Liss’s first novel, A Conspiracy of Paper, was sketched on the wide canvas of 18th-century London’s multilayered society. This one, in contrast, is set in the confined world of 17th-century Amsterdam’s immigrant Jewish community. Liss makes up the difference in scale with ease, establishing suspense early on. Miguel Lienzo escaped the Inquisition in Portugal and lives by his wits trading commodities. He honed his skills in deception during years of hiding his Jewish identity in Portugal, so he finds it easy to engage in the evasions and bluffs necessary for a trader on Amsterdam’s stock exchange. While he wants to retain his standing in the Jewish community, he finds it increasingly difficult to abide by the draconian dictates of the Ma’amad, the ruling council. Which is all the more reason not to acknowledge his longing for his brother’s wife, with whom he now lives, having lost all his money in the sugar trade. Miguel is delighted when a sexy Dutch widow enlists him as partner in a secret scheme to make a killing on “coffee fruit,” an exotic bean little known to Europeans in 1659. But she may not be as altruistic as she seems. Soon Miguel is caught in a web of intricate deals, while simultaneously fending off a madman desperate for money, and an enemy who uses the Ma’amad to make Miguel an outcast. Each player in this complex thriller has a hidden agenda, and the twists and turns accelerate as motives gradually become clear. There’s a central question, too: When men manipulate money for a living, are they then inevitably tempted to manipulate truth and morality?
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
5 Stars His Destination: Amsterdam, 1659 — A Mysterious World
“The Edgar Award — winning novel A Conspiracy of Paper was one of the most acclaimed debuts of 2000.
In his richly suspenseful second novel, author David Liss once again travels back in time to a crucial moment in cultural and financial history.
HIS DESTINATION: AMSTERDAM, 1659 — A MYSTERIOUS WORLD of trade populated by schemers and rogues, where deception rules the day…..”
[from the back cover of audio CD case]
3 Stars More Caffeine, Please
Set in 17th century Amsterdam, this book concerns itself with on Miguel Lienzo, a Portugese Jewish commodities trader….In an attempt to rebuild his fortune and reputation, Miguel goes into partnership with a comely Dutch widow in a scheme to corner the market on some new-fangled thing called Coffee…and the games begin…Financial skulduggery, personal vendettas, comely lasses in doorways, and the ruling body of the Jewish community, all conspire to thwart Miguel at every turn. but he is his own worst enemy
i was disappointed in this book, more for its pacing than anything…with a wealth of historical information and obviously thorough research…the “story” started to drag about halfway through..and , while i finished the book it was a chore..too bad, that because the ending is very good…given that no character herein was very appealing…none was repulsive…in the end Miguel may have recovered his position…but he lost much more….. not his self-confidence, however.
3 Stars A painful read
Like many here I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the machinations of the varied characters. As much as I enjoyed the characters, however, I was left feeling the more interesting ones were pushed into secondary roles: Geertruid Damhui or Alferonda, for instance. The book should have been about them. Joseph Conrad or Cormac McCarthy may have found the jewels of insight that were lacking here.
I found the book painful to read. Just when I thought nothing worse could happen, it would…with cups of salt rubbed in. Humanity has no redemption (except maybe some of the errant women). Perhaps that is true, but it doesn’t make an enjoyable read.
3 Stars Might as well be Wall Street today…
The Coffee Trader is a well-drawn tale that takes place in 17th century Amsterdam at a fascinating time – the dawn of the financial exchange. Amsterdam was an extremely open and cosmopolitan society relative to other European countries at the time. Central to this story is the fact that Jews were permitted to practice their faith openly while the Inquisition was still going strong in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere.
The protaganist of the story is Miguel Lienzo, who is part of the community of Portuguese Jews living and working in Amsterdam. Miguel is attempting to rescue himself from financial ruin by setting up a scheme to corner a new commodities market – coffee.
The writing is excellent and evocative. Although I’ve never been to Amsterdam, by the end of the book I could recognize neighborhoods, rivers, markets, taverns and even smell the city. It is worth reading the book just for the history. It is also quite a page turner, as the suspense builds up and keeps you guessing as the novel moves along.
The reason I only gave the book 3.5 stars is because the characters, while interesting, lacked an emotional depth that I require in order to LOVE a book. You want to have something to grab onto in a character, whether good or bad, in order to set your allegiances. The story here was great, but I just didn’t care that much about most of the characters one way or the other.
