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Piranesi

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Piranesi

By: Susanna Clarke
Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, read by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2021
WINNER OF THE KITSCHIES' 2021
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE THE TIMES, GUARDIAN, OBSERVER, DAILY TELEGRAPH, FINANCIAL TIMES, i PAPER, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR, TIME MAGAZINE, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, BBC CULTURE, NETGALLEY AND THE CHURCH TIMES

The spectacular new novel from the bestselling author of JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL, ‘one of our greatest living authors’ New York Magazine

Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has.

In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.

Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims?

Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous.

The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.

*****

'What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being … Piranesi is an exquisite puzzle-box' DAVID MITCHELL
‘It subverts expectations throughout … Utterly otherworldly’ Guardian
'Piranesi astonished me. It is a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling' MADELINE MILLER
‘Brilliantly singular’ Sunday Times
'A gorgeous, spellbinding mystery … This book is a treasure, washed up upon a forgotten shore, waiting to be discovered' ERIN MORGENSTERN
‘Head-spinning … Fully imagined and richly evoked’ Telegraph

©2020 Susanna Clarke (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Mind-bending Scary Funny
All stars
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Strange, beautiful and filled with the magical. We spend our time with the delightful creature Piranesi who lives an odd life in an even odder place. Gradually we learn his story and although it's signalled well in advance it is no less beautiful for that.

After a 17 year wait for a second book from Susanna Clarke it would be easy for it to be a disappointment. This most definitely is worth the wait. I found myself smiling often as I read, there is so much to enjoy here from the sublime writing to the gentle character of Piranesi himself and the odd and glittering world he inhabits.

I recently re-read Mister Norrel and Jonathan Strange and loved it again, though it is punishingly long and could definitely have been shorter and just as good. This is book is a short and delightful thing. Strongly recommend.

Bewitching

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At first, listening to the start of this book I was confused ...... but the more I listened the more I became gripped. A wonderful book, which made me smile and made me sad ........ I didn’t want it to end. I don’t usually make comments for reviews, but for this story I felt I should.

Amazing

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I am writing this review on the sixteenth day of the fifth month in the year the albatross appeared in the south west halls.

I really did not know what to expect with this book and I am pleased that I listened to it cold without researching the background first. I had thought it might have been the re-imagining of a tale from the classical world and the cover gives little away. This is as much a "what's going on" sort of book than anything and I enjoyed the way that the layers of the story of Piranesi unfolded through his, at times philosophical, twice weekly discussions with The Other. It seemed to me that as Piranesi explored the vestibules he was really delving into the deepest reaches of his own mind.

Perhaps we are all Pinaresi, trying to make our own sense of the world? I expect that this book will stay with me for a long time.

Simply wonderful fantasy fiction

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the format of the book Maher's it a little difficult to follow on places. I ended up getting a text copy and once established found out easier

interesting but not sure it's good audio

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I fell under the spell of this book quite slowly but once I was hooked I didn’t want to stop listening. The combination of the superb writing and the style of narration (smooth, velvety voice) was just mesmerising.

If you like stories that are a bit different, will stretch your limits, will fire your imagination and make you gasp at its cleverness....give this a try. You don’t have to be a lover of the fantasy genre (I am not) to enjoy this novel. The author creates a world that is both curious and complex and demands a suspension of disbelief. But the combination of a fantasy world mixed with a real world mystery and a wonderful main character, Piranesi, makes for a satisfying, and thought-provoking read.

Loved every minute of it.

Fabulous

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