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Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'
The Luminaries: Winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction by Eleanor Catton, Eleanor Catton
16 reviews
readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What a journey this was! And one not even remotely aligned to what I thought it was about before I picked it up. I thought it was some kind of literary sci-fi; it is definitely very literary, but otherwise not that.
Though I've seen this book all over the place for years, I wasn't aware until recently that Catton based each of the 12 primary characters on different Zodiac signs and used their charts to fabricate the plot. A very cool concept if you ask me, and, reading this, it makes sense. It would honestly be difficult to come up with this complex a plot without any kind of heavenly guidance.
The first few chapters definitely had me hooked. The mysterious gathering, Walter Moody's unintended entrance upon it, the dark, rainy night outside the smoky, close atmosphere of the pub as the circumstances behind the meeting slowly reveal themselves.
That first part takes up probably half the book, but from there, everything else felt like a bit of a letdown, apart, perhaps from the courtroom scenes. Almost all of the core information was covered in that first half, so the rest felt rather superfluous. The last 100 pages especially, after the courtroom bit, just did not add much at all and were generally pretty frustrating. I thought the flashbacks to Dunedin were building up to something that would return us to the present and connect everything in one final, flourishing twist, but that just never happened.
The other thing that was annoying here was how male-focused this plot is. I get that this was the New Zealand frontier in the 19th century and that there weren't many women around to begin with. But the only three female characters are all effectively just sexual plot devices, for the men of Hokitika to project upon and take advantage of. For a book written by a woman, this was all the more disappointing.
I did really enjoy Catton's writing style. It is, again, very literary and flowery, but good, detail-packed writing just really gets me going, though I recognize that it can be a bit of turn-off for others.
Overall, an interesting concept and excellent writing, but the plot could have been reined in a bit more and the women caught up in it better treated. This has, however, really piqued my interest in Eleanor Catton's work, as I think she is someone with a fascinating imagination and a gorgeous writing style with which to share it.
Though I've seen this book all over the place for years, I wasn't aware until recently that Catton based each of the 12 primary characters on different Zodiac signs and used their charts to fabricate the plot. A very cool concept if you ask me, and, reading this, it makes sense. It would honestly be difficult to come up with this complex a plot without any kind of heavenly guidance.
The first few chapters definitely had me hooked. The mysterious gathering, Walter Moody's unintended entrance upon it, the dark, rainy night outside the smoky, close atmosphere of the pub as the circumstances behind the meeting slowly reveal themselves.
That first part takes up probably half the book, but from there, everything else felt like a bit of a letdown, apart, perhaps from the courtroom scenes. Almost all of the core information was covered in that first half, so the rest felt rather superfluous. The last 100 pages especially, after the courtroom bit, just did not add much at all and were generally pretty frustrating. I thought the flashbacks to Dunedin were building up to something that would return us to the present and connect everything in one final, flourishing twist, but that just never happened.
The other thing that was annoying here was how male-focused this plot is. I get that this was the New Zealand frontier in the 19th century and that there weren't many women around to begin with. But the only three female characters are all effectively just sexual plot devices, for the men of Hokitika to project upon and take advantage of. For a book written by a woman, this was all the more disappointing.
I did really enjoy Catton's writing style. It is, again, very literary and flowery, but good, detail-packed writing just really gets me going, though I recognize that it can be a bit of turn-off for others.
Overall, an interesting concept and excellent writing, but the plot could have been reined in a bit more and the women caught up in it better treated. This has, however, really piqued my interest in Eleanor Catton's work, as I think she is someone with a fascinating imagination and a gorgeous writing style with which to share it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Miscarriage
eefmaoam's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I claimed to have read this book when I was a teenager, trying to be pretentious and well-read. I certainly didn’t as I remembered exactly nothing, not the plot or any of the characters, while reading it. But I’m *so* happy I didn’t read it back then, so I could enjoy it for the first time now, some years later.
This book was right up my alley, even though I wouldn’t have suspected it to be based on the genre/themes/descriptions. I love the way the story slowly unfolds, constantly switching perspectives, all the while being meta-critical of the genre itself AND the (developing) economic systems and its exploits (Yes, I wanted to be a pretentious teen while I wasn’t, but somehow still ended up becoming an adult who loves pretentious literature lol). The historical touches such as censoring some words, while using ‘whoring’ freely adds to the atmosphere and moody feel (haha, funny reference, so smart).
While reading I kept on whisking but also dreading Netflix would make this book into a limited-series; hoping because I wanted to see the world of Hokitika and all its residence and their stories come to life, dreading because I don’t think Netflix would or could do right by this beautiful story. Turns out the BBC did, so I’m off to watch that show!
I want to make more poignant points about the book and why you should read it, but I’m still a little bit too overwhelmed by the magnitude and beauty of this story. So, you should just read it yourselves if you want to know why I liked it so much ;)
This book was right up my alley, even though I wouldn’t have suspected it to be based on the genre/themes/descriptions. I love the way the story slowly unfolds, constantly switching perspectives, all the while being meta-critical of the genre itself AND the (developing) economic systems and its exploits (Yes, I wanted to be a pretentious teen while I wasn’t, but somehow still ended up becoming an adult who loves pretentious literature lol). The historical touches such as censoring some words, while using ‘whoring’ freely adds to the atmosphere and moody feel (haha, funny reference, so smart).
While reading I kept on whisking but also dreading Netflix would make this book into a limited-series; hoping because I wanted to see the world of Hokitika and all its residence and their stories come to life, dreading because I don’t think Netflix would or could do right by this beautiful story. Turns out the BBC did, so I’m off to watch that show!
I want to make more poignant points about the book and why you should read it, but I’m still a little bit too overwhelmed by the magnitude and beauty of this story. So, you should just read it yourselves if you want to know why I liked it so much ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, and Colonisation
meghancolbert's review against another edition
The plot was intriguing, albeit very slow. My main issue with this book is the author’s decision to censor the word “damn” but not the racial and misogynistic slurs. I got tired of reading the word wh*** over and over again instead of the woman’s actual name. Don’t come at me with “well that’s just how it was back then” because not every historical detail needs to be included in a book that was published in 2013. The male characters are multi-dimensional and nuanced, whereas the female characters are only portrayed in the most derogatory and unflattering manner. I expect better from 21st century authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs
soph_mills's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Miscarriage
shayminxcx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I thought it was really really good and enjoyed reading it immensely. However… a few things in the last parts could have been expanded on further and there’s a cast of over 15 people and not one of them was even a bit fruity? Also I didn’t feel like Moody’s story was tied up as well as it could’ve been. Still was a great book, challenging but enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Addiction, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Antisemitism, Violence, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Suicide attempt
chatdombre's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
wemilyebb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
emmonsannae's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As I was reading, I kept thinking how glad I was that this book was so long because it meant I would get to spend more time reading it… now that’s a good book! The plot was especially twisty, the pacing was exquisite, the characters were all dimensioned and flawed and brilliant. The ending was satisfying as well. Such a great read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Colonisation, Hate crime, Murder, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Genocide, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Trafficking
serenspace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, and Drug use
annahelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Racial slurs