is written by a fantastic writer and that saves it. The characters and prose are wonderful in their simplicity and I love the way the world works in this book. It’s definitely a standout, but I think if you’re someone looking for a book where the plot drives the story, you may want to come back to this one in a few years.
why does anyone like this?
so awful and meanderingly pointless and boring nigh unto death.