I LOVED this book! Even though it was written recently, it has the feel of some of my favorite old novels (such as Middlemarch and Jane Eyre). Despite the old-fashioned language, which I greatly enjoyed, and the length of the book, events felt as though they raced forward with breathless anticipation. 
 The characters were beautifully done--each mysterious and unexplainable at times yet utterly human. Many layers of both kindness and greed are evidenced in this gold-mining society, oftentimes within the same person. Opium-sellers who have ruined men's lives are still kindhearted, wealthy miners are willing to give everything for love, and everyone is haunted by whatever drove them to the goldfields in the first place. Powerful character development is one of my favorite aspects of a book, and this one kept the characters both elusive and very real. 
 The mystery builds and builds through the pages, each turn revealing another dimension, another tangled thread, until you can't help but marvel at the complexity of it all. The end was a bit unsatisfying after so much buildup, though I enjoyed the book so much that it didn't matter overall. 
 The Luminaries is unique and unsettling and definitely worth reading.