A really beautiful novel, full of the unexpected. Although only a relatively short novel, it's packed full of beautiful writing.

This copy was kindle gifted to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (submitted on Instagram)

Tthis is Clarke's long-awaited (15 years? I call that very long-awaited.....) follow up. This, obviously known as the 'difficult second novel' can sometime disappoint but, oh boy, this does not. Otherworldly and magical it also has glimpses of reality (although you do only see them from the corner of your reading eye) which coalesce towards the closing chapters. The world, dominated by clouds, water and almost endless surreal architecture reminded me strongly of the feelings I had the first time I read the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake (and this is high praise from me - I loved those books). Like Jonathan Strange it would be impossible to describe what actually happens succinctly but if you want the sense of being transported to another world where life is strange, frightening but beautiful then the world of Piranesi is a place you want to go.

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
I went into reading this book with no idea what the story was about and I am so glad I did. It is beautifully written, and completely trapped me into the labyrinth that is his world. It is a weird read and I found it confusing at first but then something just clicked into place and I loved it, I just had to keep reading to find out more.
I especially enjoyed and appreciated how exquisite the world is that Susanna has created and how easily it came through her writing. It is a puzzle and a mystery the whole way through to find out what is happening and who Piranesi and The Other are but one that I enjoyed getting to the end of and finding out the truth. It feels like it could be a myth and that it could be real, that is part of the wonder of this story. Overall, I adored this book and I think it will be one that I come back to many times.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really interested in the premise of this book and having really enjoyed Susanna Clarke's previous books, I was disappointed in this.
I didn't get on with the writing style and nearly gave up halfway through. The constant references to the narrator's position in the halls and vestibules became irritating and, for me, pulled me out of the narrative.
The overall plot felt like it could really go somewhere but never really got going for me, I just found it lacking.

Piranesi, for me, is comparable to Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane: the perfect distillation of everything an author is into a concise, haunting and beautiful tale. The story follows a man only known as Piranesi as he navigates, explores and maintains his House. A labyrinth that holds an ocean, has its own weather system and is festooned with statues throughout. Piranesi is joined by the enigmatic Other, the only other inhabitant of the House who enlists Piranesi in his search for a Great and Secret Knowledge.
This is a very different book from Susana Clarke's only other novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a book I loved and enjoyed down to the very core of me. So I was very nervous yet excited to get my hands on this book. Thankfully, this book was a sheer delight. I finished it in one sitting which I don't usually do. However, this is helped by the relatively short length, but I enjoyed every minute with PIranesi. Clarke's writing is impeccable here. The tale she has constructed is comparable to Mervyn Peake and Jorge Luis Borges with the story telling sensibilities of Gaiman. However, she is still her own wholly unique author. The way she constructs a story is glorious and, at least for me, immensely satisfying.
Personally I feel going into this book blind will improve the experience and enhance the spell Clarke is weaving over the reader which is why I have tried to remain vague in my review. However, I will provide this small hint, the title is a very good visual clue.

I love this! What a completely unique setting and totally different to her last book. Lots of magic and mysticism throughout and twists and turns I didn't see coming at all! I will definitely be recommending a lot of this title to my customers for those who are looking for something a little bit different!

This is a magical book that transported me to a wonderful, eerie, unsettling world of ruins, statues, tides and birds.

The protagonist is inhabiting this dreamlike desolate space utilising seaweed for food and as fuel for his fires, charting the tides, exploring the deserted halls, befriending the albatross, and keeping journals. He encounters one other person, The Other, who is patronising and never stays for long.

I wont say any more as I think this is a book best read without knowing too much in advance but it is atmospheric, explores reality and fantasy, magic and science, intellect and the imagination. Storytelling figures heavily and Clarke succeeds in inviting the reader to learn about this world through fragments as Piranesi discovers who he is, where he is, and why.

Piranesi is a book I have been waiting for for years, as a massive fan of Jonathan Strange and I was not disappointed. This magical, mysterious and beautifully realised book is such a joy to read and get utterly lost in. The world Susanna Clarke has created is compelling, frightening and thrilling, and is somewhere anyone would want to explore much much more.

I’m not even really sure how to talk about this book yet but here goes.
I am a huge fan of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke's previous book, and was so excited to read this new one, while having no idea what to expect. I went into it knowing almost nothing about the plot, as the synopsis basically says that Piranesi has always lived in the house. I’m glad I didn’t know anything more before I read it, and so I won’t describe the plot here.
All I’ll say is that this book is sublime. It’s so beautifully written, so strange, and it was like I could see this incredible world Susanna Clarke has created. The protagonist is one of a kind, unforgettable, the sort of character you are genuinely sad to leave behind once you finish the book.
I finished it today and I’m going to read it again, because it's that kind of book. If you are looking for something you can get completely lost in, this is for you.
I urge everyone to read this book, I know I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.