The Whiskey Rebels

By: David Liss

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Ethan Saunders, once among General Washington's most valued spies, now lives in disgrace, haunting the taverns of Philadelphia. An accusation of treason has long since cost him his reputation and his beloved fiancée, Cynthia Pearson, but at his most desperate moment he is recruited for an unlikely task: finding Cynthia's missing husband.

To help her, Saunders must serve his old enemy, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who is engaged in a bitter power struggle with political rival Thomas Jefferson over the creation of the fragile young nation's first real financial institution: the Bank of the United States.

Meanwhile, Joan Maycott is a young woman married to another Revolutionary War veteran. With the new states unable to support their ex-soldiers, the Maycotts make a desperate gamble: trade the chance of future payment for the hope of a better life on the western Pennsylvania frontier.

There, amid hardship and deprivation, they find unlikely friendship and a chance for prosperity with a new method of distilling whiskey. But on an isolated frontier, whiskey is more than a drink; it is currency and power, and the Maycotts' success attracts the brutal attention of men in Hamilton's orbit, men who threaten to destroy all Joan holds dear.

As their causes intertwine, Joan and Saunders - both patriots in their own way - find themselves on opposing sides of a daring scheme that will forever change their lives and their new country.The Whiskey Rebels is a superb rendering of a perilous age and a nation nearly torn apart - and David Liss's most powerful novel yet.

©2008 David Liss (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Brand New Country, Whose Birth May Surprise You

The Whiskey Rebels covers what the history books doesn't . . . I had never heard of the whiskey rebellion . . . my husband had, but barely. This period of time, just after the revolutionary war, when our nation was making laws and establishing the institutions that would become the financial systems of America, are covered in good detail in this audio book. To my astonishment, the United States, though it had broken ties with England to become a free nation in 1776, did not look so very different in the beginning, and for several years afterward, with a continuing battle between it's original founders over how much control the federal government would have over the people. Corruption in government was an issued almost from the start (should we be surprised?), greed and desire for personal gain by politicians was the major motivation for running for office, and secrets ran rampant among the elite society folks of the day. The historical accounts of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the other founding fathers are excellent. The story, which is fictional, is also excellent. I love historical fiction, and this one is top notch.

Economic history

This book went a little over my head, because of its immersion in economics, of which I know little. All the same, I give it five stars, because of the excellent writing and the excellent reading. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in economics, finance, banking, and the history of those factors in early America. It makes one realize how much easier we have it these days than people had it in the early days of the nation. Like all good novels, it has villains and heros, sometimes not readily identifiable as such. It shows how a justifiable desire for revenge can drive people to do the wrong things for the right reasons.

Story ruined by the narrator!

I couldn't tell who was speaking and there was so much dialogue. This would be a better narration if the female voices were read by a female. Some of the voices employed by the narrator were almost laughable. The story came to verge on being a Dudley Do Right melodrama because of the awful narration.

Ending??

Any additional comments?

Great book, but the last chapter was a total disappoint, leaving it off and writing a sequel would have been a better alternative.

Hard to stop listening

This book has a bit of a slow start, but within a few chapters you find you can’t stop, eager to find out what happens next.

Great read

Engaging storyline and great performance. A fantastic road trip book that would appeal to many people.

Interesting plot women characters a disappoint

Didn't find the characters either realistic or engaging. The two sided narrative was hard to follow

Good Read

Took a little bit to really get into the thrall of the story line; however, once it began to pick up it got really good. The narrator was decent, but at times it was difficult to keep track of which character was talking due to, I would say, the lack of distinguishing accents. I would listen to this author again.

Who knew Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson?

An interesting portrait of the period after the Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution, when the nation was expanding to the west into Western Pennsylvania near Pittsburg. The portrait of Hamilton as a man and as Treasury Secretary is not flattering, to say the least? Jefferson is also treated harshly, although not directly or in much detail. I found the characters somewhat flat, although the setting is good. I prefer the characters in "The Coffee Trader," another historical book by David Liss, to those in the "The Whiskey Rebels," but I did enjoy this book, as well.

really loved this!!!

Loved it from the start, although I didn't know where it was going. Then the plot lines converged. The book was full of surprises. The narrator was 5 star fantastic!!! I only allowed myself to listen on the way home from work ( because I have my inspirational and instructive books for the "to work" trip). So it was great. I really looked forward to listening. Enjoy! PS: I learned a little history from it, too. And got prodded to go further.