megancmahon's review against another edition
Oy vey.
I guess meta literature isn't my thing. I get the art form, but IMO, if it's not entertaining or enjoyable, then what is the point besides showing how clever you are? This didn't have any heart at all and I couldn't get behind any of the characters.
I guess meta literature isn't my thing. I get the art form, but IMO, if it's not entertaining or enjoyable, then what is the point besides showing how clever you are? This didn't have any heart at all and I couldn't get behind any of the characters.
kimjay's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
Certainly a long read, but I haven't read a book in a while that made me work so hard to follow the trail, with such sweet payoff. I was flipping back to other chapters, referencing the character list, and scratching my head for half of the book. It's a 21st century parody of a 19th century novel - it felt like I was almost reading a TV show, something like Clue or like Sherlock, so intricate were the plot and characters. Each person has their own motivations, their own agenda, and their own secrets. I love how unflinchingly pointed the narration is regarding each character.
From The Guardian:
From The Guardian:
But it is also a massive shaggy dog story; a great empty bag; an enormous, wicked, gleeful cheat. For nothing in this enormous book, with its exotic and varied cast of characters whose lives all affect each other and whose fates are intricately entwined, amounts to anything like the moral and emotional weight one would expect of it. That's the point, in the end, I think, of The Luminaries. It's not about story at all. It's about what happens to us when we read novels – what we think we want from them – and from novels of this size, in particular. Is it worthwhile to spend so much time with a story that in the end isn't invested in its characters? Or is thinking about why we should care about them in the first place the really interesting thing? Making us consider so carefully whether we want a story with emotion and heart or an intellectual idea about the novel in the disguise of historical fiction … There lies the real triumph of Catton's remarkable book.
anaphabetic's review against another edition
4.0
This book has proven to be a wonderful reading experience. I loved the mystery, the confusion and the structure. I haven't researched all the lunar references in the books (like the chapter titles and all) but I found it a great idea that adds more yistery and mysticism to the tale.
Although the book is fairly long (more than 800 pages) I never once found myself bored or tired. It is true that some parts can be a bit repetitive, but in the end they always add new perspectives and data to the plot, so they don't result boring at all.
The writing style is quite peculiar, very eccentric, but really really beautiful.
I would highly recommend it!
Although the book is fairly long (more than 800 pages) I never once found myself bored or tired. It is true that some parts can be a bit repetitive, but in the end they always add new perspectives and data to the plot, so they don't result boring at all.
The writing style is quite peculiar, very eccentric, but really really beautiful.
I would highly recommend it!
bujo_planbee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kt_red's review against another edition
I found it confusing and onerous to read, and while the writing was good none of the characters grabbed me and while I had no doubt the story would become more compelling as I went on, I found it a slog and not worth it.
sillypunk's review against another edition
I hated it and didn't finish it because it was terrible: https://blogendorff.ghost.io/giving-up-on-the-luminaries/
crikhopit's review against another edition
1.0
Nope. Pretentious. Overly detailed (and not in a good way.) Got about halfway through, realized I couldn't care less about any of the characters (or the "mystery" itself), and gave up. I'm sad I wasted money to buy this for my Kindle.
checkie's review against another edition
5.0
Omg WHAT A BOOK. This was so intricately written with a complex and compelling plot. I completely relished immersing myself in the vivid world that Catton creates. I'm sad i'll never get to read this for the first time again.
alcazarz's review against another edition
3.0
confusing and slow at the beginning, got more engaged in the second half, although it was hard to keep all the characters and plot twists in order. I appreciated the book more once I read through some discussions on it (not sure if that is a good sign that I needed a guide to enjoy the book)... there is no way I would have got all the astral twin trickiness otherwise (how can he be show while in a locked crate....well, he's the astral twin!). Plus the discussion helped me realise that there were a lot of threads not tied up, or properly explained (why did Anna have a miscarriage? was it the rearing horse?). I hadn't missed as much as I thought, but it made me feel slightly cheated at the end.
ingread's review against another edition
5.0
Catton gebruikt de eerste 400(!) pagina's van deze Man Booker Prize-winnaar voor het neerzetten van haar personages, als stukken op een schaakbord waarop zich in de tweede helft een spel voltrekt dat van te voren duidelijk tot in detail is uitgedacht. Hoofdstukje voor hoofdstukje valt er weer een puzzelstukje op zijn plek, waardoor ik door de 830 pagina's heen vlóóg. Prachtig boek dat schreeuwt om een BBC mini-serie.