"How trauma and illness can affect ones identity; are you the same person after a severe illness or after a traumatic event? Are you the same person 10 years later?" Did you know that Susana Clarke wrote this coming out of 10 years of chronic illness during which she was mostly bed-bound? If not, bravo, your review is very insightful! Her illness is why there was such a long gap between books for her, she intended to write the sequel to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell immediately, but became too sick to do so, her illness being chronic fatigue syndrome. Always glad to see another lover of this wonderful book, it's one of my faves!
Thank you for sharing that bit of biography about Susanna Clarke. I’m sorry to hear that she suffered that, but it makes a lot of sense that it would influence or appear in some way in her writing. All the best!
I just finished the book a few minutes ago and ran to YT to find reviews. Incredibly enjoyable read, I share one of your experiences about it taking a little bit to start making sense to me but once it clicked, IT CLICKED. I couldn't put this book down. I found myself smiling and even laughing out loud at more than a few parts in this book. What a joy read!
I’m so glad you enjoyed Piranesi, Astrid! It’s a beautiful story with more than a dose of melancholy but plenty of heart too with a gentle soul as its teller. Clarke has major talent!
Clarke had a really strong command of the historical style in her prose, and balanced that with modern writing techniques, in Strange and Norrell. I have a signed copy on my book case, but I haven't read Piranesi yet. It sounds like an interesting one.
I predict you would enjoy Piranesi very much, A.P.! I’d love to see your analysis of the book’s narrative structure and prose. This is a quick read but, in the tradition of great books, one that sticks with you and keeps you pondering.
I gave this book 5-stars and put it on my all-time favorite list. One of the best books I've ever read at such a short length -- Clarke really packs a punch in such a short page count. It's also the type of book that will be due for a reread, I think a second read will reveal lots of missed details!
Excellent point! In fact, I would reread it just to experience the beauty of it again, but I’m sure I’d notice new things as well. If I gave star ratings, this would easily be a five of five.
Philip, I didn't know that Susanna Clark was one of the authors who inspired this channel! Very interesting learning the backstory of Piranesi, the architect/artist. Memory, identity, and trauma are some of my favorite themes to explore, and I consider myself an ambivert, so the solitude-community theme appeals to me as well. I am hoping to get to this book at the end of the month. By the way, I am so embarrassed by how I've been pronouncing the title after hearing your beautiful pronunciation. Excellent review!
Thanks, Johanna! I don’t speak Italian, but there are many people with Italian heritage in my part of New Jersey, including a large percentage of my students, so I’ve had lots of practice saying Italian names. Anyway, I strongly suspect you’ll really love this book, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about it!
I couldn’t agree more, Paul. Because of the book hangover, you likely feel half in a dreamworld right now. Oh, wait . . . That might be your normal state. 😁
I loved this book so much, I read it in one sitting - could not put it down. I loved how she builds the narrative, with the Reader starting out very confused and Piranesi very sure of his world. Then as things start to pop up for Piranesi you start to see more of what is going on until it all comes together about the end.
This is such a great palate cleanser! It’s short, captivating, and entirely original. I read this last July and it definitely lit the fire inside me again. Books that push the boundaries are the reason I read.
Your review pretty much sums up my feelings about this book. I was super confused at the first 30% of this book, but once I understood what was going on, I was quite drawn to it. It has such a distinct style.
I read this book having never heard of Susanna Clarke before, because the book was mentioned in a Jacob Geller video and sounded fascinating. I loved it and will definitely be reading her other novel as soon as possible.
I'm glad you loved Piranesi! As I mentioned in the video, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a very different book, but I think it's just as wonderful in its own way. Happy reading!
oooo thanks for filling in the historical context here! I've never read Susanna Clark but this book has been recommended pretty much non-stop. Great review, Philip!
I recently added Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell to my collection last month I believe. My husband has it in Finnish, but I do not want to give myself a headache so I bought an English copy for myself. Piranesi has been on my radar since it was published, and all of the reviews I have read and watched have been nothing but glowing. I will absolutely be reading it this year. Thank you for a thoughtful review. Happy Reading!
I predict you’ll enjoy both books, Stacy! I’m still basking in the afterglow of Piranesi - it’s a beautiful book. It’s been years since I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I remember it as a great opportunity to flex my reading muscles.
