The Coffee Trader : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A treatise on deception
Review: I must admit up-front my bias. I trade futures and love history and historical fiction so....The Coffee Trader by Liss will garner five stars from me. This book is all about deception, and as such is not only a fun read but I must say, some of these deceptions are still being used today; they are timeless. In the coffee trader, the protagonist trader Miguel is attacked using several manners of deception. First his archrival employs a hoodoo to harrass and distract Miguel, and he gets the local jewish council to launch an investigation into Miguel's business relationships which creates quite a distraction for Miguel. Then he uses redirection by bribing Miguel's broker to delay the delivery of Miguel's coffee shipment from the East India Company to an undisclosed warehouse of his choosing until after monthly expiration and contract settlement. Additionally his rival manipulates Miguel's brother to trade against him in whale oil on his behalf so that Miguel's profits from the oil can not be easily collected and his capital base is reduced. Plus there are numerous cases of blending going on throughout the novel as people are not who they claim to be, or are not on the side (long or short) that they claim to be. On top of this we have threads on love, loyalty, and family. Suffice to say that in the game of speculation, two can play the game and the hunter can easily become the hunted.


Rating:
Summary: "This devil's piss is going to make both our fortunes"
Review: In his first novel, "A Conspiracy of Paper", Liss introduced an eclectic character that captured the affection of most readers. In this second novel, we do not get to read about the adventures of Ben Weaver once more. But those who read the first book will probably remember that Weaver's real name was Lienzo, and in "The Coffee Trader" Liss goes back to the year 1659 in Amsterdam to tell the story of Miguel Lienzo. He is a Portuguese Jew living in Holland and earning his life by trading in the quickly developing markets.

Right from the start, the author demonstrates an outstanding ability for describing the people, places, attires and everyday situations in the Holland of the seventeenth century. This is an era of great economic development from this country with the rise of mercantilism, and fortunes can be made quickly. The problem is that it can also go the other way, and that is exactly what happened to Miguel, who lost most of his money when the sugar market collapsed. His only remaining hope is to embark on a venture that saves him from total bankruptcy, and the opportunity knocks on his door when Gertrude Damhuis approaches him with a proposition for entering the markets in the trade of a new and mostly unknown fruit: coffee.

In my opinion there are three main elements that make this a great novel. First, the detailed way in which Liss describes the functioning of the markets at the time, since I find the topic to be appealing and I found the depictions extremely interesting. I do believe though that the author makes an effort in explaining the different aspects in such a way that there is no need to have previous knowledge of Economics in order to fully comprehend how the system works. Second, there are vivid descriptions on what it meant to be a Jew at that time. For example, Miguel had to leave Portugal due to the Inquisition, and even in Holland there is a Jewish council, Ma'amad, which enforces a set of strict rules and scrutinizes the behavior of the members of the community. One of theses rules creates a considerable difficulty for Miguel, since he is not allowed to carry business with gentiles, so he must hide his relationship with Gertrude. The third element is the great story, which is based on a complex set of relationships among the different characters and several twists and turns that will spice things up all the way to the end.

Besides the main characters mentioned above, there are others that add to the story's attractiveness. One of them is Parido, who has been a sworn enemy of Miguel since two years ago they had a problem that ended with Parido retracting from offering his sister in marriage to Miguel. Now Parido seems to want to make amends and start from scratch, and is trying to use his friendship with Miguel's brother as a tool to achieve his goal. The question is: what is his real goal? We also get to meet Alferonda, a Jew that has been expelled by the Ma'amad and who is a sworn enemy of Parido. Alferonda gets an added level of significance because part of the narration is extracted directly from his diary.

It has been a long time since I found a writer like Liss, who has an uncanny sense for mixing together all the different elements needed to make a great story. Also, being able to read a novel that is educative as well as enthralling is not something I get to experience that often. That is why I will keep looking forward to this author's work for as long as he maintains this level of quality in his novels.

