Perfectly read

The quality of the reading really added to the story, which was a bit lengthy at times, especially in the dialogues. But the reader was awesome and really added depth to every character.

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My new favorite novel

This beautiful novel combines all my favorite genres (literary and historical fiction, mystery, love story, ghost story) into an intricate and complex puzzle. The prose is elegant, mimics 19th century novelistic style perfectly, and sweeps in and out of character perspectives or omniscient narrator with playful exuberance. The character descriptions and the novel's analysis of their psyche, mannerisms, and how they are perceived by others in very different ways are simply breathtaking - the novel has a LOT of main characters and yet I feel as if I know each of them well - not all about them, but who they are in a particular moment of time.

The physical novel contains star charts at the beginning of each little section, which are also the seed out of which the story and its characters have emerged: the author started this by calculating the star charts for this small period of time in 19th century New Zealand, and then interpreted each constellation, planet and house into the people and locations of this novel, which culminates (non-chronologically) with the meeting of the sun and moon, personified as two characters. What happens in this small town is mirrored in the movement of constellations and planets above and vice versa. But you can enjoy the novel without paying much attention to this aspect.

While written in a gripping style similar to a thriller, it's not about finding out exactly how someone died, it's more about how we circle each other, touch each others lives in ways that have a myriad of cascading consequences, how we see ourselves and how others see us, if it is possible to know each other, the value of honesty, and so much more. I never felt the novel's length (over 800 pages) - in fact, I kept dreading its end, wanting it to be longer just so I could keep reading.

I read some parts and listened to others and enjoyed the narration overall. Some aspects of it are just brilliant, such as the Chinese and Maori accents which felt wonderfully authentic. The English, Irish and Scottish accents sounded fine to me, but I'm German myself so I'm not a good judge of that. My one point of criticism is how the narrator chose to portray Lydia Wells: as an over-the-top, villainous caricature who would never convince, seduce or manipulate anyone with that obvious villain voice. Moreover, it cheapens and reduces the subtle, ambiguous characterization of the novel to something lesser. Why lay it on so thick in the audiobook narration? There was no need.

Overall, if you enjoy historical novels of great complexity, subtlety, adventure, philosophy and literary merit (this has won the Man Booker prize), then I highly recommend picking it up. Some people believe it has plot holes, but I haven't found any: if you pay close attention, keep in mind that people lie or conceal details, and realize that the explanation for some of the occurrences is a slightly supernatural one, it all fits together like clockwork in the end. And if that sounds very dry and mathematical: not at all, the book is actually very moving in so many scenes. But if you're just looking for a simple whodunnit and dislike complicated plots, then you won't like it: the mysteries are like a magician's clever, dazzling distraction while she's actually doing something else.

I really loved this novel and was wowed by its brilliance and masterful execution.

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3 Leute fanden das hilfreich

Excellent rendition of a lumination

Was hat Ihnen am allerbesten an The Luminaries gefallen?

The story itself was worthy of the Booker. Mark Meadows reading is absolutely wonderfull. This is how literature comes alive.

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4 Leute fanden das hilfreich

masterful narration

Impressive range of accents. Intricate storyline and large cast of characters. Still thinking about this book long after I finished it.

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so slow, 5 hours in had to stop

such a slow story, hard to get into it, even 5 hours in, I stopped. still 22 hours left but I gave up. too bad but the story did not even start to unfold...

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