Crosbie Wells’s Escape and Betrayal

The Luminaries

This thread follows Wells from a difficult marriage and a lost fortune toward a fresh life, only to be pursued and killed by old ties.

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Bearing strength in each event

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An Illegitimate Son Writes An Illegitimate Son Writes from "The Luminaries". An Illegitimate Son Writes Wells reaches toward family Crosbie writes to his half-brother Alistair Lauderback, explaining his birth and asking for help.

An Illegitimate Son Writes from "The Luminaries". An Illegitimate Son Writes Wells reaches toward family Crosbie writes to his half-brother Alistair Lauderback, explaining his birth and asking for help.

An Illegitimate Son Writes Wells reaches toward family Crosbie writes to his half-brother Alistair Lauderback, explaining his birth and asking for help. He longs to see their father and to be recognized. Silence shapes his selfhood Lauderback never answers, but Wells continues writing. His imagined brother becomes a companion in the absence of a real one.

A Marriage and a Gold Strike A Marriage and a Gold Strike from "The Luminaries". A Marriage and a Gold Strike Wells marries Lydia He marries Lydia after her gambling wheel produces a prize she cannot pay.

A Marriage and a Gold Strike from "The Luminaries". A Marriage and a Gold Strike Wells marries Lydia He marries Lydia after her gambling wheel produces a prize she cannot pay.

A Marriage and a Gold Strike Wells marries Lydia He marries Lydia after her gambling wheel produces a prize she cannot pay. They soon live apart as he returns to the diggings. Fortune offers a new life Wells strikes gold in Dunstan and becomes briefly wealthy. He keeps the find private, believing secrecy can preserve his future.

Carver Takes His Papers Carver Takes His Papers from "The Luminaries". Carver Takes His Papers A robbery breaks the marriage Carver takes Wells’s gold and identity papers, and Lydia’s part in the loss remains unclear to him.

Carver Takes His Papers from "The Luminaries". Carver Takes His Papers A robbery breaks the marriage Carver takes Wells’s gold and identity papers, and Lydia’s part in the loss remains unclear to him.

Carver Takes His Papers A robbery breaks the marriage Carver takes Wells’s gold and identity papers, and Lydia’s part in the loss remains unclear to him. Wells flees Dunedin without resolving the betrayal. He abandons the fields He chooses a timber business in the Arahura and tells Lauderback he has put his former life behind him. The new life is built on concealment.

A Welcome Never Comes A Welcome Never Comes from "The Luminaries". A Welcome Never Comes Wells writes again He tells Lauderback about his new cottage, his loneliness, and his hope that his brother might visit.

A Welcome Never Comes from "The Luminaries". A Welcome Never Comes Wells writes again He tells Lauderback about his new cottage, his loneliness, and his hope that his brother might visit.

A Welcome Never Comes Wells writes again He tells Lauderback about his new cottage, his loneliness, and his hope that his brother might visit. He even offers an easy signal if Lauderback wants him to stay away. Lauderback arrives too late The politician keeps the letter but never responds. When he reaches the cottage, Wells is already dead.

A Cottage Becomes a Grave A Cottage Becomes a Grave from "The Luminaries". A Cottage Becomes a Grave Wells dies alone He is found dead at his table, apparently from drink.

A Cottage Becomes a Grave from "The Luminaries". A Cottage Becomes a Grave Wells dies alone He is found dead at his table, apparently from drink.

A Cottage Becomes a Grave Wells dies alone He is found dead at his table, apparently from drink. His friend Tauwhare is kept from the customary vigil and funeral rites. His secrets outlive him Gold, a deed, and missing papers keep Wells’s story active after burial. His attempt at a new beginning becomes the centre of others’ disputes.

1852

1862 to March 1864

May 1865

June to December 1865

14–17 January 1866