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Quote by Eleanor Catton

“Has he made an avowal of his love?' 'No,' Anna said. 'He doesn't need to. I know it, just the same.”

Work

A richly detailed historical novel set during the 1860s New Zealand gold rush, weaving together a complex tapestry of characters and events. The story delves into themes of ambition, greed, and the human quest for fortune, all against the backdrop of a rapidly changing frontier society. more

Author

Eleanor Catton

Eleanor Catton is a New Zealand author born on September 24, 1985, in Wellington. She gained international recognition when her second novel "The Luminaries" won the Man Booker Prize in 2013, making her one of the youngest winners in the prize's history at age 28. Known for her intricate narrative structures and historical settings, Catton's writing combines mystery, history, and literary experimentation, establishing her as one of contemporary literature's most innovative voices. more

“Cowell Devlin sighed. Yes, he understood Anna Wetherell at long last, but it was not a happy understanding. Devlin had known many women of poor prospects and limited means, whose only transport out of the miserable cage of their unhappy circumstance was the flight of the fantastic. Such fantasies were invariably magical—angelic patronage, invitations into paradise—and Anna's story, touching though it was, showed the same strain of the impossible. Why, it was painfully clear! The most eligible bachelor of Anna's acquaintance possessed a love so deep and pure that all respective differences between them were rendered immaterial? He was not dead—he was only missing? He was sending her 'messages' that proved the depth of his love—and these were messages that only she could hear? It was a fantasy, Devlin thought. It was a fantasy of the girl's own devising. The boy could only be dead.”

Fantasy Escapism Daydreams Eleanor Catton The Luminaries

Book:The Luminaries

Source: The Luminaries

“You want Mr. Staines to love you very much, don't you, Miss Wetherell?' Anna seemed offended by his implication. 'He does love me.' 'That wasn't my question.' She squinted at him. 'Everyone wants to be loved.' 'That's very true,' Devlin said, sadly. 'We all want to be loved—and need to be loved, I think. Without love, we cannot be ourselves.”

Love Eleanor Catton The Luminaries

Book:The Luminaries

Source: The Luminaries

“You're of a mind with Mr. Staines.' 'Am I?' 'Yes,' Anna said. 'That is precisely the sort of thing that he would say.' 'Your Mr. Staines is quite the philosopher, Miss Wetherell.' 'Why, Reverend,' Anna said, smiling suddenly, 'I believe you've just paid yourself a compliment.”

Humor Eleanor Catton The Luminaries

Book:The Luminaries

Source: The Luminaries