#23’s Result – Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Well! Piranesi turned out to be just what I expected, and also not at all what I expected. The cover, description, and initial pages gave me the impression this would be historical fiction. It isn’t, but that is mostly a moot point. What I didn’t expect was how neatly this would fit into the dark academia genre. When I first read this book’s description, I thought that Piranesi was going to be a facet of the Other. I quickly discarded that theory when I started reading, but my other initial theory that Piranesi was inhabitating a world created out of or representing special knowledge was not far off the mark.
Piranesi himself is a pleasant character to read about. I enjoyed his narrative voice. Usually stories which leave the reader wondering what exactly is going and which build to a reveal of entire premise disappoint me. My busy imagination sets me up for that disappointment, as I create dramatic outlandish plots that overshoot whatever cleverness the author was aiming for. But in Piranesi, Clarke manages the gradual reveal well enough. Thank goodness this is not a chunkster! I would have likely been bored to tears if it were another one or two hundred pages long.
#24’s Selection
The theme for the next edition of “I Can’t Believe” is 2022 releases. I sorted my to-read shelf by date, then picked four titles with more than 20,000 ratings.
- The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (55,000 ratings, YA fantasy) – I was surprised to see this is the 2022 book on my TBR with the most ratings! I remember being stunned by the gorgeous cover when it was first released. But it is YA fantasy so I’m skeptical whether I will truly enjoy it…
- When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill (32,273 ratings, adult historical fantasy) – Okay, here’s another one I’m skeptical of, haha. I’ve read three of Barnhill’s MG novels and enjoyed them all, but the latest one one was a bit too didactic and I’m worried this might be too… but I won’t knock it til I’ve tried it!
- Hide by Kiersten White (30,708 ratings, adult thriller) – I’ve never read anything by Kiersten White. These type of thrillers can really be hit or miss but the premise has intrigued me and it’s under 300 pages…
- The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty (22,252 ratings, adult fiction/horror?) – I did not recall adding this one to my TBR. I don’t think it has any speculative elements?! Hmm…
What a topic I’ve chosen this month – I’m skeptical of all these titles, lol. Well! I am more curious than ever to see which book garners the most votes and what I end up of thinking of it. So, which book should I read? Leave a comment on this post to cast your vote. Voting closes on 17 December.
I haven’t read any of these, but I’ll vote for When Women Were Dragons, since I love the author.
Thanks Tammy! I do like Barnhill’s MG, so I’m curious what she does with adult fic.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea comes highly recommended from some of my friends, and coincidentally I just picked it up!
Ooh, that’s good to know! And great timing 😀
I would probably pass on all of these and move on to something else!
Haha, fair! Maybe I’ll do a middle grade themed one next time…
Very exciting that you read Piranesi! It was not what I was expecting but I did love the Chronicles of Narnia tie-ins. I vote for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea because it’s the only title I recognize
I do recall cathing one Narnia reference! I thought, “Surely that is an intentional reference to Mr Tumnus?” haha, but I think the rest passed me by. Thanks for your vote 🙂
I think it was more that the manipulation and secret world reminded me a lot of The Magician’s Nephew
Oooh, that’s a good point! (The reference I was thinking of was one of the statues seeming to be Tumnus at the lamp post.)
I also can’t believe I haven’t read most of these! I did listen to Hide by Kiersten White. It was alright, but I would pick up one of the others first.
Good to know! I was intrigued by the premise of HIDE but Kiersten White isn’t an author I’ve ever been keen on.