Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

29 reviews

miller8d's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I loved that this book felt like a refreshing escape from the normal structure and narrative that many fiction books follow.

I was surprised by most of the book, and deeply appreciated that the magic of this universe was both fantastical and simple, both logical and inexplicable. I found myself confused about the storyline/losing focus frequently throughout the book, which normally would bother me, but it felt like I was experiencing the same thing as the narrator LOL, which I enjoyed. I found the narrator’s genuinely kind soul very touching and deeply enjoyed the process of discovering what had happened. I didn’t realize it was a mystery novel until halfway through which is awesome. The well-established isolated world meant that, with the appearance of each new person or information, it was genuinely shocking. Very interesting and refreshing read.

Also, I pictured The Other as Brett Goldstein.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Violence and Vomit

Minor: Child death, Blood, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail

Although this book covers many dark topics,

beyond the main topics of confinement and kidnapping and gaslighting,

there are very few graphic descriptions of physical violence or torture. Like for example,

there is a gun and attempted shooting, but nobody actually gets shot, and there are no graphic details about it, etc.

maelstrom712's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Violence and Grief

dead bodies and skeletal remains are described moderately in a respectful manner

spineofthesaurus's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Crying, hes such a cutie pie

‘What this Knowledge consists of he is not entirely sure, but at various times he has suggested that it might include the following’

‘My hair - which is dark and curly - was as full of droplets as a Cloud. I rained every time I moved.’

‘'Perhaps we should go?'Go where?' I said.'Home, said Raphael. I mean we can go to my house and get dry. And then I can take you home."I am home, I said. Raphael looked around at the sombre grey Waters lapping the Walls and the dripping Statues. She didn't say anything.'It's usually a lot drier than this,’ I said quickly in case she was thinking that my Home was inhospitable and damp.’

‘"All that is true. But I haven't got his mind and I haven't got his memories. I don't mean that he's not here. He is here.’ I touched my breast. 'But I think he's asleep. He's fine. You mustn't worry about him.”’

‘And if I stay here will you come back and visit me?' I said."Of course’”she said.’

‘Today all my imaginings came true. The Sixteenth Person and I walked together through the House and I showed her many things.’

‘Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not.’

‘But she still wears the perfume- the first thing I ever knew of her- and it still makes me think of Sunlight and Happiness.’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

fraxisle's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Violence, and Abandonment

queenie_ofthe_void's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The mystery was intense and it had me hooked start to finish. I loved Piranesi as a character, as tragic as he was. It brushed right up against the myth of the Labyrinth, but it wasn't so overt that it felt redundant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Slavery, Dementia, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

aklovekorn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Toxic friendship

alexxm13's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First of all the parallels between this and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley is beyond my brain power to wrap around, I will be spending hours on reflecting and contrasting how this masterpiece is so similar to one of my fav classics. Looking for dark academia vibes but its not “the secret history” with overachieving students but also similar to “Frankenstein”’s writing style of scientific characters and agony? Yea this book is for u . Ok before I dive deep into why this book is so good, I will be honest that the first 100ish pages I wanted to dnf it umm not that it was bad it was just at a pace where nothing much was happening and it read like a journal of someone’s that I couldn’t care less about and also I just was not in the mood to read this sort of fiction BUT for the past 2 days I sat down and forced myself continue this and thank fuck I did. I sat outside with the sunset going down in the back with my oversized hoody and after 3 hours I started to rlly enjoy it, things were happening and that moment of “wow this is so powerful” yeah that happened like 10 times while reading it. The last half of this was incredible and made me want to consume it all in one sitting . Okay putting my eng lit brain on and comparing the parallels between the characters; the other (victor Frankenstein) and Piranesi (monster) is just uncanny. u have a mad scientist who just wants to know beyond this one world and what else exists after death and creation of a world and life who legit kidnaps his “friend” as he manipulates him so he can get recognition and feed into his hubris, hamartia if u will  (look at me go Shakespeare class) and due to this overly ambitious goals this in end destroys him. Anyways paralleling to victor who is also this drop out student but still wants to continue with his wild research about creation he creates a “monster” due to his ambition to prove his worth. And then the victims; Piranesi who is this clueless man and has been driven to madness for however many years trapped in “the house” who was manipulated by his friend who brought him to this world, just like the monster who is also quite clueless but “misery made me a fiend” and at the end these victims destroy who betrayed them :) . Anyways back to the book, my analysis can pause for now its 11pm and I should just chill my brain but anyways there are so many quotes and themes I adore in this, eg; “the one who will never submit to being driven mad by you” CAN U HEAR ME SCREAM? This is a literal lovers to enemies line and im on the floor because of that because the connection these two characters have is like a stab in the heart and I know when I read “vicious” by ve schwab it will do the same for me ugh . Also I love the mc like he’s so lovely and selfless and the last few chapters made me rlly sad that he can’t remember his family after son long being trapped and he didn’t initially want to go home as he thought this new world is his home, but he was just lied to for years and found these skeletons and looks after them as he is that lonely but im so happy that he was able to find a genuine friend; Raphael who wants what is best for him and not for the sake of fame or money or the greater knowledge which is a key theme I want to expand on more tbh .Was this book initially a 5 star? Absolutely not, before the past 2 days of reading the 2nd half this was going to be a 2 but the angst, the meanings, the quotes, so many things made it a 5 and I 100% recommend for anyone to read this esp for people who want dark academia style books that are not hyped because this deserves love!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming, Death, Slavery, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

catherine_triel's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Gun violence

jessicaa_'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Child death and Blood