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Comments (61)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 61 items
Feb 22, 2024Bethkjonsson rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is an amazing book set in the goldfields of New Zealand in the 1860's. The story centers on a group of people whose lives intertwine, involving murder and greed. There are many characters and the author lists them in the beginning…
May 29, 2023Ian_Little rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A well written novel that cannot be read quickly. The writing is elegant and yet appropriate for the time period. At least until one reaches the climax: until then, the journey (story) was more important than the destination (resolution).…
Apr 26, 2023jeancausey rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Gave up on this. Lost confidence that there was an actual STORY
Sep 18, 2022CJTroffe rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Chose this book because it won the Booker prize. It’s too long and the characters are not interesting enough for me to feel passionate about any of them. Felt like reading a long disconnected dream, and not in a good way. I have felt the…
Apr 25, 2022
I am generally not daunted by books of this length, providing I’m reeled in by the 200th page or so. It didn’t happen. Then I remembered that this was made into a mini-series which was equally forgettable. Was disappointed because I enjoy…
Nov 02, 2021
At 814 pages, the heft of 'The Luminaries' can daunt; it is a novel that asks for commitment. Once given, the reader's dedication is rewarded with a complex, intriguing mystery, set against the frontier wilds of gold-rush era West Coast.…
Jan 16, 2021
This book, for me, starts out better than it ends. The first sections are engrossing, detailed and mysterious. I didn’t know what was happening, but it unfolded small piece by small piece, slowly creating a picture of some unexplained…
Jan 15, 2021posie12 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The ending seems a bit muddied. anyway, that gold sure travelled.
Jan 14, 2021hillaryblair rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Definitely a long read, but also incredibly engaging! It was hard to put this book down despite its length. Catton writes in a similar style to other 19th century literature, capturing the language and thoughts of her characters well. It…
Mar 30, 2019brangwinn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
If you plan to read this book, you will nee to be committed to a book in which you almost need a visual to understand all the twists and turns. It moves back and forth, telling the story of a small gold-Ming town in New Zealand, completed…
Apr 08, 2018Lotushead rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a great fun story. It seems rather confusing at first but the story reveals itself as the Moon waxes, and astrological soulmates find each other.
Aug 25, 2017becker rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I knew after the first few paragraphs that I was going to love this book. This is a big complex story that is incredibly well constructed. The characters are so well designed with each of them containing a unique voice and serving a…
Jul 12, 2016EmilyEm rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Walter Moody interrupts a meeting when he enters his hotel’s parlor on a stormy night in 1860s New Zealand’s Gold Rush town of Hokitika. Very Dickens-like with multiple characters and character motives. No wonder the hype and awards.…
Jun 04, 2016TSCPL_ChrisB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Luminaries is a many-faceted and, in ways, complex book, but that doesn't mean the story is not enjoyable. For those willing to make the effort, it can be a wonderful read. Yes, it's saturated with cross-references to astrological…
Jun 02, 2016paul_broomfields1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This really is an exquisitely written novel. Highly recommended for myriad reasons.
Feb 10, 2016
Do you love really long books? This is the one for you. It also happens to be a gorgeously written story full of complex characters set in the fascinating 1860's Gold Rush period in New Zealand. Read this delicious puzzle today.…
Feb 09, 2016bookwormjeph rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A great read though I did find it lost some momentum in the middle of it's more than 800 pages. A rollicking story set in Hokitika in the height of the gold rush. A complex cast of characters and the inter-relationships between them all is…
Jan 03, 2016doneschu rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
90% of the book is wonderfully descriptive. It's written as people might have talked in the 1800's: lots of words and phrases not in general use today. The last few chapters are horrible. It's almost as though the author got tired of…
Nov 21, 2015trixxstaar rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Lived up to the hype, in my opinion.
Oct 23, 2015Foxglen rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
This is not a book you can't put down. In fact I couldn't finish it. It's a long drawn out mistery that could have used half the words.
Sep 22, 2015heinrij rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
This would have been a good story if it were 200 or 300 pages. If you get stuck, start at part 5 and go to the end. It explains everything. Some profanity, not much. Rate it PG
Jul 12, 2015DevilStateDan rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was keen to read this from the start as it seemed to divide so many readers, produced one of the biggest library holds queues I've ever seen & of course, it won the big prize! It did not disappoint, I really enjoyed the complex layering…
Jun 25, 2015LKBC_EPL rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The author seamlessly weaves together the incredible stories of her varied characters with impeccable style to produce a suspenseful,engaging, and wholly originally murder-mystery.
ss1989
Jun 03, 2015ss1989 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I couldn't finish it. I honestly found it incredibly boring. Maybe because the book I read previously had me flipping through the pages as quick as possible, but god is this an endeavor to get through a chapter and keep interest. If that…
May 27, 2015gendeg rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton is a Dickens-style epic but also intimately gothic and atmospheric, and an homage to that quirky brand of Victorian sensationalist writing. This may make it seem stilted and stuffy and discursive, but I…