The Luminaries - have read half, losing the will to continue

[shoppingbagsundereyes]

I've joined a new book group after my old one folded 18 months ago. First book was Victoria Hislop's The Sunrise which I ditched after 100 pages or so. Next book is the Luminaries. I hardly ever ditch a book, ( devoured books from a young age, have an English lit degree) but am tempted to ditch this one too. I've spent three weeks wading through the first 400 pages of overly complicated, convoluted narrative only to find a summary of the whole plot given by Walter Moody. I can't help but feel I could have saved myself the time and just read the summary!
Is it worth continuing? I have the best of Tony Benn's diaries sitting waiting for me to finish this and am very tempted to move on now.

It does get better as it goes on. I found the first half a slog too but I think it was worth it in the end. It moves at a brisker pace once the plot strands start gathering together and you understand how everything is connected.

I finally got round to reading it a few weeks ago, after having put it off for ages. It really wasn't that bad at all. Didn't get the "can't read any more" vibe which I sometimes get.

It does get better, but if you're not enjoying it read something else - life's too short to struggle through books you're not enjoying.

Started it about 18 months ago. Still not drawn to it at every opportunity. You have inspired me to give it another go.

i plodded the whole way through with that feeling. i kept going hoping there was some twist at the end. tbh i couldn't tell you i was so bored and the plot so convoluted i thought i was in some kind of parallel universe where people are actually interested in this shit.

there are better books out there. i'm reading middlemarch and it's wonderful! i would move on. i wish i had.

Our book club read it a few months back. Or should I say I read it (not my book choice) and everyone else ditched it part way through. It doesn't get better, a lot of it is repetitive just presented from different people's perspectives and there is no great ending.

Well, I loved this book from beginning to end, but I can understand someone not enjoying it. I would say if you're half way through and not hooked its probably not worth the struggle.

I had the same experience as you, OP. I was quite relieved to read the summary because I was completely lost by that point. The second half is better, I think (possibly because after the summary I had more of an idea of what was going on).

I loved it. Read it v quickly for such a long book.

I enjoyed it, but did not get any of the references to the star signs.