What-I'm-Reading-Wednesday: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

At 834 pages, Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries may seem more like a cinder block than a novel, but inside this huge book is a lush and sweeping historical saga full of mystery and brilliant writing. Set in the 1866 gold rush in New Zealand, Catton tells a series of intricate stories interwoven through a cast of interesting and unusual characters all centered around several mysterious occurrences that take place on the same night. When the young Englishman, Walter Moody, arrives in town after a harrowing sea voyage, he finds himself in the midst of strange company at the local hotel. Twelve men have converged in the hotel's smoking room to discuss their involvement, or sworn lack thereof, in the death of the town hermit, the disappearance of a young man recently rich from the gold mines, and the near suicide of the town's most desirable prostitute, all of which occurred two weeks prior. As Moody is slowly welcomed into the group of men, he begins to attempt to unravel the complex mysteries of not just the events being discussed but of the men themselves.

Catton's work is reminiscient of Dickens in its plot twists and intricacies. As the youngest ever winner of the Man Booker Prize, she is certainly someone to watch as well as read.

Place a request for The Luminaries by going to the Library catalog: http://catalog.umd.edu/docno=004347434. Click on "Availability", then click on the yellow "Request" button, and log in using your last name and 14-digit Library barcode number on your ID. If you need assistance, please contact the Circulation Desk at 301-687-4395.

Already read The Luminaries? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought! (No spoilers, please!)

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