"[Piranesi] flooded me, as the tides flood the halls, with a scouring grief, leaving gleaming gifts in its wake... rich, wondrous, full of aching joy and sweet sorrow." --The New York Times Book Review
"A novel that feels like a surreal meditation on life in quarantine." --
The New Yorker "
Piranesi astonished me. It is a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling, at once a gripping mystery, an adventure through a brilliant new fantasy world, and a deep meditation on the human condition: feeling lost, and being found. I already want to be back in its haunting and beautiful halls!" --
Madeline Miller, New York Times Bestselling Author of CIRCE "Unforgettable - surely one of the most original works of fiction this season. It drops you into a mind-bending fantasy world, a vast labyrinth with infinite rooms and seas that sweep into halls and up staircases with the tides. ... It's a hypnotic tale that you can devour in a day (and probably will; it's that hard to put down)." --
AARP "
Piranesi is a high-quality page-turner-even the most leisurely reader will probably finish it off in a day-but its chief pleasure is immersion in its strange and uncannily attractive setting. . . Establishing that sense of totality-and the feeling of peacefulness that accompanies it-is Ms. Clarke's standout feat." --
Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal "Could
Piranesi match [the hype]? I'm delighted to say it has, with Clarke's singular wit and imagination still intact in a far more compressed yet still captivating tale you'll want to delve into again right after you read its sublime last sentence." --
The Boston Globe "Piranesi is a gorgeous, spellbinding mystery that gently unravels page by page. Precisely the sort of book that I love wordlessly handing to someone so they can have the pleasure of uncovering its secrets for themselves. This book is a treasure, washed up upon a forgotten shore, waiting to be discovered." --
Erin Morgenstern, NYT bestselling author of THE STARLESS SEA and THE NIGHT CIRCUS "A short and beautiful novel that reads like a poem, not in its use of language (which is very accessible) but rather in its cumulative effect of expressing an emotion and state of being that is inexpressible. It's a strange and lovely read." --
Buzzfeed "What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being, what a tick-tock-tick-tock of reveals, what a pure protagonist, what a morally-squalid supporting cast, what beauty, tension and restraint, and what a pitch-perfect ending. Piranesi is an exquisite puzzle-box far, far bigger on the inside than it is on the outside." --
David Mitchell, New York Times bestselling author of CLOUD ATLAS "Destined to become a work of classic fantasy." --
Ron Charles, CBS Sunday Morning Book Report "
Piranesi Will Wreck You: The novel establishes Susanna Clarke as one of our greatest living writers." --
New York Magazine "Infinitely clever... none of [Clarke's] enchantment has worn off - it's evolved. . . to abide in these pages is to find oneself happily detained in awe." --
The Washington Post "Enthralling [and] transcendent... the sweetness, the innocence of Piranesi's love for this world is devastating to read. Clarke's writing is clear, sharp - she can cleave your heart in a few short words. . . The mystery of Piranesi unwinds at a tantalizing yet lightening-like pace - it's hard not to rush ahead, even when each sentence, each revelation makes you want to linger." --
NPR.org "The long-awaited followup to
Jonathan Strange is even more magically immersive. . . Here is a protagonist with no guile, no greed, no envy, no cruelty, and yet still intriguing." --
The Los Angeles Times "Susanna Clarke's first novel in sixteen years is a wonder." --
Slate "Susanna Clarke's astonishing
Piranesi proves she's one of the greatest novelists writing today." --
Vox "
Piranesi hit my mind and soul like a thunderbolt. It is a work of deep power." --
EW.com "Susanna Clarke has fashioned her own myth anew and enlarged the world again." --
The New Republic "Almost impossible to put down... lavishly descriptive, charming, heartbreaking and imbued with a magic that will be familiar to Clarke's devoted readers,
Piranesi will satisfy lovers of
Jonathan Strange and win her many new fans." --
Bookpage, starred review "Readers who accompany [Piranesi] as he learns to understand himself will see magic returning to our world. Weird and haunting and excellent." --
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "Clarke wraps a twisty mystery inside a metaphysical fantasy in her extraordinary new novel . . . Sure to be recognized as one of the year's most inventive." --
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "As questions multiply and suspense mounts in this spellbinding, occult puzzle of a fable, one begins to wonder if perhaps the reverence, kindness, and gratitude practiced by Clarke's enchanting and resilient hero aren't all the wisdom one truly needs." --
Booklist, Starred Review "Clarke creates an immersive world that readers can almost believe exists. This is a solid crossover pick for readers whose appreciation of magical fantasy leans toward V.E. Schwab or Erin Morgenstern." --
Library Journal, Starred Review "So let me just say that this is one of my all-time favorite books. I admire how it depicts a person conversing with their past self, without glossing over the guts it takes to do this sort of deep emotional work . . . I relate to Piranesi's journey-how he see-saws between intense curiosity about his past, and an urge to protect himself by looking away. I've re-read this book so many times now and the ending always makes me cry." --
Electric Lit "Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty." --
Gregory Maguire, The New York Times "Nobody writes about magic the way Clarke does . . . She writes about magic as if she's actually worked it." --
Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine
