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Eleanor Catton: The luminaries (AudiobookFormat, 2013)

[sound recording] :, 1773 pages

English language

Published Oct. 29, 2013

ISBN:
978-1-4805-9258-2
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
864628773

View on OpenLibrary

(1 review)

It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely patterned as the night sky.

6 editions

Masterful

The writing style captured me from the beginning, although it was sometimes (in the first few sections) a struggle to follow the rather complex plot with so many characters. I really appreciated all the authentic New Zealand (and especially Hokitika) references - wildlife, Maori language and culture, street names, etc. since I discovered and started reading this book in Hokitika itself. However, I think many clever astrological references were lost on me. Despite that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. This would be a great one to take apart in an English Lit. class.

Subjects

  • Gold discoveries
  • Immigrants
  • Criminal investigation
  • Fiction
  • History

Places

  • New Zealand