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Synopsis
The winner of the Man Booker Prize, this "expertly written, perfectly constructed" bestseller ( The Guardian ) is now a Starz miniseries. It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to stake his claim in New Zealand's booming gold rush. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of 12 local men who have met in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events: a wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous cache of gold has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky. Richly evoking a mid-nineteenth-century world of shipping, banking, and gold rush boom and bust, The Luminaries is at once a fiendishly clever ghost story, a gripping page-turner, and a thrilling novelistic achievement. It richly confirms that Eleanor Catton is one of the brightest stars in the international literary firmament.
Is The Luminaries: A Novel appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This complex literary mystery set during the 1860s New Zealand gold rush contains mature themes including a suicide attempt, a missing person, discussions of prostitution, and period-appropriate attitudes. The intricate structure and literary style make it most suitable for mature teen readers and adults.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include suicide and death.
Who'll love this
Older teens who enjoy complex puzzles and richly detailed historical settings will appreciate this intricately plotted mystery where multiple storylines weave together like constellations.