The astonishing and epic novel that won the 2013 Man Booker Prize
Eleanor Catton was born in 1985 in Canada and raised in New Zealand. Her debut novel The Rehearsal garnered prizes and acclaim around the world, including the 2009 Betty Trask Award. It has since been published in 17 territories and 12 languages. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she also held an adjunct professorship, and an MA in fiction writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
Irresistible, masterful, compelling. It has a gripping plot that is
cleverly unravelled to its satisfying conclusion, a narrative that
from the first page asserts that it is firmly in control of where
it is taking us... The things that most impress are the cunning
withholding of information, the elegant foreshadowing, the skilful
looping back on the narrative
*Telegraph*
An immense feat of structuring and plotting which means that this
novel starts as a gentle stroll and ends with the exhilarating
sense of running downhill... Ambitious, intricate, spectacular
*Independent*
A breathtakingly ambitious mystery... Catton's playful and
increasingly virtuosic denouement arrives at a conclusion that is
as beautiful as it is triumphant
*Daily Mail*
Remarkable... A true achievement. Catton has built a lively parody
of a 19th-century novel, and in doing so created a novel for the
21st, something utterly new. The pages fly, a world opening and
closing in front of us, a human soul revealed in all its conflicted
desperation [and] glory... Dazzling
*New York Times*
Every sentence of this intriguing tale is expertly written, every
cliffhanger chapter-ending making us beg for the next to begin.
[It] has been perfectly constructed as the consummate literary
page-turner... Extraordinary
*Guardian*
The Luminaries blew me away. Such a wild, strange world, such
unforgettable characters, all brought together with such devilish
charm and ingenuity. A novel like this from a writer so young gives
me hope for the future of the artform. Stellar in every sense of
the word
*Skippy Dies*
Sometimes - rarely - a novel arrives that is so good all you can do
is shake your head in wonder. Brilliant in design, masterful in
execution, and intensely pleasurable to inhabit, The Luminaries is
a masterpiece, the work of a writer of apparently limitless range
and talent
*The Short Day Dying*
A bold mixture of Victorian sensation novel and avant-garde
constraint... Even on a fourth reading it still delivers
*Scotland on Sunday*
Carefully executed, relentlessly clever, easy to read... Catton
sustains a human comedy that sweeps through the hope, the mud, the
lies and the secrecy underlying gold fever. It is not so much a
morality play as an astute celebration of the power of the
story
*Irish Times*
[A] sweeping, sprawling tale... a triumph from a phenomenally
talented young writer
*Stylist*
A dense, intricate historical saga, criss-crossed with literary
eccentricities... Wonderfully inventive
*The Times*
[A] cunningly design[ed] mosaic of tales
*Independent*
Slowly reveals a complex structure raising questions about fate,
free will and the human search for meaning
*Guardian*
Intricately constructed... An accomplished work of traditional
storytelling
*Financial Times*
Incredible... virtuoso... You will devour [this book], only to
discover that you can't find anything of equal scope and excitement
to read once you have finished. Sheer rip-roaring readability
*Independent on Sunday*
A virtuoso performance... [It] is resplendent: a twenty first
century Victorian novel that couldn't be more original... Steeped
in history, The Luminaries feels completely fresh... The literary
firmament has birthed a new star
*The Millions*
Quite unlike anything I've ever come across, so graceful is its
plotting and structure... A dazzling feat of a novel
*Observer*
A dream novel: stellar in every way
*Economist*
Expansive and quite superb... Catton writes with real
sophistication and intelligence
*Scotsman*
This epic novel of light and shadow affirms the radiant talent of
its author
*Independent*
With astonishing intricacy and patient finesse, Catton brings to
life the anomalous nature of 19th-century New Zealand
*Sunday Times*
An impressive novel, captivating, intense and full of surprises
*TLS*
A gorgeously elaborate fabrication
*Sunday Telegraph*
Brilliant... wonderfully intricate
*Spectator*
All really good books shatter their generic origins, becoming a
thing unto themselves. But rarely has this axiom held more firmly
