The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

It is 1866, and young 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 unexplained events: A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky. Richly evoking a mid-nineteenth-century world of shipping, banking, and gold rush boom and bust, The Luminaries is a brilliantly constructed, fiendishly clever ghost story and a gripping page-turner

I'm reading this for Week 17: A book with a beautiful cover. I'm actually listening to it which might be as a mistake as it sounds like the page structure, etc is an important part of the book. I hope others are going to read it this year because I am betting I will need to discuss it with people!

[Vicky]

I purchased this book on a whim because it was on sale! I haven't found a place for it on my list yet... :)

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Vicky wrote: "I purchased this book on a whim because it was on sale! I haven't found a place for it on my list yet... :)"

Award winning? Pretty cover? Different continent or century?

[Sophie]

It was the first book I read for the 2015 challenge and I really liked it. I read it on ebook so I also didn't see the specifics of how the book is made. My only regret is that I found the end a bit rushed.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Sophie wrote: "I was the first book I read for the 2015 challenge and I really liked it. I read it on ebook so I also didn't see the specifics of how the book is made. My only regret is that I found the end a bit..."

It was! What was up with that? She had plenty of time to write about everything else in great detail! It reminds me of that book The Historian. Huge book, lots of detail and the climax is about 3 lines. What??

[Angela]

I read this for 2019’s Week 14: a book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term. I really enjoyed the Dickensian plot and the historical aspects were really interesting to learn about. As I was reading it, I didn’t really pick up on the unique structure, but it’s a really clever and intriguing book.