The Luminaries

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.

Set in gold rush era New Zealand, it reminded me more than a little of the series Deadwood despite being on the other side of the world. It's brilliantly written and is very deliberate and interesting in form - structured according to astrology and the chapters flipping upside down as the book progresses. The mystery was original and unpredictable, but kinda low key.

Maybe 3.5 stars, since I have wavered between three and four stars. Some of it amazed and delighted me, but it was a couple of hundred pages too long, with not enough character development considering the length, and I was left feeling like I'm not clever enough to "get" the complexities of the plot and how it all related to astrology. I'm still trying to place everything in some sort of timeline in my mind, because I feel like something is missing from the wrap-up. It could just be the sense of disappointment I feel having got through such a big book without much reward. Ugh, there are better reviews than mine here on Goodreads, go and read those :-)