4.5 Quite a Dunsanian read at times, Susanna Clarke does have quite a better grip on characters and psychology than Dunsany. Here the cyclopean other-worldly House is always linked to the characters and how they perceive it. The feeling of extreme longing is still there, though. It is not a book that surprises the reader much, but it is an extremely beautiful read. Clarke really makes things come alive. The only criticism I have is that the psychologic changes at the end and the resolution of the story seem a little too facile to me.