"Piranesi" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Come talk about your initial, general impressions!

Please save all discussion of particulars, details from the story, character choices, plot questions, etc. for the full spoiler thread.

Content warnings for those who want them: (view spoiler)[ kidnapping, mental illness, queer antagonism, fat shaming, trauma (hide spoiler)]

[Jemppu]

Read this last year, and found it mesmerizing; captivatingly surreal with ethereal atmospheres and enthrallingly uncertain sense of time. It absolutely transported you to another place.

[Rosina]

I read it in Kindle when it came out, and loved it. I am totally in awe of the audio version, read by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

[Christopher]

Also listened to this one on audio.

[DivaDiane]

I just finished the audiobook yesterday and LOOOOVVED it. I echo what Jemppu said.

[Anders]

Finished this book a week ago, and found & joined this group as a result. I did enjoy reading the book. A very fast read, but perhaps the book somehow ended too quickly. I feel that the book did not in my mind live up to the glowing reviews i saw before ordering it. I'll shelf it for a couple of years before returning to read it again.

[Phil]

I happen to be about half way through on the audio book right now and I see this is the group read!

I'm reminded of several books I love:

-- Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (the "end of the world" half) in its strange surrealistic weirdness;

-- House of Leaves, the seemingly endless nature of the "house" plus the Minotaur/labyrinth references.

-- Remains of the Day ... I love unreliable narrators! Piranesi is a lot like the butler.

-- Book of the New Sun ... just a tad of a vibe of this, in that we are kept in the dark about the nature of the world and learn more as we go along.

But with all that said the book has its own unique thing going on. It took me a bit to get into it but I'm now fully enjoying!

[Chisom]

Paused this at around a quarter mark then so just gonna start from scratch. I remember finding it positively weird. Looking forward to this one. Gonna listen on audiobook.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

positively weird is a great description for this book!

[Kristin B.]

First Impressions: I had ZERO idea what was going on!

So if that's your initial thought as well, you're right on track!

Push through :)

[Manuel]

Despite the book has a slow start, it never bores you.

[Mary]

This is a great book.

[J.M.]

I also found it a little slow at first but not so much that I ever considered giving up on it (which I think I did with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell). Really enjoyed it once it got going (and now I've finished it I'm thinking of digging out Jonathan Strange again and giving it another try!)

[Phil]

Okay, I just finished. What a great book!

[Ellen]

At 50% and enjoying it a lot. Reading it before bed triggered some really bizarre dreams though.

[Margaret]

Ellen wrote: "At 50% and enjoying it a lot. Reading it before bed triggered some really bizarre dreams though."

LOL! I'll bet it did!

[Richard]

I’ve managed to finish it already. Really enjoyed it, started off thinking it was all metaphor and it slowly turned into something a little more conventional, but intriguing, fantasy wise.

[Chris]

Kristin B. wrote: "First Impressions: I had ZERO idea what was going on!

So if that's your initial thought as well, you're right on track!

Push through :)"

Oh good, I seem to be on the right track then. Not terribly far in yet. It's certainly fascinating. While almost-ideas seem to pop into my mind constantly while reading, I can't say I've put anything together about what the heck is going on.

[Athira]

I've only just started reading - maybe about 5% in and so far I'm lost in all the many Halls and Walls LOL. I'm hoping none of that is important for later. But loving the writing so far and I can understand why many have continued with the book despite it starting out so weird. Looking forward to where this goes.

[Mareike]

I‘m about halfway through and I‘m enjoying this one immensely so far. It was so confusing at first but as things begin to fall into place I can‘t wait to see how it ends.

[Jemppu]

Phil wrote: "...I'm reminded of several books I love:

-- Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Ha..."

Excellent reminders. Murakami and Book of the New Sun were definitely brought to mind. And you have just got me curious about House of Leaves 👀

[Dawn F]

This book had one of the most mystifying and intriguing first halves ever, when I read it it I was goong WHAT IS GOING ONNNN at it repeatedly, but I couldn't put it down, because there was a rather clear red thread pulling you forward.

[Eva]

Yes, this kept me glued to the pages, it was so intriguing!

My advice to other readers: just skip over any numbers/directions of halls with your eyes when reading. They're important to Piranesi to remember to find his way but irrelevant for the readers. :)

[DivaDiane]

Haha! I wished I could’ve done that! I was listening, but it is relevant to Piranesi’s personality. The dates are also quite convoluted but I wished I’d paid more attention to how much time passed between each entry. If I’d eye-read it, I could’ve gone back.

[Shane]

Did anyone else get Amnesia: The Dark Descent vibes from this as well? The unthinkable vastness and many unanswerable questions about the world of The House is exactly what I love in a world. Dark corners, one after the other!

And ha...I did at first waste too much mental energy trying to track Pira's titles and names of things, when they didn't really end being relevant to the reader nor experience, like you said Eva.

[Aga]

I can't stop reading!

So far remind's me a little of "The Slow Regard of Silent Things".

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

i really want an illustrated copy of this. I'm hoping it happens because it would be just magical.

