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The Luminaries

byEleanor Catton

Genres: Historical fiction Mystery Adventure Historical Expeditions Historical Mysteries

Who is this book for? Readers who enjoy intricate mysteries set in historical contexts, particularly those interested in the gold rush era.

Topics Gold rushMysteryIntrigueNew zealand historyImmigrant experienceCriminal justiceSecrets and revelationsCity lifeProstitutionHistorical settingDeceptionDesperationFortune

MoodSuspenseful, Mysterious

RomanceMinor Subplot

ViolenceMild

Explicit scenesSuggestive Themes

Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2013 It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. A wealthy man has vanished, a whore 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 patterned as the night sky. The Luminaries is an extraordinary piece of fiction. It is full of narrative, linguistic and psychological pleasures, and has a fiendishly clever and original structuring device. Written in pitch-perfect historical register, richly evoking a mid-19th century world of shipping and banking and goldrush boom and bust, it is also a ghost story, and a gripping mystery. It is a thrilling achievement and will confirm for critics and readers that Catton is one of the brightest stars in the international writing firmament.

Language

Published on

04/03/2014

Pages

864

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9781847084323

Price Comparison

9.99 €

9.99 €

9.99 £

12.99 €

12.99 €

14 €

14 €

14 €

Editions in other languages

The Luminaries alternative edition book cover

eBook

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