3.75 stars

Where to even begin reviewing this 832 page doorstopper?! I’ve been putting off The Luminaries for years it seems, and I think I was actually right to do so - If I’d tried to read this one at a time where I was lacking in patience or time to dedicate to it, it might have been a DNF, because the first section is very slow to get going.
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It’s historical fiction depicting the gold rush of the 19th century in New Zealand, when budding prospector Walter Moody arrives in on the West Coast expecting to make his fortune only to find himself entangled in a series of unsolved crimes. If you’re someone who needs complete closure on all storylines and characters introduced in a novel, then The Luminaries might not be for you. But if you enjoy huge, immersive stories where characters are explored in fine detail and the author spends time crafting an insane sense of time of place, then give it a go and be patient with it!

It’d be losing me but then she’d drop in another shocking reveal that’d have me all OH DANG and I’d have to keep reading to get to the next one. It definitely didn’t have to be that long in my opinion, it felt a bit repetitive sometimes. I learned on Goodreads that Catton took huge care with the structure, so that each section is exactly half the length of the preceding one; the first section is 360ish pages, and then the final ones are no more than 1 or 2 pages, which gives it a fabulous sense of urgency as you approach the final pages.
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Admittedly the astrology and lunar details completely went over my head, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of it, and if you’re into that kind of stuff then it will surely heighten it. I loved the intimacy, the scandal, the insight into the gold rush, opium dens, and life of women in those times, but one thing I will say is that with a book this size I expect to be hungover upon finishing it, and I wasn’t.
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Pick this one up if you’re into Dickensian-like doorstoppers and intricate historical fiction!