About this title: This historical novel begins in 1659 in Amsterdam, where a Portuguese Jewish merchant named Miguel Lienzo has just lost all his money thanks to the fluctuating sugar markets. When he meets a beautiful woman who is willing to let him in on the brand new trade in coffee, he takes the chance gratefully--only to find his life plunged into chaos and chicanery. The author's previous novel, A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER, was a best seller. A New York Times Notable Book for 2003.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780375760907ISBN:0375760903
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 432 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Octavo, softcover, corner curl and crease on corner of cover else VG in red and brown pictorial wraps. Edgar Award-Winning Author. 389 pp Liss' second novel, another on the Lienzo family in the 1700s--here, working the first commodity market in the Netherlands. Interview with author at back of book, about 8 pages and preview on next book. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780375760907ISBN:0375760903
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Absolutely new! Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 432 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780375760907ISBN:0375760903
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 432 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. Clean inside and out with interior just starting to tan. Firmly bound in clean soft cover with light cover curl. No creases to cover or spine. Closed pages yellowing. read more
Description: Very Good. 0375760903 light shelf wear / edge wear cover / pages very good condition//"Buy with Confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Customer Service Makes All the Difference. " read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780375760907ISBN:0375760903
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 432 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle. Audience: General/trade. Almost new, slight lift to back cover, all else excellent. no marks or creases, unread. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2004-02-03
ISBN-13:9780375760907ISBN:0375760903
Description: New. Paperback. You are buying a Book in NEW condition with very light shelf wear to include very light edge and corner wear. Buy it Now! ! ! As always, thank you for buying this book from International Book Source, YOUR ONE source FOR ALL your BOOK related NEEDS. Please remember to CHOOSE carefully how QUICKLY you would like to RECEIVE this material FAST, or standard (on next page). Thanks again! ! ! ! read more
""I guess I'll read this one. It can't possibly be as good as his other two. It's about coffee. Who can write this much about coffee?"
"Ugggggghhhh it's about stocks in coffee. It's not even about coffee coffee?"
"It takes place in Amsterdam? Weed."
"So far this is better than I thought it would be."
"This main character is kind of a douche."
"So is everyone else in this book."
"How the hell does one pronounce Oude Kerk? Is Dutch hard? Think I could learn it? Do I want to learn it? I heard the Netherlands is nice. Should I move there? Would I have to learn Dutch? Is Dutch hard?"
"Dude, this guy has gotten himself in some real trouble with money. I hope he gets out of it."
"Dude, this guy is a tool. He keeps borrowing money he doesn't have. I hope he goes to jail."
"Yikes, I'm glad my name isn't Gertruid."
"I'm going to read this one until I'm done with it. I can't focus on any of the other books."
"Dammit, boyfriend, leave me alone, I'm trying to read."
"Wait, so is Gertruid betraying Miguel? Is Alfonso? Is Parido? Is Miguel going to do it with his brother's wife or not? Is that servant going to get bitchsmacked like she should? So many questions I can hardly stand it..."
"Well I sure hope this ass doesn't win in the end. he is NOT a good guy. But then again neither are these other people. I don't know who to root for, the good guy or the bad guy. But wait, who is the good guy? Is there a good guy? Is anyone truly good or bad? Is Dutch hard?""
"Amsterdam was a thriving financial metropolis during the 17th century, tolerant of many people, religions and beliefs and stood apart from other countries regarding the inquisition. Yet, they were still backwards in their thought of womenn
For example a man held a grudge against the main character, Miguel because he blames him for his daughter giving birth to a 'slow' child. Apparently Miguel shocked her into having a 'slow' child and will always give birth to slow children as a result. Slyly, it mentioned later that the man himself has a "slow" son but that was his wife's fault and has nothing to do with why his grandson is slow.
The "ladies" were sequestered and belittled and treated like 4th class citizens - too dumb to understand how to read or learn. Seems like the last few books I read it was the 'scarlet lettered' women that enjoyed life had respect and was happy but the married ones were forced to be submissive and a slave.
Still interesting to hear how coffee came about, the effects of the Inquisition on the Jewish tribe and Amsterdam as a city that made rich and poor men overnight."
"Miguel Lienzo, a Portuguese Jew trying to make a living in 17th century Amsterdam through futures trading, joins Geertruid, a Dutch widow, in devising a scheme to make a fortune off a new commodity - coffee. Secrecy and planning are of the utmost importance and Miguel uses his unorthodox friendships well. But a powerful businessman and member of the religious council is only one of many enemies who may be working against Miguel. Entertaining historical fiction but the stock market is just as confusing in its infancy as it is today and, though the characters are well-formed, none of them are particularly appealing. For fans of detailed historical fiction who don't require just, happy endings."
"This book was fantastic on so many levels. Liss does an excellent job portraying 17th century Amsterdam, providing a view of a culture that has been considered famously tolerant - and shows the limit of that tolerance. This is an issue that has been famously re-examined recently, about how the Dutch really behaved during The War. And in the past decade, that famous tolerance has been stretched to the limit with the wave of Arab/Muslim immigrants. It's an issue that the Dutch have had to deal with for at least 500 years.
Liss also depicts a nascent commodities exchange, which would lead ultimately to the stock markets that are in use today. By choosing the coffee market, a new commodity, he is able to weave the vagaries of trade into the tale. Fortunes rise and stereotypically fall on the hint of a rumour. Liss shows the stress that these prospects bring.
The plight of the Jews, so recently evicted from the Iberian peninsula, is the crux of it all. Looking for a homeland, looking for a place to simply rest their heads, the Jews found tolerant Amsterdam a refuge from Spain and Portugal. Yet the Dutch are not all open-armed, and Amsterdam's Jews needed to tread lightly. Worse still, it's not the Dutch that are the worst enemies.
If you enjoy financial history, Jewish history, Dutch history or just a good story that weaves all that together, this is the book for you."
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