Tournament of Books discussion

thread for Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Loved it. I'm not one of those to say it's better than Strange & Norrell, but the way she parceled out the information the narrator was receiving throughout (and his almost encyclopedic knowledge of the House) was quite the interesting narrative choice.

(I'll also admit - the "world as a house" setting reminded me of a sci-fi series from the late 90s/early 00s, Tad Williams's Otherland, which also had a neat planet-sized house setting in one of its books.)

I think this is my favorite book of the bunch so far (I’ve read 7 of them). Lots of people are recommending the audiobook, but I read the hardcover and enjoyed the narrator’s choices on the pages of his journal, like what to capitalize. The mix of his limitations and strengths was really compelling.

Out of the "seven" I've read (six finished, two half-finished) Piranesi is by far my favorite. I'm having a hard time imagining any of the remainder overtaking it, but it'll be fun to find out.

Chrissy wrote: "I think this is my favorite book of the bunch so far (I’ve read 7 of them). Lots of people are recommending the audiobook, but I read the hardcover and enjoyed the narrator’s choices on the pages o..."

Agree completely about the capitalization choices. Very clever little clues into the damaged psyche of the main character.

I just started this. I googled Piranesi. He was an artist in the 1700s and his art is really interesting! He made etchings of elaborate atmospheric prisons. really worth google imaging! I'm only on about page 20 but those images are great to have in my mind while reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovann...

What a fascinating book! I'm excited this one made the tournament since I think it'll be an interesting discussion.

Thanks for the googling Cat! Interesting!

I'm up to page 72 and honestly, I am finding this book bor-ing. I pick it up and put it back down with some frequency. Am I waiting for some upcoming hook or is it going to be more of the same?

Amy wrote: "I'm up to page 72 and honestly, I am finding this book bor-ing. I pick it up and put it back down with some frequency. Am I waiting for some upcoming hook or is it going to be more of the same?"

While I enjoyed the audio, I could see the plot coming from a mile away. If I would have read this in print, I would have given up before reaching the halfway point, then read the final chapter to see if I was correct (I was). I feel like I have read this story before, but I can't place where.

Amy wrote: "I'm up to page 72 and honestly, I am finding this book bor-ing."

I don't think it is going to pick up for you if it hasn't hooked you yet. (I liked it, but it was not what I was expecting.)

I just found this group and joined. This is a book I discarded earlier this fall; I have read two of Clarke's books before (all three for the same group), but I am not a big fan of this genre. The main reason I was able to finish Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was because the audiobook was excellent. However, I signed up because I recently read Deacon King Kong and am looking forward to reading some of these other books, but not all.

Karin wrote: "However, I signed up because I recently read Deacon King Kong and am looking forward to reading some of these other books, but not all."

I've never been a ToB shortlist completist - reading the Tournament's discusssion of the books I didn't feel compelled to read is enough for me.

I found this book unreadable. That doesn't mean 'bad' though! I mean literally I couldn't read it and comprehend it. My eyes and brain were completely flummoxed by what was on the page. The novel might as well have been written in those filler-Latin words that MS Word puts in its templates.

There have been a few books like that in my life, where other people love them and they just don't make sense to me. House of Leaves is another one that hit me exactly this way.

Wow, quite mixed reactions to the book!

I loved the mystery of the world and how Clarke gives us nuggets to think about. I also loved how visual the novel was. I felt like I could picture the halls and statues and feel the cold and hear the waves. I'm easily swept up in fantasy and mystery, so I think this book was just the right fit for me. I could see why it didn't work for other.

I really enjoyed this when I read it. It hooked me in and I was engaged to the end, though I recall losing some interest when what was happening became clear. When I put it down I didn't think it was a 5 star read for me, but a solid 4. It has stuck with me though so I'm looking forward to discussion of this one.

I really liked this one, though I’d admit to some pre-read bias due to the fact that Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is one of my favorite novels, and finally we have a second novel here from Clarke a mere 16 years later! Clarke’s particular take on fantasy and her dry humor hits a sweet spot for me.

I couldn't make it - DNF'd at page 34. Perhaps I'll try again later, but I really have no idea at all where this book intended to be going. And the capitalization is driving me bananas.

This is somewhat copied and morphed from what I posted to the NLF group late last night.

I stayed up late finishing but more so I wouldn't have to continue facing a book I wasn't enjoying. I'm not satisfied with what I know in the end. This is a book I wouldn't have picked up on my own based on previous experience (bailed twice on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, tried it again when Neil Gaiman had it on his favorites list, still have it on my shelf in case I change as a reader) and the cover (which makes it look classical in a way I fear I won't be interested in.)