The most interesting aspect of the book was in its parallels to what is happening in today’s economy. This book depicts the origin and birthplace of “exotic financial instruments,” and then, just like today, the trading of these instruments led to some pretty seedy behavior. Behavior that was at best questionable and at worst entirely despicable. If it weren’t for the setting and the funny clothes, customs and speech, the novel could have taken place on Wall Street!
5 Stars A thriller that uses the mind, not dead bodies, to move the story forward
One of my favourite genres is that of the historical novel, whether it be a romance or not. An author that I have recently discovered for myself is David Liss, who crafts intricate stories of family ties, betrayals, money and Judaism, all told with splendid research and an ability to draw the reader into the past.
This time, my excursion took place in the seventeenth century city of Amsterdam, where religious tolerance lives side by side with frantic trade. In this world is Miguel Lienzo, a Secret Jew (or converso) who has managed to escape the Inquisition in Portugal, and made a fortune in sugar futures, only to have them collapse and reduce him to poverty. Now he’s living in his brother’s basement, trying to evade his creditors, and rebuild his life.
Problem is, those creditors include a man intent on revenge, Joachim, who had been involved with Miguel’s sugar scheme, and his own brother, Daniel, who is both jealous and contemptuous of Miguel. And then there is Solomon Parido, one of the Jewish community’s leaders and a member of the Ma’amad, a council that oversees the behaviour and practices of the community. He too has a very personal connection with Miguel, and would enjoy nothing better to see him banished from the Jewish community and excommunicated under a sentence of cheder.
But Miguel also has allies, among them a moneylender named Alonzo Alferonda and a beautiful Dutchwoman named Geertruid. At the start of Geertruid is introducing Miguel to the delights of a new drink with its origins in the mid-East — coffee. At first Miguel is disgusted by the taste and smell and sight — it’s a thick, ugly brew and nearly undrinkable. But quickly enough he’s under its spell, and Geertruid tells him that with work on both of their parts, they’re going to make their fortune. Miguel is skeptical, but Geertruid makes him a gift of a sack of coffee beans, and tells him to meet her again in a week or two to discuss the offer…
And so begins one of the best stories that I’ve read about finance, money, lust and religion. David Liss weaves in a multitude of plots in this story, and explores the world of Amsterdam at the high of its trading power in an entirely new way for me. Most of the novels set in this time have dealt with painters such as Vermeer and Rembrandt, or the craze over tulips, but this time, it’s something very different.
It was the Dutch merchants who helped to create what we now think of as modern finance, where shares are sold in a company (at that time it was shares in a shipload of cargo), you could wager on the prices of various commodities going up or down (what we now call ‘futures’), and where fortunes could be made or lost in a matter of minutes. But what is wonderful about David Liss’s storytelling style is that he doesn’t make the process at all boring — quite different in fact. I was enthralled by all of the little details, and the emotions of the people involved — given the current economic climate of 2009, I was both chilled and reassured that very little has change in human nature over the centuries.
Which leads me onwards to the other aspect of Liss’s writing. His characters are very distinct and very human, every one of them a bold mixture of good and bad, and having to make decisions that not just have consequences on themselves, but also on everyone around them. Miguel is my favourite sort of character, a man who isn’t perfect, and has plenty of flaws to himself, but also manages to be an honourable man with temptation all around him. But he isn’t so perfect that it makes him boring — the relationship that he has with Hannah, his brother’s wife, is terrific to watch unfold. I won’t reveal here what is involved, but it’s a delight to read about.
Many of the scenes are drawn so vividly that I could easily imagine myself in the Amsterdam of that time, and for me, a novelist’s ability to create such a vivid time and place in my head is one of the hallmarks of an enjoyable book for me. But what really amazed me was Liss’s knowledge of Jewish law, and how he wove the religion into the story without it being preachy or dogmatic. It was very well done, and helped to make many of the characters’ actions and emotions make sense.
Along with the narrative itself, the author has included a historical note, a lovely bibliography of sources that he used, an interview with Mark Haskell Smith and a series of questions for reader’s groups. For those who are curious about further works by Liss, there is also an excerpt from the novel, A Spectacle of Corruption as well.
This book gets a handy five stars from me. It’s the sort of book that I take great pleasure in reading and finding, and my only regret is that I can’t rediscover it all over again. David Liss is turning into one of those writers that I will buy sight unseen, and I’m looking forward to more books about the Lienzo/Weaver family in the future.
