{"id":1571,"date":"2014-01-25T19:33:48","date_gmt":"2014-01-26T00:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=1571"},"modified":"2015-01-04T08:28:22","modified_gmt":"2015-01-04T13:28:22","slug":"the-luminaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=1571","title":{"rendered":"**** The Luminaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/i>By Eleanor Catton –\u00a0 Narrated by Mark Meadows<\/strong> \u2013 29 hours, 14 minutes \u2014 When will I learn I can read faster than I can listen? This book was an interesting choice for the 2013 Man Booker Prize<\/a>, as its style is so \u201cunmodern\u201d and seemingly born of the era it describes: the 1866 New Zealand gold fields. Catton expertly weaves together the stories of a half-dozen principal characters and at least a dozen more half-principal (or half-principled) ones trying to unravel the mystery behind a series of local events\u2013a disappearance, a possible attempted suicide, and the death of a drunkard with a fortune in gold hidden in his cabin. At first the story is a deliberate muddle, but as the seemingly disconnected actions of this multitude of characters is brought to light, the reader assembles a gigantic, delightful literary jigsaw. Mark Meadows does an amazing job developing a unique voice for each character and delivering the reading with pizazz. But it\u2019s a lot to keep track of. Much as I admire his reading, I recommend the print version. (1\/25)
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