Golden Hill

By: Francis Spufford

Narrated by: Sarah Borges

New York, a small town on the tip of Manhattan Island, 1746.

One evening, a handsome young stranger off the boat from England pitches up to a counting house on Golden Hill Street, with a compelling proposition - he has an order for 1,000 pounds in his pocket that he wishes to cash. But can he be trusted? New York is a place where a young man with a fast tongue can reinvent himself, fall in love, and find trouble....

©2016 Francis Spufford (P)2017 W.F. Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"A novel of such joy it leaves you beaming...verifiable gold." ( The Sunday Telegraph)
"The best 18th century novel since the 18th century." (BBC Radio 4)
"A cunningly crafted narrative that, right up to its tour de force conclusion, is alive with tantalising twists and turns.... This is a dazzlingly written novel. Little brilliances of metaphor and phrasing gleam everywhere." ( The Sunday Times)

So glad I finally found this book.

Sparkling, zesty and delicious view of times past in Manhattan from the point of view of a unique “Colonial.” Occasionally you might glimpse a Fielding “Tom Jones” or a rakish Age of Innocence fragrance, but really, this writing provides a unique voice. It’s so English but very, very liberal. Glad I didn’t read it before Spufford’s newer novel.
The performance by the actor was splendid too. She pronounced some words differently but in the end I was happy to accept that this was 1700’s English/American.