It’s almost midnight where I live. From the moment I picked up the book 5 hours ago to now I feel like half an hour has passed. I took three sips from my glass of wine and then set it down – forgotten.
I went in blind. I thought, I‘d have a relaxing sunday evening after a hell of a week… oh boy did I not know what I was getting myself into.
About halfway in, I began to understand glimpses of the bigger picture and even though I was intrigued from the very first sentence on, now my curiosity was burning. I HAD TO KNOW what was going on. What and where is the house? Who is the narrator?
Every page that half satisfied my hunger for more also left me wanting, and so I read on. And on and on and on until I was done.
My husband has gone to sleep two hours ago, and I didn’t manage more than a „yes me too“ when he went to bed and told me he loved me, not even looking up from the pages. Sorry, love, for the gross neglectance. And sorry my beautiful pinot noir that I was so looking forward to and then simply forgot. You both deserved better.
But I needed to know. I had to continue. There was no stopping this train.
I thank you all for asking me to read this book. And if you haven‘t: I kept it spoiler-free on purpose, because please read this astonishing work of art!
Thank you for reading my rant. I am utterly floored.
by onelass
32 Comments
It was such a wild ride. I was eternally, increasingly confused and exhilarated at the same time 😅 Highly recommend! For such a short book, it really packs a punch.
I couldn’t put this down and finished it in like a day too. This is my only 5 star I’ve read in awhile.
Piranesi was the first book in ages that truly had me hooked. Think I finished it in one sitting. Absolutely beautifully written and stayed with me a long time afterwards. Even just thinking about it makes me want to go and read it again!
I’m reading it too and feel the same way. It feels like I’m reading a longer-form version of Borges when it comes to the setting. It makes sense since she studied his works at one point.
Ah, I *just* finished rereading this—one of my favorite novels. Certainly one of the most unique things I’ve read. What may impress me the most is Clarke’s absolute mastery of tone: Piranesi’s voice (especially when compared to the Other and the other writings he reads) is exquisitely controlled and nuanced. A masterpiece.
This is in my top 5 for this year!! I thought upon finishing it that it had similar themes to Flowers for Algernon, do you think that’s a fair comparison?
Beautiful book, I also went in blind and glad I did.
I really liked Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Clarke as well though I have to say it was lovely to read something a bit less “historical fiction sized” and would like to read the same again.
I loved this too. A few references to mythology and ancient history. I’m so happy to be reading again.
I’m so pleased to hear this. It really is something special and I’m so glad you enjoyed. Perfect description!
Man I almost got this today but I have a list of books and was budgeting.
such a good book! once you start you can’t stop
This is EXACTLY how I felt. I have said in another post that was looking for recommendations- I have a 2 year old and a 2 month old and if you have kids, you know this age is impossible to ignore them at all but I somehow managed to carry this book with me throughout the entire day so that I could finish it. I could not stand to put it down.
Such a beautiful novel and completely unexpected. I loved it.
*Piranesi* has really stuck with me since reading it a few months ago The only other book to recently have this effect on me is *Perdito Street Station* though they are very different books. I have been recommending it non-stop.
I was very surprised at how different *Piranesi* is from Suzanna Clarke’s first novel. This article explained a lot of the reason; [Susanna Clarke: ‘I was cut off from the world, bound in one place by illness’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/12/susanna-clarke-i-was-cut-off-from-the-world-bound-in-one-place-by-illness),
Going in blind was the best. If I could erase my memory of a book and read it for the first time again, I think this would be the book I picked. I’m so glad you picked it up, what a magical night! Your pinot and your husband will forgive you!
That book was so hauntingly beautiful. I felt like I visited another world.
A (relatively) spoiler-free word of caution to anyone who picks this up: I loved this book but I felt like it had one of the very worst beginnings of any book I have ever read, haha.
I really thoroughly enjoyed it but you have to trust the recommender to stick with it. A close friend told me to read it and after a few pages I was baffled and irritated by it but…I knew she would never recommend a bad read.
I couldn’t stand it initially/I didn’t have the burning curiosity and the deluge of random numbers made my eye glaze over, if I remember right.
So if you’ve tried out a few pages and you’re like what on earth is going on here – stick with it 🙂
I wasn’t super impressed with it unfortunately, but glad you dug it. It was definitely compelling/kept me reading which is admirable and the writing was good overall but the twist became obvious fairly early on for me and the final third of the book was a real let down in my opinion and it created plot holes for itself. Not a bad book by any means but felt let down.
Ohhhhhh, one of my favorite books *ever*!!!
I love how the author just tosses you into Piranesi’s world to live it through his eyes.
Also, if you wait a little bit, it’s just as good on the re-read. Enjoy!!!
I wish I could travel back in time to when I first read this book. I, too, went in blind and had a similar experience. Fantastic piece of literature.
Alright you are all making me think I should give it another go. I couldn’t get into it at all.
This was my experience too. Absolutely stunning, read it in one sitting, in a trance. Feel like I’m too old/busy to read books in one sitting but that’s what I did. Murakami’s Wind Up Bird Chronicle is the only book where I had a remotely similar reading experience. Interestingly I read her other book Mr. Strange after I read Piranesi, and it is utterly different (although really good too) which makes the achievement in Piranesi even more remarkable.
I have read finish piranesia but dont understand what the hype is about. Can someone tell me why they love it so much?
I found Piranesi to be a quite polarizing read. Some people loved it to bits, others hated it.
My brother got me that book for Christmas and it is one of my favorites. It’s like The Back Rooms, but a more Greek mythology feel? It was a trip
Such a polarizing book…I personally gave it a 3. I guess I’m just missing the point, but I couldn’t wait until it ended so I could stop reading about statues every 10 min.
I really loved it too. I was so glad the House didn’t turn out to be just another >!mental illness metaphor – it’s so much more interesting if the House is a real place!<.
I absolutely adore this book. I thought the tone of the narrator was incredibly well-crafted – the purity with which they think and speak and see the world really paired well with the overall mystery and wonder of the story.
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.
the house will live in me forever
Ooh, I loved Piranesi. I wanted the world to be expanded so much, like I want an RPG game out of it.
But did you finish it?
Or are you still finding your way through the eastern halls, waiting for the tide?
I loved it too. The weirdness got me into it, but ultimately the main character’s affection for the house is what I found compelling.