It is definitely one that you could read in a day or two, so sneaking it in could be managed even for a busy BookTuber! If you read it, Jimmy, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
It’s a beautiful book! The only downside is that there aren’t too many books like Piranesi. Even Clarke’s other novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, is rather different (but also fantastic). A somewhat similar book, in my opinion, is Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I hope you’ll find some great reads!
The connection to chronicles of narnia goes even deeper than what you mentioned. The satyr that’s on the cover is a direct reference to tumnas from narnia. When describing the statue piranesi says that he had a dream about the start meeting a girl in a snowy forest.
I really enjoyed this book (also loved JS & Mr N) I particularly loved how the world that the narrator described slowly fell apart. For example, the Other clearly treated the narrator poorly, almost rudely, yet the narrator didn’t see it that way, but it was obvious to the reader. It was always clear that something was not right, something felt off throughout the story, until everything was revealed at the end. Loved it!
I too loved Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and because Piranesi is a very different book, the two of them show what range Clarke has. Pretty incredible!
I loved this book. After reading quite a lot of horror and fantasy, it was a beautiful pause, a breath before going dark again. It reminded me more of Titus groan than anything else - but without the florid prose.
Susanna Clarke (especially with Piranesi) has been on my radar for a while now, this definitely has me even more excited to read it now! Great review once again!!
Thanks, Mitch! I hope you'll thoroughly enjoy Piranesi if you read it. It's one of those reads that can linger with you for a long time and keep you thinking.
Great review! I’ve just finished Piranesi and I also feel like waking from the dream. Very transformative experience, I found myself pacing myself to not finish it too fast (while also being curious about the mystery behind it). Thanks for a great commentary!
Piranesi was one of my favorite books from last year and it also served as an extended metaphor for the lockdown. It's almost as if Ms. Clarke planned it that way...
Well said! A metaphor for the lockdown, indeed! Clarke has been ill and largely housebound since writing Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and she’s said that lockdown was actually liberating in a way because it offered more contact with people via platforms like Zoom.
Hello Philip. I have been on the fence with this one. When you said it felt like you had been in a dream you absolutely swayed me. Thank you. It's time I got a copy now and discover Piranesi for myself.
Fantastic! I hope you’ll love Piranesi - it took me a little while, but once I was hooked, there was no going back, and it’s still knocking around in my mind in a pleasant way.
Very glad you liked it. It defintely is a bit of a mind twister but a very rewarding one. And for it's length provides quite a bit of a punch. I think that Susanna Clarke surpassed Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell with this one and was pleased to see it been shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Also, I liked very much how you described the atmosphere the book creates. It almost left me a bit bereft at the end. Great review, almost like the book itself - short but discussing a lot.
Thank you! I know what you mean about the ending. It was a strange combination of feeling bereaved and quietly fulfilled. It’s hard to explain, but this one delves deep down.
"Piranesi" was my first read of 2021 and is one of my favourite books. I could relate with the theme of human- nature connection which is also a big theme in my folklore. The beginging of the book, with the hint of mystery captivated me instantly. I will definetely read it again , this thime in my language, to see what other subtle meanings I can get from it. Thank you for the artist reference.
No joke...I've seen this book so many times at the bookstore and online, and up until today I thought it was "Pirates!" (yes, with the exclamation point). So thank you for enlightening me haha!
Fantastic review, as always, Philip! I've been looking forward to this one for quite a while, and I think I may select it for my in-person bookclub! Really enjoyed the examination of themes here; you've made me even more excited!
It would be a wonderful selection for a book club, Sarah! It’s a quick but deeply moving read that is loaded with themes for you to delve into. It’s also a book that someone with your background in psychiatry would have a lot to say about. If you review it for your channel as well, I’ll be eager to hear your thoughts!
PIRANESIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still haven't read Jonathan Strange, but Piranesi blew my mind. I loved it. Great review, I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. I'd love to reread it now that I've had some time away (I read it as soon as it came out back in September.) I think going back through it would just add so much because there'd be so much less "what is going on here?" She did a great job with this one.
Thank you for your thoughtful and concise review, and spoiler free! I was hoping for another large Strange-Norrell tale from Ms. Clarke and was discouraged in finding Piranesi appeared to be smaller in scale. But your review has sparked my interest and will be encouraged to dive into it soon. Thank you Sir!
