Book description
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
'A breathtakingly ambitious mystery ... as beautiful as it is triumphant.' Daily Mail
An astonishing, epic story of promise, deceit and desperation in New Zealand's gold rush.
'What brings a fellow down here, you know, to the ends of the earth - what sparks aâŠ
Why read it?
1 author picked The Luminaries as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Iâve always wanted to go to New Zealand, and I picked this up mostly because of that desire. (Also, TBH, because a reviewer said this was a book people would either be too scared to start or would never put down, and I took that as a challenge.)
Despite these pretty simple reasons for startingâand finishingâthe book, The Luminaries has become one of my all-time favorite novels.
Set in the mid-1860s, Catton tells the story of Scotsman Walter Moody. He travels to New Zealandâs southern island and finds himself immediately intertwined in more than one mystery. He serves as theâŠ
From Katherine's list on historical fiction about the nineteenth century.
If you love The Luminaries...
The Rosewood Penny
2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!
The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.
On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictiveâŠ
Want books like The Luminaries?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Luminaries.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,343
readers submitted
so far, will you?
đ If you like The Luminaries, you might also like...
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman
Kate from Jules et Jim meets I Love Dick.
A young woman filmmakerâs journey of self-discovery, set against a backdrop of the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman, we follow Ana Fried as she faces the ultimateâŠ
Malcolm Before X
Malcolm Before X is about finding a way to continue moving forward after everything has been taken from you. While in prison, Malcolm Little discovered the power of reading and found a way to transform his character and become a better man. This half-biography focuses on that transformation, especially hisâŠ
