Why people recommend it
Eleanor Catton's expansive historical novel The Luminaries is a sprawling story set in 1866 New Zealand during the height of the gold rush period, noted for its intricate plotting and connection to astrology. On The Book Review podcast, Juman Katib mentioned starting the book after finding a deeply discounted copy, while host Gilbert Cruz introduced Catton by highlighting her second book's critical acclaim and its prestigious Booker Prize win. Guest Eleanor Catton discussed how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, written when Shelley was only nineteen years old, served as a massive influence on the creation of her own novel. Gilbert Cruz also mentioned Catton's screen adaptation of her own book during their conversation. In a separate appearance on the podcast People I (Mostly) Admire, Sarah Hart discussed The Luminaries to illustrate how complex mathematical structures, such as geometric progressions, can be deliberately woven beneath the surface of works of literature. Across these various podcast appearances, contributors emphasized the book's ambitious scale, its meticulous historical research, and its unique structural composition, cementing its reputation as a modern classic that bridges rigorous literary art and intricate genre conventions.
Who recommended it
- Gilbert Cruz Discussed
- Juman Katib Discussed
- Eleanor Catton Discussed
- Sarah Hart Discussed
Gilbert Cruz — 2 mentions
“in 2013 she released her second book The Luminaries a sprawling story set in 1866 New Zealand during that nation's Gold Rush period critically acclaimed it would go on to win the booker prize”
“you adapted your own book The Luminaries”
Juman Katib — 1 mention
“and I started The Luminaries by Eleanor katton who won the booker prize for it”
Eleanor Catton — 1 mention
“actually it was a huge influence on The Luminaries in lots of ways which Mary shell wrote when she was 19 years old”
Sarah Hart — 1 mention
“I'll give you an example of a book there's a book called The Luminaries by Eleanor catton uh won the book of prize in 2013 and that book has a mathematical structure underneath it”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“a little bit of backstory on Cen first for those of you who don't remember her and you might not because it's been more than a dozen years since her last book The Luminaries it won the booker prize”
“I don't know if you remember she it's been more than 10 years since her previous novel which won the book or The Luminaries”