Really nice review. I liked Piranesi. Clarke has said her influences were Borges and Lewis for Piranesi in a rare interview with Madeline Miller. I fully agree with the book being in the same subgenre as Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Gaiman (another book I really liked). Another book that gave me similar feelings (and which I really adored because I love Auri's character and the lyrical writing) is The Slow Regard Of Silent Things by Rothfuss. JS&MN is an all-time favourite of mine, my favourite character being Childermass. I hope this book stands the test of time as a 'modern' fantasy classic.
I’m glad you enjoyed the review, Paromita! Clarke is an enormously talented writer, and I love Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well. There’s something compellingly beautiful about the “dreamlike” stories like Piranesi and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Cheers!
Cheering all the way through, great review, and I'm glad you enjoyed this haunting, magical book so much. Everyone needs to read it, one of if not *the* top book(s) from last year.
Thank you, this was a very interesting and thorough review! Does Piranesi have anything in common with Rothfuss's The Slow Regard of Silent Things? A story of one character who lives in a mysterious place and has a slightly surreal relationship with the world.
I hadn't thought of that comparison, but I would say it's actually a really good one, especially since it's a bit ambiguous in both cases how much of the "world" is going on in the mind of the protagonist. I wish I had thought of that one, Igor, but this is the main reason for being involved in BookTube: to learn from other people. Thanks!
Thanks, Joseph! I do hope to reread Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell someday since I read it years before starting the channel. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be soon. Perhaps next year, though!
Just finished this book. I was immediately invested. The prose is as expected fantastically 'English' and hilarious. The plot twists were very obvious but I wonder if that was intentional.
I marvel at Susanna Clarke's bravery to write something so entirely different after having such success with her Victorian fantasy masterpiece. I prefer Strange & Norrell, but this one is brilliant in a completely different view. Much more whimsical and... childish. A wonderful example for unreliable narration. Beautiful.
Very well said about the narrator being unreliable, in this case due to naïveté rather than duplicity. This book is indeed whimsical, though I would use the adjective “childlike” rather than “childish.” Clarke is a brave and innovative writer, and I hope to read more by her. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Many thanks for the review. I've been meaning to read this book for a while now as I really liked 'Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell'. I also heard an interview with Clarke on BBC Radio Four last year and it sounds a fascinating read.
I admired Strange & Norrell a lot but did not fully enjoy the actual story and parts of it. This however sounds interesting and since I was impacted pretty hard by Gaiman's Ocean At The End Of The Lane, I might just go and give this a try.
I had similar reactions to The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Piranesi. Both made me feel like I was walking in a dream. If you give it a try, I hope you’ll enjoy it, Raf!
This is great! I recently found your channel and Susanna Clarke is also special to me, she made me interested in the fantasy genre. I really like your channel, thanks for the review ☺️
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words! Susanna Clarke is incredibly talented, and the genre is so lucky to have her. At the same time, I get the feeling that she’s an author who doesn’t think much about genre boundaries and simply writes from the heart.
Loved hearing your thoughts on Piranesi, Philip. 'Lured into the beauty of the story' - a great way to encapsulate this book. It's transfixing, and I really felt the beauty of the House in the same way Piranesi did. "Meditative" - I felt this too! I've now read it three times, and each time, I feel a great calm whenever I read about the House. I love the capitalisation in case you can't tell XD A great creative device - and character insight, because as you say, it evokes a sense of reverence to the House.
Beautifully said! I can see why you have read Piranesi three times, and I anticipate that I’ll follow in your footsteps in order to experience its beauty again and see what new things I notice. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!
I've been meaning to read this one! Both this and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are books that I have had my eye on, but never got around to reading them, hoping to get to this in the coming months though; they sound really ethereal and whimsical, from what people have told me.
Ethereal and whimsical are perfect adjectives for Clarke’s writing, which I respect tremendously. Piranesi will most likely be one of my favorite reads of 2021. Thanks for watching, Pranav!
It’s a book that has stuck with me. I have no doubt that I’ll reread it someday when I’m in the mood for something a bit melancholy but beautiful. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Emily!
