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angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
1.0
I got the "return to the style of the past" this book was written in. However, another winner of the Booker that beat out many great reads and unfortunately was terrible. Two other books on the short-list were way, way, way, way better than this pile of tedious garbage. Also, those others were far, far, far, far more concise. Catton needs to take a course in brevity. This book was boring and long, long, long, long. As I've said before...read the short-list before this winner.
novelette's review against another edition
3.0
The book was good. But it started with a crate on a ship. I thought that crate was a vampire. For three years, I have been slowly reading bits and pieces, so I can find out about the vampire. Spoiler: no vampire.
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
An epically strange book, it takes a long time to get going, but draws you in eventually. Intricately woven, it presents a vivid picture of colonial New Zealand during the gold rush. However, there are parts that feel somewhat redundant, and the lengthy scenes (particularly at the beginning) that seem to just be vehicles for exposition drag on. But it does become more compelling as you move into the second part of the story.
dinosaursauce's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
hazelwright_'s review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
alyssagj's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kjpollard71's review against another edition
I just couldn't get into it. I may pick it up later....
missyjohnson's review against another edition
2.0
This was a chore for me. I did enjoy the last 200 pages but the first 600 not so much. I don’t know anything about astrology so I have no idea of the significance of the moon being in capricorn or sagitarrius. This book did not even cause me to want to know more either. Maybe if I had then the references may have had more meaning. Missing that aspect may have caused me to lose out. I was also confused with the significance of the dates to a point. I understood the progress for the most part but it did seem as if there were parts that were “back story” that were inserted randomly. All in all I ended up just a bit confused but maybe that was the authors point. As each of us sees only a part of an event from our own perspective it can muddle the overall real story. Unfortunately, either I missed how all of the pieces fit together for this tale or was never meant to be able to tie it up in a neat little package in the end.
stecatherine's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5