Piranesi: WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2021

I received the book damaged.

Stunning cover. Good quality book.

La calidad es buena, llego en buen estado, sin rasgaduras, manchas de tinta ni errores de inpresion. En mi opinion el papel que usaron es algo poroso y se siente aspero al tocarlo. Obviamemte no es un defecto pero hay personas que son muy sensibles a las texturas. La historia es... peculiar. No muy llamativa pero te mantiene lo suficientemente enganchado para querer saber que pasa el final. Si buscas fantasia tal vez no sea la mejor eleccion.

I feel like I always start my book reviews with "this wasn't what I expected" but it's important for you to know that the majority of books I read are ones that have been recommended to me by friends (a very small circle of readers who I trust to know my personal tastes) or books I've randomly picked up in a shop, read the blurb, and brought home with me. It's also worth noting that for whatever reason a book has made its way to my tbr pile, it usually will sit there for quite some time before I actually sit and read it, simply because I have so many waiting for my attention. Despite this, I'm going to say that while this book wasn't what I was expecting, I'm not sure if I even knew what that was when I first started reading. I genuinely had no idea what the book was about really, I don't even remember buying it (it might have been a gift?) but it was next on the pile, and so, I read it. And I loved it. It's an absolutely magical book, full to the brim with stunning visuals, a unique and beautiful backdrop, and a main character who gets himself lodged straight between your ribs and takes up residence there. It was so cleverly written, where we as readers weren't told very much at all until quite deep into the book, but still feeling so immersed in the world as we followed Piranesi around his peculiar home. The setting is lovely, the house is full of peril and beauty in equal measure, and you can feel the main character's love and admiration all the way through the story. While the story itself takes a dark turn, it's not jarring at all, the narrative leads us from the bright ocean and Piranesi's innocent demeanor, through to themes of manipulation, deceit, betrayal, and eventually faces us with self-belief , what we know to be reality, and our own perceptions of identity. All in all it's a very clever book, and one that hit me emotionally from the first page to the last. If you enjoy speculative fiction with mystery, but written with tenderness for the human condition, I would really recommend this book.

“Piranesi” is one of the more original and unexpected book I’ve read of late. You start a journey in a reality which recalls Plato’s world of ideas in the shoes of a naïf and innocent protagonist who is far away from the modern age characters we are used to. Thanks to the “journal” narration, you get entangled in his peculiar psychology, seeing the world from his perspective and sympathizing with him when all his certainties start to collapse. Highly recommended reading.

Amazing story and also received in good condition

At first glance, ‘Piranesi’ appears to be Clarke’s interpretation of the ‘Minotaur and the Labyrinth’ -- the Classical tale of a mythical minotaur who dwelled at the center of an infinite maze-like structure -- but this simplistic description only goes so far as the synopsis on the dust jacket. Because ‘Piranesi’ is so much more than just another creative retelling. From the very first page, it becomes clear that our titular character is a scholar: a man of reason, a meticulous chronicler, and the grateful inhabitant of an expansive, labyrinthine building he simply refers to as “the House”, with a capital H. Piranesi, we learn, is suffering from memory loss. Piranesi has what might be called plot amnesia—he doesn’t remember who he is or any of the important events that brought him to his present self. In plot amnesia stories, the main character starts off in the same position as the reader: neither knows their past, their purpose, or their world. They set off together on the adventure to learn who they are and what they’ve been. Piranesi is in the House, as you are in the book, and he wanders through it to learn his own identity just as you do. Clarke deftly weaves together highbrow and lowbrow so Piranesi as the reader is both symbol and story. Twice a week, for 1 hour only, he has an appointment with the man known as the Other. The Other is always dressed smartly, while Piranesi is dressed in the rags that remain of the clothes he must have worn when he arrived at the House. Piranesi dresses his hair with seashells and seaweed. Piranesi does not know where the Other comes from or goes outside these two weekly appointments, but believes, at least in the beginning, the Other to also live in the House. And so ... this simple life carries on ... until there are messages left for Piranesi from an intruder and signs of an intruder's presence. The Other warns the young man that the new presence is a mortal danger to him. This novel was surely a delight. It had strong elements which were woven together by Clarke’s prose to come up with a lush tapestry. The worldbuilding was fascinating. The suspense was gripping. The conclusion was subpar but it was nevertheless an insightful read. It may be mind-boggling at points but Piranesi is a riveting tale that also ironically captures our recent plight.