I liked this one very much. It is a little jewel. I didn't catch the connection with CS Lewis, thanks for pointing it out. Interesting too that the “Other” is a term in psychoanalysis (see Jacques Lacan) in which the psychoanalyst must be situated in place of the Other in relation to the client. In Susanna Clarke’s story, the man named “Other” studies Piranesi and his environs with a professional detachment. Even the House can be regarded as an “other”.
Great insights! The quote from C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew that precedes the book bears out your point: “I am the great scholar, the magician, the adept, who is doing the experiment. Of course I need subjects to do it on.” Thanks for the excellent comment!
I haven't yet watched the video... but I mean, I am quite confident in my assumption that u loved that book. I consider it one of my two favourite books of last year. It was just amazing and I'm really looking forward to reading her other book when I got some time during summer, hopefully... (my other favourite was 'we always lived in the castle')
Your confidence in your assumption is well placed! I adored Piranesi, which will, I predict, end up being one of my favorite reads of 2021. We Always Lived in the Castle sounds like a great recommendation -- Thanks, Lothar!
I have been trying to discuss this book since I finished it back in the spring and it's so great to hear someone else's rave review! I agree that the experience of reading it was very distinctive; hypnotic is definitely a descriptor I have been searching for when trying to articulate the feeling to others. I hadn't thought of CS Lewis as an influence until you mention it, but I can definitely see it now. --Nat
Piranesi is such a beautiful and evocative read. It’s a book that calls up many associations, Lewis being one. Every time I think of it, I go back to that slightly melancholy but peaceful mood it left me in. I’m glad you found it moving as well!
Does anyone know how long Piranesi was in the alternate world? His switch from one person to another is drastic enough where it seems like the amount of time would play a role
Glad to hear you liked Piranesi, i did too. This book reminded me a lot of The Island of the Day Before from Umberto Eco, so maybe you'll like that one too.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Everything Eco is always worth reading. I love The Name of the Rose but I enjoyed Baudolino even more, the Island Of The Day Before is still on my list, for technical reasons.
Absolutely, everything by Eco is great. The Island seems indeed to be close to Piranesi in its premise (two characters in a closed environment). And as Philip mentioned the subject of memory and personality after an illness, then we can add The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana to this list.
Liked 60% of this novel even though it made look up the definition of "vestibule" in the first paragraph.... But yes, it's basically a dreamscape of someone who is fascinated with something she saw once in her life and can't forget.
Hey Philip - Nice video. I've been thinking of reading Clarke's work. I've never read fantasy novels. Would you be able to recommend some books that people like me should start with from fantasty genre?
Hello, Karan! Let me start by answering your question with a question. What sort of fantasy interests you? In other words, are you looking for something on the more “literary” end of the genre, or do you want a fun and entertaining adventure? Epic medieval-inspired fantasy, or urban fantasy, or something just weird and different? A huge series, a trilogy, or a standalone? Cheers!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy - I'd be more keen on something literary with good sentences. Even if it doesn't have great plot thrills, I will be fine. At this stage, a standalone book since I will just be starting to read the fantasy genre.
@@karansehgal3962 In that case, Susanna Clarke is a great one to start with! Piranesi is much shorter than Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but both are excellent. Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane (short) and American Gods (longer) would serve admirably as well. Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant is a good one. Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea can be read as a standalone and is short. Those might all be great starters. Happy reading!
Thanks for this review Philip! I’ve been curious about this book. I haven’t read Jonathan Strange yet either, but I thought I might start with this one. I’m excited to try it.
It’s an excellent place to start with Clarke, Chas! Unrelated to this: If you’re still interested in discussing King’s Dark Tower up to and including The Waste Lands, please email me at philipchase90@gmail.com.
I would highly recommend reading Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges if you have not already. I read it a few months before reading Piranesi and I found that it made an excellent companion read! Excellent review for an excellent book!
So glad to see you liked this one. Piranesi was my favourite book of 2020. And what you say about feeling like you just woke up from a dream, I still feel like that months after I've read it whenever I think about this book. And I have to say - the scene with the moon. OH MyGod! I actually plan on re-reading this towards the end of 2021, just to see what it feels like the second time around. Will I still feel the need to give Piranesi a hug on every page like I did the first time I read it. I didn't really care for Srange and Norrel, but after this book, I think I'll read anything she writes.
