Help me with an adjective ...

That the reviewer was a pretentious prat

Wear dark glasses

Enlightening ?

Or perhaps characters, scenery etc. are well described.

I agree, a bit pretentious.

I'm the reviewer and I'm running out of adjectives

According to one definition I have just read it means that it is "coruscating". So now it is perfectly clear isn't it .

I had to look up "coruscating" but I see it means "striking in style" so I may go with that...

Do keep them coming, please!

I am currently "crowd sourcing" I believe (by doing this).

nina I quite light enlightening ...

I am seriously missing some luminousity in my life.

I said that before I Googled. Then I did find it as a definition.

It sheds some light on the subject, probably too much? Glows in the dark, so you can read it with the light out?

Seriously, I'd have thought the prose in it might be described as luminous, if it drew pictures in the mind that seemed to glow with an inner intensity (Dylan Thomas?) but I am not sure a whole book itself would be luminous. If it were, it would be a bit overpowering, you might be overcome in the luminosity.

Is it radioactive? Some radioactive elements glow in the dark.

Have you read the book or are you just reading reviews? Is the reviewer someone you like?

Please read the book and let us know whether you would describe it as luminous.

Perhaps you can read it in the dark.

gk what do you actually want to say about the book?

I want to say that the book shines a light on an important subject. But that sounds so trite. Now what does "trite" mean again? ...

Now I'm liking "luminiferous" (producing or transmitting light).

If you want to say that it shines a light on an important subject, I don't really think you can use luminous. That is more that the beautiful glow is shining OUT of the words of the prose, not INTO the subject from the author's thoughts/explanation.
Maybe illuminating? Enlightening? Revealing? Clarifying? Making more understandable or comprehensible or giving an insight into the subject?

You could just say the book illuminates the subject. Or sheds or casts light on it.
Nice and simple - George Orwell would approve.
Or perhaps a omething about the book making the subject more accessible to less academic readers?

'Perhaps something'

Luminiferous is the same, that really shines a light out at something, not that the light is being shone in on the subject. The author would be the luminiferous one. Nice word though.

I think it just means that it 'shines' ie. is a brilliant book! Book reviewers are often pretentious, particularly if they are either Will Self or Martin Amis.

Careful roses - Grannyknot is the reviewer.