July 19, 2007
The Coffee Trader by David Liss
I’m still not sure I’m into the whole review thing, so this isn’t really going to be one.
I finished The Coffee Trader by David Liss the other day. It’s about Miguel Lienzo, a Portuguese Jew who fled to Amsterdam to escape the Inquisition. He’s a trader on the Exchange, and comes up with a plan to remake his lost fortune by promoting and manipulating the new coffee trade in Europe.
Overall, I didn’t like it as much as A Conspiracy of Paper (the book that prompted me to pick this one up). I can’t quite put my finger on why, though. There are plenty of conspiracies and secrets, and everyone has their own motives that they often hide from everyone else–both reasons that I liked the first book, and things I sorely miss in more simplistic novels. Lienzo isn’t a very nice guy, but then Weaver, Conspiracy‘s protagonist, isn’t exactly the epitome of morality himself. I’m not sure. I just wasn’t drawn as deeply into the characters and the story.
Still, it was an enjoyable book.
CJHill said,
July 19, 2007 at 11:49 am
So, don’t do a formal review. Write what you like about it. I know I’d be able to judge a book on that alone.
cjh
antqueen said,
July 19, 2007 at 2:01 pm
I liked the conspiracies and secrets and that everyone had motives of their own
And the historical/cultural bits, of course. I rarely think to mention that because it’s very rare for me not to enjoy those parts.