(view spoiler)[I still don't understand what the place actually is, if it can be experienced and willingly visited by K. And was the memory thing a real part of the place or the people manipulating their subjects on the way in? And really what is the point? Am I stuck again with a novel just wanting to explore a philosophical question without a fully fleshed out story? Some of these questions are tongue in cheek.

Many people compare it to Narnia and I get some of that but Narnia has life ongoing while in this it feels like the story of the place is in its past, if it is a place at all.

I'm torn, too, about how the book changes once [Piranesi] starts reading his old entries that he doesn't remember, and these link so obviously to the modern world with the citations of scholarly articles ranging from the 70s to the 2010s. The pace picked up considerably and I felt I could finish, but it also ruined the book for me. And brings up the questions I've already raised. Because it doesn't feel like a fantasy world that "exists" but a manipulation of some sort, and maybe I missed the explanation? (hide spoiler)]

It may feel short, to me it felt long because I wanted to move on, and felt myself skimming.

I swear I'm not intending to just crap all over every book. I may be experiencing some reading ennui right now.

It seems like I may be one of the few readers "in the middle" on this one. It took incredible patience to get through, and for such a short book, it was a very slow read for me. I had to read many paragraphs twice because my mind had drifted away from the slowness and repetitive detail. I had to allow myself to just accept the confusion for the first 3/4 of the book, knowing that answers were coming, but it was taking its sweet time getting there. I marked various passages that I enjoyed, and ultimately I appreciated the intricate visuals we were provided to make the World come alive. As with Luster, the final line was an excellent one, so I rounded this 3.5-star read up to four stars.

I feel like I played the video game for this book in the early 1990’s.

Mike wrote: "I feel like I played the video game for this book in the early 1990’s."

I TOO am reminded of videogames - for me: Dark Cloud or Rogue Galaxy?

So the last time I posted, I was only starting the book while it was all about the House.  And I don't want to say too much here, without waiting for the Tournament. I don't want to repeat myself then.  But....  (view spoiler)[ I wanted to read this during the time of the inauguration because no one knew how much of a mess things would be (and I'm very glad things turned out smoothly!).  I thought it was a good choice  for that particular time -- with a fantastical place, kind of escapist.  But suddenly the plot jumps into the untruths and deception of people and far less about the place.  Which seemed a little too close to home to the last four years.  I'm not sure if Clarke did this subtly on purpose, especially as she and everything about the book is mostly otherwise British (as I don't want to be a self-centered American here).  It goes back to what some of you were recently saying about depressing books of the last four years... but it could also be what we as readers are bringing to a book.  Noticing things that without the last four years, we might not have.  Maybe without the last four years I wouldn't have noticed a focus on the lies and deception.  It's kind of an odd choice though, to set up a fantasy book and then have it mired in THIS, like life.  Is that what Clarke was trying to do?   And maybe the last four years also has us tuned into how depressing books usually are.  But really, aren't most books depressing?  For example, I find the Sellout hella funny but also hella depressing.I didn't see Piranesi as depressing - more like setting up fantasy and then twisting into real life.  But REAL real life seems much worse these days.  So this means books are still better? Yay books!  Am I confusing everyone yet? But I think I know what the book is REALLY about but I want to marinate in it a while... until the official TOB anyway. :D (hide spoiler)]

Karin wrote: "I just found this group and joined. This is a book I discarded earlier this fall; I have read two of Clarke's books before (all three for the same group), but I am not a big fan of this genre. The ..."

Karin, welcome! I don't participate much but still find the discussions helpful in understanding and appreciating the books and alerting me to books I might not have noticed otherwise. Deacon King Kong is one of my favorites this year.

Hello, All. I've not yet read "Piranesi", but I am looking forward to it. For those of you who've already read it, you may find interesting this essay on what it is like to read the novel as a COVID sufferer, and how the novel speaks to that experience: https://electricliterature.com/pirane...

I really loved this book, and I'm not even sure why. I could see what was going on a mile ahead, usually that sours a book for me. I just loved the visuals, the atmosphere, the unreliability of the narrator. Sometimes a book just speaks to me.

Risa wrote: "Hello, All. I've not yet read "Piranesi", but I am looking forward to it. For those of you who've already read it, you may find interesting this essay on what it is like to read the novel as a COVI..."