The Coffee Trader A Novel Ballantine Readers Circle
Liss’s first novel, A Conspiracy of Paper, was sketched on the wide canvas of 18th-century London’s multilayered society. This one, in contrast, is set in the confined world of 17th-century Amsterdam’s immigrant Jewish community. Liss makes up the difference in scale with ease, establishing suspense early on. Miguel Lienzo escaped the Inquisition in Portugal and lives by his wits trading commodities. He honed his skills in deception during years of hiding his Jewish identity in Portugal, so he finds it easy to engage in the evasions and bluffs necessary for a trader on Amsterdam’s stock exchange. While he wants to retain his standing in the Jewish community, he finds it increasingly difficult to abide by the draconian dictates of the Ma’amad, the ruling council. Which is all the more reason not to acknowledge his longing for his brother’s wife, with whom he now lives, having lost all his money in the sugar trade. Miguel is delighted when a sexy Dutch widow enlists him as partner in a secret scheme to make a killing on “coffee fruit,” an exotic bean little known to Europeans in 1659. But she may not be as altruistic as she seems. Soon Miguel is caught in a web of intricate deals, while simultaneously fending off a madman desperate for money, and an enemy who uses the Ma’amad to make Miguel an outcast. Each player in this complex thriller has a hidden agenda, and the twists and turns accelerate as motives gradually become clear. There’s a central question, too: When men manipulate money for a living, are they then inevitably tempted to manipulate truth and morality?
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
5 Stars His Destination: Amsterdam, 1659 — A Mysterious World
“The Edgar Award — winning novel A Conspiracy of Paper was one of the most acclaimed debuts of 2000.
In his richly suspenseful second novel, author David Liss once again travels back in time to a crucial moment in cultural and financial history.
HIS DESTINATION: AMSTERDAM, 1659 — A MYSTERIOUS WORLD of trade populated by schemers and rogues, where deception rules the day…..”
[from the back cover of audio CD case]
3 Stars A painful read
Like many here I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the machinations of the varied characters. As much as I enjoyed the characters, however, I was left feeling the more interesting ones were pushed into secondary roles: Geertruid Damhui or Alferonda, for instance. The book should have been about them. Joseph Conrad or Cormac McCarthy may have found the jewels of insight that were lacking here.
I found the book painful to read. Just when I thought nothing worse could happen, it would…with cups of salt rubbed in. Humanity has no redemption (except maybe some of the errant women). Perhaps that is true, but it doesn’t make an enjoyable read.
3 Stars Might as well be Wall Street today…
The Coffee Trader is a well-drawn tale that takes place in 17th century Amsterdam at a fascinating time – the dawn of the financial exchange. Amsterdam was an extremely open and cosmopolitan society relative to other European countries at the time. Central to this story is the fact that Jews were permitted to practice their faith openly while the Inquisition was still going strong in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere.
The protaganist of the story is Miguel Lienzo, who is part of the community of Portuguese Jews living and working in Amsterdam. Miguel is attempting to rescue himself from financial ruin by setting up a scheme to corner a new commodities market – coffee.
The writing is excellent and evocative. Although I’ve never been to Amsterdam, by the end of the book I could recognize neighborhoods, rivers, markets, taverns and even smell the city. It is worth reading the book just for the history. It is also quite a page turner, as the suspense builds up and keeps you guessing as the novel moves along.
The reason I only gave the book 3.5 stars is because the characters, while interesting, lacked an emotional depth that I require in order to LOVE a book. You want to have something to grab onto in a character, whether good or bad, in order to set your allegiances. The story here was great, but I just didn’t care that much about most of the characters one way or the other.
The most interesting aspect of the book was in its parallels to what is happening in today’s economy. This book depicts the origin and birthplace of “exotic financial instruments,” and then, just like today, the trading of these instruments led to some pretty seedy behavior. Behavior that was at best questionable and at worst entirely despicable. If it weren’t for the setting and the funny clothes, customs and speech, the novel could have taken place on Wall Street!
5 Stars A thriller that uses the mind, not dead bodies, to move the story forward
One of my favourite genres is that of the historical novel, whether it be a romance or not. An author that I have recently discovered for myself is David Liss, who crafts intricate stories of family ties, betrayals, money and Judaism, all told with splendid research and an ability to draw the reader into the past.