than in [this] thrilling novel... [Catton] is among the finest of
storytellers... Time falls away in her writing, and the mystery of
creation shimmers through the cracks in the story. I didn't want
this novel to end, and - in a sense - it doesn't. Catton's
illuminations last
*The Last Station*
Every now and then you get to read a novel that elevates you far
beyond the bric-a-brac of everyday routine, takes you apart,
reassembles you, and leaves you feeling as though you have been on
holiday with a genius. Eleanor Catton's astonishing new novel does
just that... Essential reading
*New Zealand Herald*
Irresistible... The kind of book that really doesn't come around
often. Everyone should read it
*Stylist*
The reviewer says it's so good he's been unable to read another
book since
*Independent on Sunday*
A great addition to my impressive pile of great novels
*Observer*
A rollicking mystery... rivals almost any Victorian
triple-decker... Fascinating
*We Love This Book blog*
It is a pacey and beautifully written tale of love, lust, greed and
murder... It could well be regarded as the first great New Zealand
novel
*Bookseller*
A remarkable tour de force... Breathtaking
*Brisbane Times*
Wonderfully vivid... The characters are so lush and the mystery is
so complex... Exceptional
*Booker Marks blog*
Highly original, meticulously constructed, thematically convincing,
this is a richly evocative mystery
*Good Book Guide*
It might be the Great New Zealand Novel
*Guardian*
Addictive [and] very clever
*The Times*
Irresistible and gripping... the things that most impress are the
cunning withholding of information, the elegant foreshadowing, the
skilful looping back on the narrative
*Irish Independent*
Remarkable... I found myself frequently slowing down to savour
Catton's characterisations and gentle wit. The Man Booker judges
have really struck gold
*Sunday Express*
For the scale of her ambition and the beauty of its execution,
somebody should give that girl a medal
*Daily Telegraph*
A book to curl up with and devour, intricately plotted and
extravagantly described, a pastiche of the Victorian sensation
novel in the same smart yet playful vein as Sarah Waters
*Guardian*
One of the most purely enjoyable novels to have appeared in recent
years... [It] offers large rewards for the reader's diligent
attention. It dividends are both narrative and linguistic...
Remarkable
*Literary Review*
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
*Hindu*
A tremendously technically accomplished piece of work
*Evening Standard*
A highly innovative, structurally experimental project that tells a
captivating story
*Bustle*
Experimental [and] bold... A gripping read... Catton's star is
definitely on the ascendant
*The Lady*
Utterly immersive reading
*Metro*
Fine storytelling, plenty of plot twists and a colourful cast of
characters
*Mail on Sunday*
Perfect
*New Zealand Herald*
Mesmerising
*BBC History*
A beautifully-wrought minuet
*Independent on Sunday*
A fantastic achievement and a gripping read
*Vice*
Ingeniously arranged
*Recorder*
Spin for a while in this novel's orbit, then return to terra firma
with a tighter grip on your own resolve
*Independent*
Here is a book to lose yourself in... If you haven't yet succumbed
to the hype of this huge saga, don't resist. A delight from start
to finish
*Oxford Times *****
Every sentence of this intriguing tale is expertly written, every
cliffhanger chapter-ending making us beg for the next to begin.
Great
*Guardian*
With patient finesse, Catton brings 19th-century New Zealand to
life
*Sunday Times*
Intricate... On every page you are aware of minute design
*Guardian*
Exceptional and phenomenal... As gorgeous and complex as an
orrery
*Intelligent Life*
A page-turner
*Observer*
Truly dazzling
*Sunday Herald*
Catton's irresistibly intricate plot makes the pages fly by. Snappy
dialogue, crisp humour and grand vision sets this far above its
rivals
*Daily Telegraph ******
Big, bold and beautiful... A literary thriller that keeps you
hooked
*Daily Gazette Colchester*
A carefully crafted door-stopper of a novel
*Observer*
[It] has got me gripped
*Independent*
Daring and colourful
*Irish Times*
A modern masterpiece... Catton deserves her praise
*Stylist*
I enjoyed The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton's game of literary Cluedo,
so much I had to ration myself to 50 pages a day
*‘Books of the Year’ Observer*
The Luminaries portrays the lush landscapes of New Zealand in
exquisite detail
*Good Housekeeping*
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