The Whiskey Rebels (2008)

I had a hard time getting into this one, but after I did, I enjoyed the main characters. Ethan and Joan are fully-developed people with complex motivations and consistent traits who nonetheless evolve in some surprising ways. Their gradual transformations throughout the book were my favorite parts.

I found the discussions of economics and finance tedious and confusing. There were so many complex plots and double agents, some of whom only appeared occasionally, that I had a hard time keeping track. I also didn't really like the way the western frontier was portrayed, though I may be biased as a loyal Pittsburgher who doesn't like to see my homeland disparaged. I expected the book to follow the adventures of the frontiersmen making the whiskey and carving out a living in the woods, not the trades of speculators sitting in Philadelphia coffeehouses.

Still, a detailed and lively portrayal of the early days of our nation, complete with strong main characters and an adequate supporting cast. ( )

The book started off slow for me, but it ended up with a really nice plot and had very interesting characters. I listened to this one on audiotape, but it probably would have been better to read because it skips around in time and alternates chapters between characters. That type of book is usually easier in hard copy than on audio tape. ( )

Another very nice job by David Liss. I loved the way he touched on any number of different historical events just enough to get a rise out of us early American history buffs, but never so much as to intrude on his own excellent storyline. Liss reminds me of top-flight musicians when they take a solo: they show you some stuff, but they are way too hip too try and play their whole bag of tricks every time out. It is obvious in the details all the prep-work that goes into his novels, but I never get the "Whoa, hey, look at all the research I did!" that you get when you read some historical novels.Also, I read a good novel [book:Scandalmonger] by William Safire a few years back which deals with the Reynolds/Hamilton situation, so that storyline was a real kick to revisit!And on a different note, reading this novel and the complicated relationship between Ethan and Leonidas in the context of the breathtakingly significant events that occurred in this country earlier this week made the read just a little more unique. Great job, David. ( )

I purchased this book because of reviews on this web site and because I had just completed William Hogeland's "Whiskey Rebellion" which is a true account of the events following the Revolutionary War in western Pennsylvania. The story alternates between Ethan Saunders and Joan Maycott, between western Pa. and Philadelphia, between patriot and whiskey makers. It describes the events leading up to the rebellion in 1794 between these two factions. Unfortunately I was unaware of the timeline, because I never read the chapter headings. My fault; it would have made a difference in my mind.

Each character is duplicitous in their dealings with each other which left you wondering who you, the reader, could trust as well. I would recommend this book with reservations. You must be interested in the historical era and the subject to get through the book but if you really want to read it, I feel you would find it thoughtful and thought provoking. ( )

This is historical fiction set in Philadelphia, New York City, and western Pennsylvania, mostly in early 1792, but with flashbacks to the summer of 1781.

The book has two plots that ultimately intertwine in 1792. Ethan Saunders tells his story, all set in 1792. He is a former Revolutionary War spy who was accused of treason and lives a wasted life after - until he is contacted by the woman he loves, Cynthia Fleet Pearson, the daughter of his former spying partner, when she is in trouble.

The other story is told by Joan Claybrook Maycott, who is a young woman in 1781, beautiful yet capable, planning to write the great American novel. She meets and marries Andrew Maycott, who trades his then-worthless war pension for land on the frontier in western Pennsylvania. The two of them go through all sorts of horrors on the way to and in the frontier, and Andrew ultimately becomes a talented whiskey distiller.

The historical events behind the story are the financial Panic of 1792, and the whiskey excise tax that ultimately led to the Whiskey Rebellion insurrections in 1794. Liss has built an exciting historical thriller that invents an incident leading to the former and tied to the latter. While Ethan and Joan are fictional, the book is full of real historical figures such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr, and lesser-known-but-no-less-real people like William Duer, Hugh Henry Brackenridge, and James and Maria Reynolds. As with all good historical fiction, I've been inspired to learn more about these real people and events.

Liss makes all his characters interesting, even minor ones (who aren't real), such as Ethan's associates Lavien and Leonidas, and Joan's ally Skye. It was interesting that as the book went on, I found Ethan becoming more likeable, and Joan less so. Ethan's character flaws became more understandable as I learned more about his background, and his wit was entertaining. Joan's character flaws became more visible as the book went on, yet I could understand and somewhat sympathize with her motives, and she was a strong, intelligent female, particularly unusual for that time period. Joan's story has an epilogue in 1804, but not Ethan's, which makes me think we could see another book featuring him.

Actor Christopher Lane reads the audiobook. He is wonderful as Ethan, and creates a unique voice for every male character in the book. Unfortunately, the women (not as many, fortunately) more or less sound the same. Since the book is written in the first person from both Ethan's and Joan's viewpoints, I think Brilliance Audio should have found a female to read Joan's chapters (and provide her voice and that of other female characters throughout the book). I think it would have made a more compelling audiobook. In the plus column, though, Brilliance did provide music to signal the beginning and ends of discs (as well as a separate voice providing disc numbers), and repeated the last few sentences from the end of a disc at the beginning of the next.

I liked this book enough that I will seek out other works by David Liss to read.

© Amanda Pape - 2011 ( )