Reviews

I count Catton’s The Luminaries as one of my favorite books of all time, so I was so excited to read her latest novel. I was not disappointed.

This is a slow burn, character driven novel that starts slow and builds into a thrilling page turner in the last quarter of the book.

Catton knows her characters well which makes for a delightful and compelling read.

I’m sure Shakespeare aficionados will find some more sophisticated call backs to Macbeth than I picked up on. Catton has crafted a wry 21st century tragedy that explores our absorption with our inner worlds in the landscape of late stage capitalism.

thebearnest's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

mkruse's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

4.5

pmjnewton's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

I enjoyed The Luminaries, but this was different altogether. A cracking book, good tempo, good plot, impossible to foresee how it was going to end( for me anyway). The tension built slowly. If you like a thriller, this is for you

cloranger's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

msmoodyreader's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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