[Stephen]

I read this last year. I think it would be a deserving Hugo winner. Tremendous book.

[Paul]

I'm about 25% and it's very definitely in the very good intriguing mystery side, rather than really annoying mystery. For some reason I though Piranesi was a female character, but there is Something Very Strange Going On with all these Halls and Statues.

[Rachel]

I started this last night and have gotten through the first two parts so far and I'm hooked. I love that there are elements of survival. Fishing/fire/resources/etc have been an expected delight for me to read about.
So far this reminds me a lot of The Starless Sea which is one of my favorite books. It's got that element of mystery and pleasant confusion in a way I really enjoy. Can't wait to unravel some of my questions!

[Ruth]

Rachel wrote: So far this reminds me a lot of The Starless Sea which is one of my favorite books. It's got that element of mystery and pleasant confusion in a way I really enjoy. Can't wait to unravel some of my questions!

It reminds me of The Starless Sea too

[Liane]

34 pages in and all the halls and tides are pretty confusing. I’m feeling lost, but not motivated to stop. Pressing on.

[Liane]

79 pages of build up. Now it’s zipping along. Still unclear but more interestingly.

[Meredith]

My library hold came through and now I've read the first two sections (about 1/3 through).

I was reluctant to read this because the early reviews I saw made it seem dense and difficult to get through and I didn't feel up to that sort of effort (plus I was worried it was 800 pages long). So far, I am finding it an easy read to follow along with the MC on his travels and in his thoughts. Sure, it is strange and mysterious, but it's also intriguing and I want to know more.

[Carro]

So, downloaded the Kindle free sample and reached the end of it - mixed. Very atmospheric and vivid, painted a picture in my head. Got a little tired of all the additional capital letters, though I suspect the character is using them like that because he is giving a person-hood level of importance to the items so named. Hints of links to a different, more familiar to us reality by the end of the sample made it intriguing. Not sure if I am taking this any further or will just cruise down the tell it all thread for the quick summary....
I was wondering though - food. I can't remember any meals being mentioned, or was there a mention of fish/fishing? Now can't remember.

I tried Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell fairly recently and was immensely impressed by the writing and the vivid descriptions, but disliked or was bored or irritated by the characters and gave up.

[Sebastian]

Just started reading this and the writing is beautifully atmospheric and eerie at the same time. I'm only 25 pages in but there are already quite a few clues. I hope it's not as obvious as it seems atm but it would still be a good read if it is just because of the imaginative worlbuilding.

[Sebastian]

Really? My phone corrects *everything* but apparently "worlbuilding" is a word? Grrr. World building. There.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

haha! oh, phones

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

Listening to the audiobook and liking the narration but that's about it so far. An abundance of star and naval gazing.

[Kirsi]

I got started with the audiobook yesterday, and I'm liking it so far. Extremely weird but still somehow enjoyable.

[Mary]

Sebastian wrote: "Really? My phone corrects *everything* but apparently "worlbuilding" is a word? Grrr. World building. There."

It helps to think of it as a tiny elf that WANTS to be helpful but is always very drunk.

[QueenAmidala28]

I have this on the lower end of my TBR pile but I’m definitely moving it up for 2022 based on these posts!

[Esther]

Mary wrote: "It helps to think of it as a tiny elf that WANTS to be helpful but is always very drunk."

That is such an apt desription!

[Beth]

Allison wrote: "i really want an illustrated copy of this. I'm hoping it happens because it would be just magical."

Agreed! or maybe a graphic novel.

Carro wrote: "I can't remember any meals being mentioned, or was there a mention of fish/fishing? Now can't remember.

We do learn how the main character feeds themself.

I was afraid this would be a piece of "stunt writing"--clever but more engaged in its cleverness than in building a bond with the reader--and am happy to say that that isn't the case. It's even made me laugh a couple of times. I look forward to learning more about the MC and their setting.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Read the first two sections last night and I am loving it so far. Clarke is such an impressive world builder and the setting is gorgeous. I am also getting House of Leaves vibes, and a bit of Myst. (My main hope is that she had an ending in mind when she wrote this one; Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell is one of my all time great disappointments in that respect.)

[Beth]

Myst is a good comparison! The black and brown cover treatment is rather strange, since my images of this setting feel much more mediterranean or seaside: blue, green, white.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

It is strange. They did end up with blue for the Kindle edition:



Now that I'm reading it I can see why they made the switch.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

I’m echoing House of Leaves vibes! Which was such a pain in the butt to read but I still remember fondly.

I don’t know if anyone has stumbled on this yet, but Piranesi was apparently a real person in the 1700s. I hope that’s not a spoiler since the word is in the title, excited to get to the spoilers thread.

[Chisom]

May be too late for a first impression but I had to read the 1st part like 3 times before I was advised to let go and progress.

Talk about saving the juicy parts of the story for those with the courage to suffer the beginning.

[Daniel]

I assume it’s a reference to Giovanni Battista Piranesi who created architectural etchings and is especially known for The Prisons / Le Carceri?