The Coffee Trader [Paperback]

Really enjoyed this, and would recommend it to anyone with a taste for coffee or good reading!

'The Coffee Trader' contains interesting detailed information regarding the practice of Judaism at the time, both generally within Western Europe and particularly in Lisbon and Amsterdam. Miguel lived in Lisbon as a Secret Jew, ostensibly practicing the state faith of Catholicism and fleeing Portugal as the talons of the Inquisition drew uncomfortably near. Most interestingly, the bride of Miguel's brother Daniel, Hannah, only discovered her Jewish identity on the eve of her wedding, was kept deliberately ignorant of the tenets of her faith by the menfolk, and as a consequence worshipped secretly as a Catholic in her new home of Amsterdam. Despite the comparative tolerance by Dutch authorities towards Jews, Amsterdam's Jewish faithful needed to be wary that their behaviour did not violate interpretations of the Torah as determined by the Ma'amad, the committee of Jews that have the power to expel Jews from participation in religious and social activities associated with Judaism in Amsterdam.

David Liss's novel also illustrates the workings of Amsterdam's stock exchange, a pioneer in a number of important trading developments including the joint stock company and the futures market. 'The Coffee Trader' contains many references to Miguel's activities on the markets: whilst these will be of particular interest to those with a financial background, they are equally intelligible and absorbing for lay readers.

'The Coffee Trader' moves along at a fast pace, following the hatching of Miguel's get-rich schemes. Life for those involved in trade was fraught with risk, both to purse and body, and Liss fully captures the intrigue and skullduggery that abounded in the mercantile capital. Indeed, the plot line has more twists than a Chubby Checker night.

Finally, and especially for those of us addicted to the wonder bean, there is much to savour in the anecdotes concerning the introduction of coffee into Western Europe, including the ways in which it was taken and the effects that it had upon early aficionados. Regrettably, these references seem to taper off in the second half of the novel, and it is largely incidental that coffee happens to be the commodity in which Miguel plans to control the emerging market.

Readers may have mixed feelings about empathising with Miguel in his quest for financial glory: he invites our sympathy by being 'down and out' after losing big on the sugar markets and having to suffer his petty and patronising brother, Daniel, but he has wronged a number of people including Solomon Parido, key member of the Ma'amad, and Dutch investor Joachim Waagenaar, ruined as a result of Miguel's earlier actions on the sugar market. The only shortcoming of 'The Coffee Trader' is that some characters are not particularly developed: characters sometimes seem to exist merely to illustrate a historical point or further a particular development in Miguel's coffee trading schemes. As a result, and making an exception for Joachim, I didn't really feel any strong emotional involvement in the ultimate fates befalling the characters. Nevertheless, 'The Coffee Trader' is a particularly enjoyable and informative read on the history of coffee, stock markets, Amsterdam and the practice of Judaism in seventeenth century Europe.

The Coffee Trader is a book with many faces and because of that, it makes you yearn for more, of each of them. I never knew there was such a difference between the acceptance of the Jewish religion in Amsterdam as opposed to Portugal or England. Miguel has spent most of his life going to a Catholic church, if only to convince others that he was not a Jew; only to attend secret religious meetings at night, reading the Torah. Possibly even more shocking is the story of Hannah, his brother's wife, who lived as a devout Catholic in Portugal as well. Only on her wedding day was she told that she was, in fact, Jewish, and should now follow the Jewish religion.

As the family now lives in Amsterdam, we watch the city as it grows from a stinking swamp into a lively centre of international trade. Miguel shows us the Bloemenmarkt, the Nieuwe Kerk and the Oude Kerk, Houtgracht, all of which are still landmarks of Amsterdam today.
As a foreigner, Miguel also marvels at the difference in human interaction in Amsterdam and describes it in great detail, giving us more insight in the culture of those ages. Miguel himself is quite gifted with an ability to talk himself out of any situation and manages to sail through any cultural hiccups with ease.

As if living in a strange city, getting accustomed to the new rules of expressing his ancient religion, is not enough, Miguel engages in a daring business scheme. With shipments of any precious goods taking weeks, if not months, speculating on the future price of any good is a dangerous, but potentially lucrative game. Having tried his luck with whale oil and sugar, upsetting some powerful enemies on the way, he now lays out the complex plan to take over the coffee market.

The book offers quite some suspense, increased by the writings of Alonzo Alferonda, one of Miguel's Jewish friends, now an outcast of the Jewish community. Knowing that he is doing some of the masterminding behind Miguel's back, unbeknownst to the latter, makes your toes curl.

I genuinely missed a map of old Amsterdam to better imagine what the city looked like then. In all honesty, the book should have been twice the number of pages to work out each of the storylines in full, but the life of Miguel and his becoming a respectable Jew was the main and exciting storyline for me.

Very good read, making me want to visit Amsterdam again soon.