Rating:
Summary: Educating and Compelling STory
Review: Set in Amsterdam after the ruthless Spanish Inquisition, author Davis Liss presents us with his third historical fiction novel in which a Jewish "misfit of the times" is placed in circumstances of intrigue, betrayal, and conflict with his religion. Miguel Lienzo, the lead character, has found his fortunes in the developing Dutch trading exchange perversely reversed, and as a once wealthy "up and comer" in the know, he is now desperately surviving in the basement of a pious, judging brother and his beautiful, intelligent, but caged wife. Seduced by a mysterious heiress confidant, he is enticed into a scheme to regain his lost fortune, by cornering the market in coffee, a new drink that promises to replace the stupor of spirits with an new found ability to remain alert and focus on the so new, fast-pasted, trading economy of the mercantile exchange. In this venture, Miguel begins to encounter forces that seek his ruin, arising unexpectedly from the Ma`amad, the local board of rabbis that attract and teach religious neophyte immigrants their lost culture, but only to replace it with authoritarianism using the looming threat of ex-communication to control the entire Jewish community. As with his other works, A Conspiracy of Paper and A Spectacle of Corruption, Liss's novels are especially appealing to Jewish readers, who will find themselves simultaneously educated in a distinct period of European Jewish culture, while immersed in a compelling story that is hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent COFFEE
Review: The Coffee Trader takes place in 17th century Amsterdam. Among the spectacle of the Stock Exchange, a young Jew immigrant from Lisbon named Miguel Lienzo makes plans to benefit from the wealth of the fast-growing coffee trade. This book is similar in many ways to Liss's other books- A Conspiracy of Paper and A Spectacle of Corruption because of the characters all three books protray, as well as the detail into which the author goes. David Liss never leaves any stone uncovered, never leaves any possibility unexplored; and that is what I like so much about his books.

In Lisbon, as in other places on the Iberian peninsula, Jews were hounded by the Inquisition, and forced to flee elsewhere. In Amsterdam, Miguel Lienzo's life is constantly dominated by the menage of the Ma'amad, the ruling council of elders who watch every move of the members of the Portugese Jewish community. Members are not allowed to consort with the Dutch or the Eastern European Jews, for fear of (if temporary) excommunication.

Lienzo is introduced to coffee for the first time by a Dutch widow who hopes to make a lot of money fast. Little do either know how dangerous the trade actually is. Miguel keeps being bullied by his older brother, and extorted for money by various unsavory characters. His brother's wife Hannah also gets used in several ways; expected to step into the role of traditional Jewish housewife, she prepares to have a baby. Hannah's relationship with her brother-in-law is always strained, and never fully defined.

Like the drink celebrated here, this book will have you entranced from the first page to the last.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Thoughtful Diversion
Review: I was drawn to this book because it hit on two of my favorite diversions, coffee and the financial markets. I am also a fan of a well-written book so The Coffee Trader worked on all three levels for me. The four star rating should not be taken as an indication that it is lacking in anyway, but as an indication that five star books are quite rare. At any rate, Liss has fashioned an intriguing story that involves a mystery, but does not hinge ultimately on the resolution of the mystery for its reward to the reader. I found the characters to be quite interesting and in most instances, particularly Miguel and Alferonsa, to be fully developed. This is different from fully revealed. There is much here about the secrets that we keep and that we obsess about. How quite often the monsters we strive to keep hidden turn out to be not so damaging at all. There is also an interesting exploration of the way we assess one another - who is worthy of trust, who is not, and how are desire for that person to be trustworthy colors are ability to ever be objective. A wonderful book. I look forward to going back and reading The Conspiracy of Paper.

Rating:
Summary: As addictive and bad for you as good espresso
Review: Promise yourself you won't read this book if you don't like coffee. Because, if you don't, you'll never understand the feelings invoked in these Amsterdam characters of 1659 as they discover the magic berry and its seductive tea.

If you are a coffee drinker, promise you'll only drink something worthy of this book while reading it. Such as a double shot of good espresso or cappuccino with a dash of cinnamon or an irresistible breve. If you dare read this while drinking overbrewed Folgers laced with Coffeemate in a Styrofoam cup, justice will prevail and you'll come to recognize what you're really drinking when you reach page 157.

