I encountered David Liss through his novel A Conspiracy of Paper. It brought the economic bubble collapse of the East India Trading Company in 1700s London to life. I have tried to read all of his subsequent novels with their rich, well-researched historical backgrounds.
His latest moves to the infant United States and the presidency of George Washington. Two of his government, Jefferson and Hamilton, are jockeying for power. Others are finding ways to make fortunes, legally and not-so-legally.
The story is told from the perspective of two characters, a patriot spy and a frontier woman. The woman hopes to write an American novel, and draws from her experiences just west of Pittsburgh where her husband helps develop a novel whiskey. Whiskey is the coin of the frontier (which was Pittsburgh), and the only way to transport crops through the roadless wilderness back to sell on the coast.
I’m not quite halfway through this book, and it is already wonderful. In addition to painting a deep tonal portrait of another time, David Liss always brings strong female characters to his work. I have always wondered how women such as myself existed in these periods, so this factor appeals to me.
When I finish, I will update my thoughts on my LInkedIn reading list.
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