the luminaries

[Lotsofplanetshaveanorth]

This is my third attempt and am about 100 pages in. I have no frigging idea what is going on and /or who is who. Quite like the character sketches though. So two questions...is it worth going on? And if so can someone give me a precis so i have more context to hang off. I feel like if I am going to keep going I should actually understand who is who but not sure I can be arsed to try a fourth time with pen and paper. It is supposed to be fun!

It is a great book but maybe not for you, if on third reading you still don't understand who is who and what is going on. Sorry I don't know what to say about that.

Wikipedia would surely have a synopsis and list of characters, which should help.

I loved it! Read it over a year ago now so can't quite remember exactly what happened at the beginning. If you really want to read it just power through a bit and it might all start to come together. That's my plan at least for Wolf Hall whih is slowly killing me.

I found listening to it on audio book helped me get through it and I ended up really enjoying it.

I think Eleanor Catton did an interview on Radio 4 Book club a while ago which might help explain the plot to you? If I can find it and link it I will do that.

Eleanor Catton podcast interview about The Luminaries here. I thought it was Radio 4, it isn't - it is The Guardian podcast. Iirc she does explain the plot, and the astrology connection.

Thanks folks, hadn't thought of Wikipedia (slaps head)

And absolutely adored wolf hall so yeah different stokes and all that