You can read my full review on my Jew Wishes website. http://jewwishes.wordpress.com/2010/0...

I finished reading The Coffee Trader, by David Liss, and I must say that it was a book of intrigue and an absorbing historical novel.

I became so wrapped up in the historical aspect that I felt as if I had gone back in time and place. My senses were infused with Liss’ extremely detailed prose. With his strong word-imagery, Liss transports the reader to Seventeenth Century Amsterdam. It is the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition, and the Dutch city is streaming with Jews who fled Spain. In fact, many others, from all over Europe have come to Amsterdam to try to make some money.

There is a fine line running through the pages…regarding Judaism, morals, mores/ethics, and what is acceptable within business dealings and everyday personal life. Liss defines these situations with clarity.

The story line is intriguing. The historical value is worthwhile, in itself. Even though some sections seem a bit slow, I was enthralled with The Coffee Trader, and recommend it to everyone. ( )

The most thorough and convincing fictional world in which I ever been immersed.

This book was a disappointment. I didn't develop any liking for the main character, Miguel, and thought he was very whiny. The two main female characters, Hannah and Geertruid weren't very well-developed, and none of the minor characters was very like-able or memorable. I really had to force myself to finish the book. It dragged on for page after page and pretty much made me want to scream with boredom. I normally like historical novels, and usually like books set in this time period, but this was boring, boring, boring. The only thing in the book's favor is that it seems to have been well-researched, and some of the imagery of Amsterdam in this time-period was good. Not great, just good. 2 1/2 stars. ( )

I did not like this book as much as I thought. Although I liked the setting very much (Portuguese Jews in the heart of commerce in Amsterdam in the 17th century), I just didn't really get into the book. This was probably because I didn't really care what would happen to any of the characters. All of them seemed petty, deceitful, incomprehensible or just not very likeable. ( )

The story of a 17th century Jewish commodities trader is rich in its history. Each character details a different part of the time and different version of truth. If you don't already love coffee, it will open your world to its birth. The story peaks too near the end for my taste, causing the resolves to feel hurried, but all in all it was an entertaining story. I would read more by the author. ( )

This book made me fall in love with coffee all over again. It is David Liss's first book and I would say that best so far.

An excellent read. Loved the intrigue and the details about Amsterdam in the 16th Century. Strongly recommend. ( )

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. ( )

Miguel, a Portugese Jew, is nearly ruined. He owes money to many, and has little hope of making it back on the Excange in Amsterdam. Approached by a Dutch woman named Geertruid about a new fruit called coffee, they hatch a wild scheme to make them both rich.

All of Amsterdam seems to be against the scheme, including Miguel's own brother. Without giving too much away, let's just say things don't go as planned, and many get caught in the cross fire of the trade.

Wonderfully developed characters that make you want to shake the book and yell "What are you doing silly!" as if there were really in front of you. I found myself feeling sympathy for the oddest sorts of folk and cheering for the "bad" guy at times. A definate must read. ( )

Follow the unscrupulous dealings of the merchants and traders of 17th century Amsterdam through the eyes of Miguel Lienzo, a Portuguese Jew who, once wealthy and respected on the exchange, had fallen on hard times with one trade-gone-bad. Like many traders of the time (maybe any time…), Miguel was master of manipulation and deception; a way of life he had become accustomed to in Portugal, where Jews learned to fancy themselves Catholic and despise Jews to avoid The Inquisition. Amsterdam is not without its dangers in this area as well. He discovers a new commodity; a strange fruit called coffee that is nearly unheard of. He quickly becomes seduced by its effects, and plots to regain his fortune with it. From the first page, we are given a sense of Miguel’s desire to redeem himself, and also of his desire to “do the right thing”, that seems to drive his character throughout the novel. Unfortunately, Miguel has a little trouble in that area, too, as he also has a talent for finding trouble, and often convinces himself that the end justifies the means. Like the coffee that would be his salvation or his ruin, Miguel left a thick, bitter taste in my mouth sometimes, but I found myself always wanting a second cup. He is likeable in many ways, in spite of, or maybe because of his wiles, and I quickly found myself intrigued by his ventures. I also learned much about 17th century Amsterdam, the stock exchange of that period, and the life of the segregated Jew in that time and place. In the end, will Miguel’s deception be the ruin of him, or will he come out on top once again? I won’t tell, but will say that I enjoyed pouring a nice hot cup and going along for the ride. ( )

I couldn't quite keep up with how the cornering was supposed to work. Who knew that they were doing futures trading way back then?

However, this book was a perfect fit for me because of all the social and historical information Liss conveys so skillfully. My cup of tea. Or coffee. The homes of the rich Amsterdam merchants with insignias above their doors indicating how their fortunes were made--even images of "African brutes." The excitement of discovering this magical new drug.

