The Coffee Trader

A Novel

By: David Liss

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Amsterdam, 1659: On the world’s first commodities exchange, fortunes are won and lost in an instant. Miguel Lienzo, a sharp-witted trader in the city’s close-knit community of Portuguese Jews, knows this only too well. Once among the city’s most envied merchants, Miguel has suddenly lost everything. Now, impoverished and humiliated, living in his younger brother’s canal-flooded basement, Miguel must find a way to restore his wealth and reputation.

Miguel enters into a partnership with a seductive Dutchwoman who offers him one last chance at success - a daring plot to corner the market of an astonishing new commodity called “coffee.”

To succeed, Miguel must risk everything he values and face a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to see him ruined. Miguel will learn that among Amsterdam’s ruthless businessmen, betrayal lurks everywhere, and even friends hide secret agendas.

©2003 David Liss (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Unusual and diverting." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Masterfully plotted, brilliantly imagined, The Coffee Trader brims with intelligence, intrigue, and suspense. David Liss has written a riveting novel about commerce and faith, loyalty and greed." (Tova Mirvis, author of The Ladies Auxiliary)

A fantastic listen

I really enjoyed both the story and the reader. Every now and then I choose an audio book that makes me wish for long commutes and more traffic, and The Coffee Trader is that kind of book. The story was interesting and the author's believable accents add to the drama and fun of the story. Very highly recommended!

Intriguing story

An intriguing story of the coffee trade in Amsterdam. Many twists, turns and fascinating characters.

Worth a listen

Not the most exciting book of all time but it keeps you going

Great tale

Thoroughly enjoyed the cultural and historical detail, not to mention all the betrayal and backstabbing. Well told!

Slightly let down.

This is my second David Liss book. And I loved it for about the first 3/4. The last quarter was just too sad.

One of my favorite

This is one of my favorite novels. I am giving 5 stars out of 5.

exciting history of trade

Go back into the 1600's with this exciting tale of trade, intrigue, the crazy quilt of Amsterdam and the aftermath of the Inquisition. Great book, read by the incomparable David Lee

Wonderful Novel !

I enjoyed listening to this novel. The story took me 400 years ago, into that time and era.

The narrator was excellent.

Continuing education

Where does The Coffee Trader rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is an olympic tale of religious freedom in an isolated locale throughout Europe in the period of this novel. D. Liss has done his research of the financial and social realms of Amsterdam during the mid-seventeenth century. The fleeing of the family from Spain and it's inquisition to the single point of safety for practicing Jews begins the readers education of life in the period.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The character interaction is intriguing with hierarchical relations in the Jewish community, the marital relationship of the two brothers and the women in their lives, as well as the fundamental familial relationship of the brothers.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

The narrator performs the manipulation of character voices with strength.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

My experience with audio books, as with paper books is to relax with the story during interludes between other necessary activities. I have never listened or read a book cover to cover in a single setting.

Tedious.

This is the most tedious Audiobook I have purchased in the last year. I do, however, enjoyed the historical aspects of the earlyAmsterdam trading and Sephardic immigration.