That's a powerful and haunting article, Risa, thanks for posting. (So interesting that the story might reflect Clarke's battle with illness.)

This novel definitely resonates against the experience, isolation and confusion of this past year, I think I recognized that subconsciously without putting it into words.

Karen wrote: "I really loved this book, and I'm not even sure why. I could see what was going on a mile ahead, usually that sours a book for me. I just loved the visuals, the atmosphere, the unreliability of the..."

I agree with you Karen, an enormous part of the enjoyment I got from this novel was the "world" that Clarke sets it in. The visuals and atmosphere, as you say, brilliant. I can still see the statues leading off along the winding halls and passageways. :-)
I hope this goes far in the tournament.

Wow, I am surprised by the mostly negative or lukewarm reviews here. I just finished this novel and came here to share my amazement. I was expecting to find more praise. Just demonstrates how different readers can have a variety of reactions to the same work.

I loved Piranesi‘s world. The crashing tides, smooth marble statues, and endless halls created a world that felt soothing to me. I loved Piranesi’s optimistic approach to life. He seems able to find joy and satisfaction in everyday activities. I was less interested in the suspenseful plot in the second half of the book. Also, I’m not sure how literally we are meant to take the plot. Is this a fantastical story of something that is meant to have actually happened? Or is it an allegory for a complex mental state, perhaps a kind of mental illness? Who knows, but that ambiguity didn’t diminish my enjoyment. I became completely immersed in Piranesi‘s world, and it even showed up a couple times in my dreams as I was reading this book.

P.s I do not generally enjoy fantasy novels, so I was very pleasantly surprised that I loved this one as much as I did.

I also loved it! When I got it from the library I decided it read just a few pages right before bed, just to see what it was like, and ended up reading the entire thing that night. It is a lovely, magical book, my zombie vote, and while I don't think it will win the tournament it is the champion of my heart.

I loved it, too -- 5 stars, second only to Deacon King Kong for me on the shortlist. I got the impression that most of the reaction on here was positive -- I'll have to go back and look!

Huh. Well, I enjoyed reading this one, although the overly tidy ending soured me a little -- (view spoiler)[I found that Piranesi's reentry to the regular world too nice and happy-endingish. He had lost so much, and was so acclimated that it seems out of character for him to be the person who helped all the other people who had been there. And his personality during the rest of the book didn't jibe with his take-charge attitude at the end. (hide spoiler)]

Still, I was never unhappy to pick this one up. And the world-building was well done.

I liked this book a lot, I think a lot more than most here.

This was the strangest reading experience for me. I DNF'd this book at page 34 on January 10, as I was literally hating the experience of trying to read it -- the capitalization was driving me bananas. Today I finished it in less than a day, and I loved it. Just goes to show (at least me) that there can be a right time and a wrong time for any particular book.

Very encouraging, Phyllis. I just started it and am ... not sure what to make of it yet. But, I am sufficiently intrigued to continue. Kudos to you for being willing to revisit an original negative judgment on the book. I shall not be following your good example and re-reading "Tender is the Flesh", because ... just, NO. But I salute your open-mindedness!

Risa wrote: "Very encouraging, Phyllis. I just started it and am ... not sure what to make of it yet. But, I am sufficiently intrigued to continue. Kudos to you for being willing to revisit an original negative..."

Risa, I completely understand. I think there is a difference between disliking the process or the structure of a book, as I did with Piranesi at first, and finding abhorrent the content as with Tender is the Flesh. One seems to merit a retry, while the other not so much.

i ate this up, loved it. . .possibly I was primed because I just finished 'Nine Princes in Amber' which is the type of 20th century fantasy novel Clarke is riffing on here, bit i just got a kick out of it.

I loved it. I was in the right headspace for this book, and the protagonist's voice absolutely captivated.

Piranesi won The Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year.

Janet wrote: "Piranesi won The Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year."

I saw that! I did Piranesi on audio, and I thought the narrator was perfect, capturing that innocent delight, and then confusion. I don't know if I would've liked it half as much on paper.

Elizabeth wrote: "Janet wrote: "Piranesi won The Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year."

I saw that! I did Piranesi on audio, and I thought the narrator was perfect, capturing that innocent delight, and then confus..."

So interesting! I tried the audio version and my brain was like, "this sounds nice, but nothing is computing..." I couldn't follow any of the story that way so I switched to print. It was still a slow read for me, but the hardcover is gorgeous, so that was a bonus. ;)