Thanks, Luke! It’s awesome to hear you loved this one too. If you’ve reviewed it, I’m going to check out your video. I haven’t been watching much since I need to emerge from the massive pile of essays I’m buried under here at the end of the semester, but a Piranesi review would be a welcome break from that right now!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy i have indeed reviewed it ;) You are busy marking them, I was busy writing them lol. Hopefully you can put your feet up soon :)
@@LukeEdwardstube Thank you! I suppose if I didn’t assign essays, I wouldn’t have to read them. Alas, I’ve never been able to figure out a better way to teach writing.
Great video. I am enjoying Piranesi. I'm reading it slow because it's the book I keep at my office, so it only gets a few pages read a week. The pace works well for this read. Like you mention, it was also a slow burn for me in the beginning. I def get Escher vibes from this read. My freinds that know I read and review scifi always send me fantasy books as gifts...which I find funny, but I was glad to get this and take the diversion into the genre.
I’m glad you’re enjoying Piranesi and that the slow approach is working for you. In a way, it’s truer to the journal entry style of the book because you’re experiencing the entries more like the way Piranesi wrote them.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy yeah definitely. I feel like I'm "unintentionally " in the right cadence. By chance I'm now reading Gideon the Ninth as my main home read...so getting a double dose of the fantastical.. .
I just bought a physical copy of this book today because I really liked it and I wanted to own it xD I like it more than Jonathan Strange because the footnotes bothered me so much.
I might follow your example. The copy I read was from the library, but this is a book that I can see myself reading multiple times, and thus I can justify buying a physical copy -- not that it's hard to convince myself to buy books. Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much! The mandala shirt is from Nepal, where I used to live. Perhaps you could find similar ones by Googling “mandala t-shirt”? If you read Piranesi, I hope you’ll love it!
Oh, I hadn’t thought of that! I did think of an Azath when I was reading Stephen King’s The Waste Lands and Jake went to “The Mansion,” but Piranesi makes even more sense. Nice one!
As I got further into this book I became more and more disappointed. It started off brilliantly and I was invested from the first page; the world-building was imaginative and hugely captivating, the unravelling of the mysterious origins of the title character and his setting was a real treat. I didn't want to leave this book alone and kept on thinking about it when it wasn't in my hands. However by about a hundred pages in, the end was plain view; it was so obvious about where the story arc was going and what the motivations of the Other were. Dramatic Irony is a powerful tool but used in excess like this, it spoils an otherwise fantastic setup; the obliviousness of Piranesi to what was going on (mental collapse or no) just wasn't credible as the answers were literally spelled out for him in black and white. This felt to me like a draft or, perhaps better put, one avenue for one particular storyline - there was no reason that the plot had to take such a 'route one' journey. I might give it a go in the future but on this first reading I was left disappointed unfortunately as I loved Strange and Norrell..
In terms of investment, I had almost the inverse experience, where I felt a bit aloof for the first fifty or so pages but gradually more and more immersed. It’s an atmospheric read, I think, more than a plot-driven story, so I didn’t mind the relative simplicity of the plot. But everyone brings their own experiences and thoughts to a book, which means we’re not always going to agree. Thanks for sharing your experience!
There is only one character whose sexuality seems clear, and while that character is a gay man, he is, unfortunately, not a good character (he is predatory). So, in terms of overt LGTBQ representation, Piranesi could be criticized for a lack of positive representation.
The ending was a bit underwhelming but it's really commendable that she didn't try to replicate Jonathan strange or write a spin off to get success and instead chose to write something entirely different.
Ha ha! With so many great books to read, one life is indeed not enough. But this one you could read in a day or two, and you’d be thinking about it for weeks afterwards!
Is it even magical, or is it just a world within your mind? And particularly within a mind of a schizophrenic. Or, as you say, how does time even work in this kind of a world. All these issues were at the front of my mind that wanted to go wander into all those unlimited halls to the W/S/E/N.
Clarke leaves these questions unanswered, at least definitively. Instead, she rather cleverly gets us to think about them, which is part of the wonder of this book. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've been meaning to read this one. It's so short I should fit it in between my Malazan read through for a change of pace. I really liked how Susanna Clarke captured the way magic was actually practiced by Dee style learned magicians and cunning folk during the early the early modern period of England in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
I found it to be a nice change of pace from my usual stuff. In fact, it could end up being one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had this year. I hope you’ll enjoy it, Andrew!