How Jews had to live undercover as Christians (Conversos) in Inquisition-era Portugal. Jews' relative freedom in the Netherlands. (England at the time was somewhere in between: you could be Jewish but not flaunt it.)

How the Jewish governing body, the Ma'amad, exercised control of Jewish dealings with the Christians. And also its power over Jewish women, requiring them to cover themselves completely (sound familiar?).

The semi-hidden nature of Catholics in the Netherlands--their churches behind other facades. Geertruid, Miguel 's business partner, a Christian Dutch woman drinking alcohol in public drinking places. ( )

Appropriate topic for current US financial problems. Full of scammers and schemers. None of the characters are particularly likable. It was a good read. the ending was somewhat flat - characters were "out of character" in their reactions to the final scheme. ( )

This book I read with the Highly-Rated Book Group. Most likely a book I never would have noticed myself, but which was a pleasurable and interesting read. An interesting story about the trade at the Amsterdam Exchange in the 17th centurary. With a focus on the Portguese Jews and their community with their own rules, protected by the Ma'amad. A stories where nobody trusts anyone and schemes and conspiracies are found everywhere.
The difficulty of the book is, that I didn't like any of the personages. None of them seems to be honest. All want to have money, without taking care about others. Because the trust no-one.

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2009/0... ( )

It seems like everywhere people have just read, are reading, or are planning to read The Coffee Trader. I like historical fiction and love coffee so I picked up a copy. I should have looked more closely. I enjoyed the setting, varied cast of characters and interesting plot setup, but felt the author failed to really leverage any of them. Within fifty pages the book had focused so narrowly on the financial grapplings of the characters and a confusing array of puts, stays and futures that I soon lost interest. I pushed through to the end but was left wishing I had learned more about the atmosphere of 17th century Amsterdam, the factors that led to Dutch tolerance for Jews and Muslims in their midst, the motivations (aside from greed) that drove the characters and the factors that fueled the rise of coffee culture throughout Europe. The book was well-written and the inclusion of Alferonda's memoirs broke up the narrative, but I would recommend this only to readers with an interest in financial markets and commercial history. ( )

The Coffee Trader contains scheming, evil, sex, scandal, liars, dishonesty, suspense, thievery, treachery, and violence. This book has it all. The 1600’s were rampant with these adjectives. Unfortunately, the world has not changed. As the title suggests, it is about coffee, the world’s first commodities exchange, and it is taking place in mid 1600 Amsterdam So, dear reader, brew a pot of your favorite coffee, sit down and relax, and have a good read. ( )

THE COFFEE TRADER
David Liss
Random House
2003
390 pages

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 ( )

This is a very strong book to read. By that, this book has depth. As a historical novel, you want some glimpse into the world as it was so that you leave with some factual understanding of that period admidst the fiction. In Coffee Trader you learn a great deal about Amsterdam, the center of finance in the 1600's.

You also learn of the flourishing jewish community free of the inquisition and how that atrocious institution changed the attitudes of the people it persecuted to a degree. This is handled with a deft hand so you are not preached at.

But, there is a but, as good as some reviewers have felt, Liss spends a great deal in the early part of this otherwise well crafted tale, hitting us with a great deal of tell instead of show. Long paragraphs help set the piece, but leave no room to unfold the tale tale early on. It leaves me wanting to catch my breath, take a break.

Liss does a tremendous job describing a world and you feel that you are there, and understand it, and can grasp the complex nature of his characters quest for profit and success in trade. He however needed to bring in something to break up that in the beginning.

Working around that, is a tale carefully plotted, that when all seems well, a disaster looms to cast all in doubt and leave the reader hungry for more of the tale at that precise moment. A well done job, certainly worth the time and investment. ( )

The year is 1659 and Miguel Lienzo, a Portuguese Jew and a trader on the world's first commodities exchange in Amsterdam, seeks to regain his lost wealth by obtaining a monopoly on a new comodity--coffee. He faces and also participates in the deceit and manipulation that is necessary for success on the exchange, and he has a powerful enemy that is determined to ruin him. The Amsterdam exchange is full of powerful and ruthless businessmen who will stop at nothing in order to manipulate the system to their own advantage or to seek revenge on individuals for past losses, either real or preceived. No one is trustworthy, including Miguel, and nothing is as it seems.

I did not find the characters in this story very likable and the plot was only mildly interesting. What makes it worth reading is that it's very well written, extensively researched, and realistic. ( )

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! ( )

Liss' novel about machinations and manipulations on the Amsterdam commodities exchange was an interesting story. He has obviously done his homework, creating a vivid picture of the city in 1659. Over this he laid a well-crafted knot of schemes and counter-schemes as the main character, Miguel, strives to drag himself out of economic ruin in the face of an unscrupulous enemy who wants to destroy him. The story also provides an interesting perspective into the lives of the Jewish minority in the city, particularly the Conversos fleeing from the Inquisition.