A tip for David Liss newbies like me. If at first you can't get into this book, either persevere or wait for the right moment in life to try again. My sister sent me this novel but, even though I've adored every novel she's ever recommended, I just couldn't get into it. I was caught up in everyday matters and didn't catch the contagion the author was brewing. Sadly, I put it away, thinking I'd never go back.

I picked it up again over the Christmas holiday period and immediately became engrossed. I took more time off from my work than I'd intended, and this book was to blame. I did suffer a little from my dulled memory of events in the early pages . . . but then, the intrigue in this book is as thick as a bowl of Turkish coffee and, even when paying close attention, I sometimes became befuddled by the number and variety of dastardly tricks.

Fortunately, a fallen character called Alonzo Alferonda occasionally comes on the scene to reveal another facet. Kind of like Peter Falk as Columbo with his wonky eye, giving ingenious nuggets with that innocent air he uses to cover a relentless pursuit of his goal.

Liss certainly does not shirk from the power of an author to redeem his characters--or not. He's master, as my sister described it, of creating "corrupted heroes being bumbling idiots who are also smart." Our hero, Miguel Lienzo, is corrupt all right and Liss rarely redeems him. How we manage to want Miguel to win so badly after all his deceptions, body odors of ruin, and violent collusions is quite the feat of authoring.

But I won't be reading another Liss book for a while. I have too much work to do around here. David Liss is very bad for my productivity.

Rating:
Summary: tantalizing tidbits, with a plot that doesn't deserve them
Review: There are a lot of great bits in this book. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of various characters trying coffee for the first time -- their thoughts and sensations are described without the slightest bit of 20th-century hindsight. The descriptions of Amsterdam's Jewish community and the workings of the early stock market are also fascinating. But as other reviewers have said, almost all the characters are unappealing or underdeveloped, or both, and the "mystery" plot is really more of a study of paranoia and infighting in a tightly-knit subculture. I was curious enough about how it all worked out to read to the end of the book, but it didn't seem worth the time I put into it.

Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction and this is really a good one. The plot keeps twisting and turning and keeps the interest alive throughout the whole book. The characters are interesting.

I am a coffee drinker and love the description of the characters drinking coffee for the first time.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Delicious Novel
Review: The Coffee Trader is a good historical novel that both entertains and educates. I enjoyed the very complicated plot twists that concern a coffee futures scheme and several interconnected personal relationships. Beyond that, I learned a great deal about 17th century Amsterdam and its society, about the Jewish communities who had fled there from Portugal and their lifestyles, and about the development of stock and commodity markets.

Those who think global markets are a 19th or 20th century development will learn otherwise - Amsterdam was indeed a global market in the 17th century, as all manner of goods could be bought and on a walk in the city the visitor could see people from all parts of the world, including Asia and the Americas. The streets and markets come alive in Liss's descriptions.

The insights into the lives of the Jewish community at the time are profound, including the workings of their community courts, designed to reinforce acceptable behavior so as not to turn the Christian community against Jews, limitations on the amount of contact a Jewish person could have with non-Jews, and the restrictions placed on women, which, sadly, were more severe than those experienced by the Christian women. Jewish women in Amsterdam at this time were still veiled, and in general they did not learn to read and write.

The coffee story itself is well told. (Full disclosure: I drink too much coffee myself.) There is a wonderful description of the lead character's thought patterns and behavior after drinking three cups of coffee before going to work on a critical day -- he is over-caffeinated, but doesn't realize it. Time seems to have slowed down for him, because he is so wired!

Sit down with The Coffee Trader and a cup of your favorite brew and you won't be disappointed! I think you will enjoy the story and you will feel immersed in 17th century Amsterdam.



