Hardcover, 834 pages
Published Oct. 15, 2013 by Little, Brown and Company.
Winner of the Man Booker Prize of 2013. Wonderful novel taking place in New-Zealand during the golden rush. Une intrigue complexe et fine à la fois, vrai roman d'aventure historique mais pas seulement. L'auteur s'amuse avec nous et nous mène de révélations en révélations tout en nous laissant à la fin du livre avec une grande envie de continuer dans le monde qu'elle a créé pour nous.
Set in gold rush era New Zealand, it reminded me more than a little of the series Deadwood despite being on the other side of the world. It's brilliantly written and is very deliberate and interesting in form - structured according to astrology and the chapters flipping upside down as the book progresses. The mystery was original and unpredictable, but kinda low key.
Stunning prose, in service of a so-so mystery. Catton can invest her characters with so much definition and life with just a few turns of phrase, which kept me going despite the central plot never quite getting out of third gear.