I enjoyed the story overall. The characters are well and richly drawn. It is difficult to like any of them unreservedly as their faults are just as apparent to the reader as their virtues—this makes them seem much more human. The strong point of this novel is Liss' ability to keep the reader guessing about who is playing whom. As Miguel tries to unravel the motivations of those around him, the reader is entertained with deciphering the shifting and sliding alliances.

This is worth a read. ( )

I felf the book bogged down a little in the middle of the book.Not enough to keep me from reading on. Once I finnished the book , I'm glad I kept on reading. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. ( )

If you're looking for likeable characters, this probably isn't the book for you. It's full of greedy ambition, lots of devious scheming, and relentless pursuit of power. It's also a bit confusing for those of us who aren't particularly knowledgeable about the ins & outs of commodities trading, etc. But it's historical fiction & it centers on coffee, so how could I not like it at least somewhat? I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. The story was rather slow at times, but then it picked up near the end and then almost ended too abruptly. I have at least one other novel by David Liss on my "to be read" pile, so I'll undoubtedly give that one a try as well. ( )

Summary

This novel is told through the perspective of two Portuguese Jews living in 1659 Amsterdam: Miguel Lienzo (3rd person) and Alonzo Alferonda (1st person memoir). Miguel is in debt from several unsuccessful transactions on the Dutch Commodities Exchange, and develops a scheme involving coffee with his business partner, Geertruid.

Opinion

This was an uneven reading experience for me. It took a couple chapters to get comfortable with the unlikable/complex characters, the dual narration style, and the complications of the various transactions involved in Miguel's trading. Hannah's character was refreshing and added a woman's perspective of Jewish life in Amsterdam, which I found to be engrossing. However, I grew a bit weary of Miguel's running around to and from Geertruid, the Exchange, and Joachim - until his coffee scheme and romantic interest began to take shape. ( )

The Coffee Trader is an historical novel set in Amsterdam in 1659. This well researched and well written book tells the story of Miguel Lienza, a Portuguese Jew, who is the Coffee Trader of the title.

Through manipulation of the market and through deceit and much deviousness Miguel attempts to restore his fortune which was lost when the sugar market collapsed leaving him with huge debts. In a desperate last-ditch attempt he tries to control the coffee market with cut-throat competitors and creditors baying at his heels.

The novel is densely plotted and it is filled with unsavoury characters displaying various shades of villainy. Each one has an agenda and dark secrets and at times I found it difficult to follow all the machinations of each of the characters or to understand their motivations.

While I found the story interesting and the author kept me wanting to know more, at the end of the story I really did not comprehend the workings of the Amsterdam commodities market. But this did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

My Recommendation:

Cons: I thought it was too densely plotted with too many unsavoury characters for my liking. There was not enough of the delight factor to make me want to read it again. In my copy, the editing was not perfect. There was one continuation error and eight grammatical errors.

Pros: Well researched and well written. Good characterisation and an interesting plot. Enjoyable to read. ( )

Less of a straightforward mystery than his first book, A Conspiracy of Paper, Liss's book about the advent of coffee as a real commodity on the market in Amsterdam, along with a vivid portrayal of Jewish life in the city in the mid-1600s. The result is a tale where not many people come out looking great, but everything comes together nicely and interestingly.

The tale here regards Miguel Lienzo, and revolves around his attempt with a Dutch widow, Geertruid Damhuis, to corner the market on coffee and by those means amass a considerable fortune. The problems facing them are considerable, as well - building a market for coffee when it's a real niche product at that point, raising the capital, avoiding the notice of the Ma'amad, the Jewish council that seeks to maintain strict order over the Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam.

The plot is interesting and intricate, and ended in a place that I found surprising and satisfying, but the characters really carried the day. Miguel's a compelling lead, trying to work his way out of debt, charming but not entirely good, self-serving but wanting to help the community, as well. His business partner Geertruid; his brother, business rival, and creditor Daniel; Ma'amad leader and businessman Solomon Parido; Daniel's wife Hannah; excommunicated usurer Alferonda; all and more feel very real and interesting, as fictional characters go, and I very much enjoyed reading about them.

Liss's writing style is still very strong, evoking the time period nicely and giving a real sense of what it was to live there. Similarly, the concepts of calls, puts, and the other trading mechanisms come across cleanly and without too much effort.

All of Liss's books that I've read thus far have been very good, and this one won't disappoint you. I'm not sure I'd start with this one if I'm introducing someone to his work - A Conspiracy of Paper is probably better for that - but it's certainly a good place to continue. ( )