This time, my excursion took place in the seventeenth century city of Amsterdam, where religious tolerance lives side by side with frantic trade. In this world is Miguel Lienzo, a Secret Jew (or converso) who has managed to escape the Inquisition in Portugal, and made a fortune in sugar futures, only to have them collapse and reduce him to poverty. Now he’s living in his brother’s basement, trying to evade his creditors, and rebuild his life.
Problem is, those creditors include a man intent on revenge, Joachim, who had been involved with Miguel’s sugar scheme, and his own brother, Daniel, who is both jealous and contemptuous of Miguel. And then there is Solomon Parido, one of the Jewish community’s leaders and a member of the Ma’amad, a council that oversees the behaviour and practices of the community. He too has a very personal connection with Miguel, and would enjoy nothing better to see him banished from the Jewish community and excommunicated under a sentence of cheder.
But Miguel also has allies, among them a moneylender named Alonzo Alferonda and a beautiful Dutchwoman named Geertruid. At the start of Geertruid is introducing Miguel to the delights of a new drink with its origins in the mid-East — coffee. At first Miguel is disgusted by the taste and smell and sight — it’s a thick, ugly brew and nearly undrinkable. But quickly enough he’s under its spell, and Geertruid tells him that with work on both of their parts, they’re going to make their fortune. Miguel is skeptical, but Geertruid makes him a gift of a sack of coffee beans, and tells him to meet her again in a week or two to discuss the offer…
And so begins one of the best stories that I’ve read about finance, money, lust and religion. David Liss weaves in a multitude of plots in this story, and explores the world of Amsterdam at the high of its trading power in an entirely new way for me. Most of the novels set in this time have dealt with painters such as Vermeer and Rembrandt, or the craze over tulips, but this time, it’s something very different.
It was the Dutch merchants who helped to create what we now think of as modern finance, where shares are sold in a company (at that time it was shares in a shipload of cargo), you could wager on the prices of various commodities going up or down (what we now call ‘futures’), and where fortunes could be made or lost in a matter of minutes. But what is wonderful about David Liss’s storytelling style is that he doesn’t make the process at all boring — quite different in fact. I was enthralled by all of the little details, and the emotions of the people involved — given the current economic climate of 2009, I was both chilled and reassured that very little has change in human nature over the centuries.
Which leads me onwards to the other aspect of Liss’s writing. His characters are very distinct and very human, every one of them a bold mixture of good and bad, and having to make decisions that not just have consequences on themselves, but also on everyone around them. Miguel is my favourite sort of character, a man who isn’t perfect, and has plenty of flaws to himself, but also manages to be an honourable man with temptation all around him. But he isn’t so perfect that it makes him boring — the relationship that he has with Hannah, his brother’s wife, is terrific to watch unfold. I won’t reveal here what is involved, but it’s a delight to read about.
Many of the scenes are drawn so vividly that I could easily imagine myself in the Amsterdam of that time, and for me, a novelist’s ability to create such a vivid time and place in my head is one of the hallmarks of an enjoyable book for me. But what really amazed me was Liss’s knowledge of Jewish law, and how he wove the religion into the story without it being preachy or dogmatic. It was very well done, and helped to make many of the characters’ actions and emotions make sense.
Along with the narrative itself, the author has included a historical note, a lovely bibliography of sources that he used, an interview with Mark Haskell Smith and a series of questions for reader’s groups. For those who are curious about further works by Liss, there is also an excerpt from the novel, A Spectacle of Corruption as well.
This book gets a handy five stars from me. It’s the sort of book that I take great pleasure in reading and finding, and my only regret is that I can’t rediscover it all over again. David Liss is turning into one of those writers that I will buy sight unseen, and I’m looking forward to more books about the Lienzo/Weaver family in the future.
3 Stars More Caffeine, Please
Set in 17th century Amsterdam, this book concerns itself with on Miguel Lienzo, a Portugese Jewish commodities trader….In an attempt to rebuild his fortune and reputation, Miguel goes into partnership with a comely Dutch widow in a scheme to corner the market on some new-fangled thing called Coffee…and the games begin…Financial skulduggery, personal vendettas, comely lasses in doorways, and the ruling body of the Jewish community, all conspire to thwart Miguel at every turn. but he is his own worst enemy
i was disappointed in this book, more for its pacing than anything…with a wealth of historical information and obviously thorough research…the “story” started to drag about halfway through..and , while i finished the book it was a chore..too bad, that because the ending is very good…given that no character herein was very appealing…none was repulsive…in the end Miguel may have recovered his position…but he lost much more….. not his self-confidence, however.
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