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Summary
Summary
IN COLONIAL INDIA, at a time of growing friction between the ruling British and the restless Indian populace, a Victorian woman and her young Tamil Indian servant defy convention, class, and heartbreak to investigate what is gained - and lost - by holding life still. Suggested by the life and work of photographic pioneer Julia Margaret Cameron, The Luminist filters 19th century Ceylon through the lens of an English woman, Catherine Colebrook and a 15 year old Tamil boy, Eligius Shourie. Left fatherless by soldiers, Eligius is brought as a servant to the Colebrooks' neglected estate. In the shadow of Catherine's obsession to arrest beauty - to select a moment from the thousands comprising her life in Ceylon and hold it apart from mere memory - Eligius transforms into her apprentice in the creation of the first haunting photographs in history.
Author Notes
Anthony McCarten's debut novel, Spinners , won international acclaim, and was followed by The English Harem , the award-winning Death of a Superhero , and Show of Hands . The four books have been translated into fourteen languages. McCarten has also written twelve stage plays, including the worldwide success Ladies' Night , which won France's Molière Prize and the Meilleure Pièce Comique in 2001. Also a film-maker, he has thrice adapted his own plays or novels into feature films, most recently Death of a Superhero (2011), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Anthony divides his time between London and Los Angeles.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rocklin's debut novel, a case of style over content, was inspired by Julia Margaret Cameron's work in the new field of photography in the 19th century. Catherine Colebrook travels to Ceylon to join her husband, who has a government position there during a period of increasing strife between the British rulers and the local population. Catherine arrives in Ceylon, having buried one of her twin boys in England, and part of her fascination with the burgeoning art of photography is tied to her desire to hold onto him. She is fascinated by the possibilities photography offers: "Aspects that were daily lost to careless memory might still be found..." and begins a correspondence with Sir John Holland, a scientist on the same exploratory journey, which upsets her husband and causes disdain and shunning within the colonial community. When a young local boy, Eligius Shourie, whose father was killed by British soldiers in Catherine's presence, is taken in as a servant, he soon shares Catherine's passion for photography. But he is torn between his growing loyalty to Catherine and the demands made on him by the villagers who want him to join them in sabotaging the British. The book is beautifully written, especially the scenes where Eligius works with Catherine in her experiments, while scenes of escalating political unrest and the impossibility of either side finding a reasonable solution to their differences are less effective, even if historically accurate. The supporting characters, in contrast to Catherine and Eligius, lack dimension. . If Rocklin plays to his strengths, he will be a writer to watch. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
INTRODUCTION BY JACQUELYN MITCHARD Photography comprises the bright, tensile thread in the sweep of The Luminist, drawing tight a narrative that shifts between the prejudices and passions of Victorian England and those of colonial Ceylon. It binds the destinies of Catherine Colebrook, the proper wife of a fading diplomat, who rebels against every convention to chase the romance of science through her lens, and Eligius, an Indian teenager thrust into servitude after his father is killed demanding native rights. The Luminist is a weave of legend and history, science and art, politics and domesticity that are symphonic themes in the main title, the story of an enduring and forbidden friendship. Catherine and Eligius must each struggle with internal forces that inspire them and societal pressures that command them. Rocklin's is a bold landscape, against which an intimate drama is poignantly played out. Just in this way, our minds recall in every detail the photo snapped at the moment of pain, while all the lovely scenes seem to run together. Excerpted from The Luminist by David Rocklin All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
