REVIEW: The Luminaries (Eleanor Catton)

Book: The Luminaries

Author: Eleanor Catton

Premise: Upon his arrival to New Zealand, Walter Moody stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men. They have met to discuss their concerns with 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.

This is a chunky novel set during 19th century New Zealand against the backdrop of the gold rush. There is a wide cast and it takes a while to get to grips with who's who, but you eventually work it out and manage to follow. There are lots of plot lines that are very cleverly woven together. I found it a really engaging novel: atmospheric and mysterious. 

I felt like the last 100 pages could've wrapped up the story in a more succinct way given you had already largely worked out what had actually happened. The author has tried to incorporate astrology in the story and the set up of the book. It probably does enhance the novel but I paid it no attention and still enjoyed it - so not necessary for the story!

Overall, really good read that helped me out of a reading slump!