Rating:
Summary: Corruption in Early Capitalism
Review: The Coffee Trader, Liss's second historical novel about early capitalism, is much more about trade than about coffee. It includes some interesting tales about the introduction of coffee into Europe in the 1600s (is there really a highly prized coffee made from the turds of monkeys that eat coffee beans?) and the side story of a neglected Jewish wife who finds a much-needed personality change in coffee, but it focuses on the trader of the title, Miguel Lienzo, and his machinations in the Amsterdam stock exchange in the 1650s. He stumbles on coffee by chance. Not yet widely known, it is mostly consumed by the small Turkish population of the city. Lienzo believes he has found the lifetime dream of a trader, a commodity on the verge of huge popularity, for he sees coffee as the future drink of commerce, bringing alertness and energy where the ever-present wine of the time dulls the senses and impairs judgement. Amsterdam is a vibrant financial center, and everyone has an eye out for a deal, so Lienzo embarks on a murky scheme to gain control of the European coffee market.

Lienzo is a Jew from Portugal, one of the Conversos who was forced to convert to Catholicism. They practice Judaism in secret, afraid even of other Conversos who could expose them to the Inquisition. Lienzo has learned subterfuge and secret dealings in his hidden life in Portugal, skills which turn out to be highly useful in the burgeoning Amsterdam stock market. Amsterdam became a financial center in the 1600s and was the source of many early capitalist innovations including the joint stock company and the shady world of futures: "a new form of commerce... that of buying and selling what no one owned and, indeed, what no one ever intended to own." The Amsterdam traders learned to manipulate rumor as adroitly as stocks, and deceit and betrayal became their everyday tools. This corrupting influence of capitalism is the main theme of The Coffee Trader. It is full of details about the alienating life of money traders, who have no natural solidarity with their colleagues and are often driven to a kind of insanity by their love of money unconnected to human labor. While the book provides a rare and vivid view of early capitalism, it is sometimes hard to like, for all its characters are sinking into webs of deception. No one can truly be trusted in this world; even families are broken by betrayals. Lienzo is drawn deeper and deeper into shabby deals, floating of loans, and forgery of documents to keep his scheme afloat. He argues, apparently correctly, that these are the everyday tools of commerce.

As in Conspiracy of Paper, Liss is at his best writing about the European Jews. Touched by the pervading corruption, the Jewish population of Amsterdam is unsettled and split. It is ruled by the Ma'amad, a dictatorial council that controls the Jewish Nation on points of faith but also, increasingly, on rules of commerce. The Council invokes cherem, ex-communication, on citizens whose main crime seems to be challenging Council members in trade. Lienzo is deeply grateful to be able to practice his religion openly, and wishes to think well of the Council, but becomes increasingly fearful of the Ma'amad when its leading member, Parido, uses the power of the Council to try to thwart Lienzo's coffee scheme.

Conflicts arising from the oppression of Jews fill this book. Wealthy traders are fearful of the taint of bitterly poor East European Jews, using the power of the Council to ban charity and commerce with them. The Council forbids Jews to trade in the stock market for Gentiles, yet most Jewish traders must do so to live, forcing them into duplicity and secrecy they hoped to leave behind in free Amsterdam. One of the most interesting characters in the book is Hannah, from a Jewish Converso family in Portugal who feared "the loose tongues of women" and raised her entirely as a Catholic, with no knowledge of Judaism. When the family emigrates to Amsterdam, she is suddenly told she is a Jew and that she must follow Jewish practices to the letter. She now practices Catholicism in secrecy, a crime to her Jewish husband who has learned little tolerance in his own secret practice of religion. Her slow awakening to a sense of self worth, courtesy of the kick in coffee, is the only story of growth that the book offers.

It is not generally pleasant to watch a character slowly sinking into corruption. The book is somewhat hard to read while Lienzo flounders to keep his coffee scheme afloat, sinking deeper into debt, spending money that isn't his, and becoming increasingly suspicious of his colleagues. It pulls to a close with a surprisingly exciting duel over coffee prices on the Amsterdam exchange, but, by the time it is over, Lienzo, moderately wealthy from his success, has alienated himself permanently from his brother and looks forward only to further corrupt dealings. While the book is always intriguing in its details about trade and early capitalism, it is not entirely enjoyable. Someone untouched by the prevailing climate would have been a welcome relief.