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The Jewel Trader of Pegu
In the autumn of 1598, Abraham, a melancholy young Jewish gem merchant, seeks his fortune far from the imprisoning ghetto walls of Venice. Traveling halfway across the world, he lands in the lush and exotic Burmese kingdom of Pegu—an alien place, yet one where the jewel trader is not shunned for his faith. There is a price for his newfound freedom, however. Local custom demands that Abraham perform a duty he finds troubling and barbaric . . . and thus Mya, barely more than a girl, arrives to share his bed. Gently banishing his despair, awakening something profound within him, Mya ultimately accepts Abraham's protection and, unexpectedly, his love. But great social and political upheaval threatens to violently transform the Peguan empire—with devastating consequences for Abraham and Mya and their dreams for the future.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
13 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Hantover
13 books5 followersJeffrey Hantover was born and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Harvard College, attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government and received a Masters in Sociology of Education and PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago. He taught sociology at Vanderbilt University, was the director of a national social service agency in New York, and held senior positions in labor rights compliance for a major American clothing company. Jeffrey lived in Hong Kong for twelve years where he wrote on Asian art and culture. It was while in Hong Kong that he began work on The Jewel Trader of Pegu. He now lives in New York with his wife Mee-Seen Loong. He is currently working on another novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 2, 2019
This is a debut novel. A young Jewish man from Venice sets sail for the West Indies to trade jewels with the people there and traders from other islands. This is an extension of the family's business in Italy.
Vivid descriptions of the West Indies, the people, customs and religion. One of the tasks that Abraham is called upon to do is to initiate new brides, that is to sleep with them before their marriage. It is a great honor and said to bring great beginnings to a marriage. As a Jew this is, of course, against his religion. But the longer he is there and gets to know the people he finally consents to this rite. Among the several brides that he "deflowers" he falls in love with Mya.
The story is told from Abraham's narrative but also with "thoughts" from Mya and letters to his brother Joseph. The ending is very satisfying.
This is a unique story told in a multi-faceted manner. Well defined characters and great descriptions of people, culture and place make this a stunning read for historical fiction lovers.
Vivid descriptions of the West Indies, the people, customs and religion. One of the tasks that Abraham is called upon to do is to initiate new brides, that is to sleep with them before their marriage. It is a great honor and said to bring great beginnings to a marriage. As a Jew this is, of course, against his religion. But the longer he is there and gets to know the people he finally consents to this rite. Among the several brides that he "deflowers" he falls in love with Mya.
The story is told from Abraham's narrative but also with "thoughts" from Mya and letters to his brother Joseph. The ending is very satisfying.
This is a unique story told in a multi-faceted manner. Well defined characters and great descriptions of people, culture and place make this a stunning read for historical fiction lovers.
October 16, 2014
In the late 16th Century Abraham is a trader in Pegu, in what today is a part of Burma. The format of the story is Abraham’s letters back home to his cousin Joseph in Venice. He describes his doings in the jewel trading business, offers observations of the local culture, and muses on comparative religion, as a Jew from a Christian world in a Buddhist society. One of the unusual aspects of the local culture is that they expect their brides to be deflowered by foreigners, and guess who is supposed to provide this service? It sounds all so carnal, but is remarkably not so. Poor Abraham wrestles greatly with this. His inclination is to refuse, but then the king will be annoyed with him, business will suffer and who knows what dangers might emerge from the crazed leader, and the girls will then have to go to other foreigners who are not nearly so kind as Abraham. He accedes. Complications ensue when the prospective husband of one of the virgins he has taken care of dies before the wedding, leaving her an outcast. He takes her in and eventually falls in love. There is considerable payload in this book about the culture of the end of the 16th century, both in the east and in Europe, specifically Venice. It was a very sweet, kindly-natured book, that seemed to cast a warm glow as one read. The characters are engaging, the setting interesting, the internal dialogue substantive. This is a lovely, lovely book.
November 21, 2010
A (mostly) epistolary novel, with letters sent from Abraham, a Venetian Jewish merchant from Pegu (in present-day Myanmar [Burma]) to his cousin/friend back in Venice. He has traveled there in 1598 to spend a year acquiring jewels for his uncle. He enjoys the freedom from the harsh constraints on Jews in 16th-century Venice. At first he passes judgment on what he sees as superstitious and barbaric practices of the Peguans, but he gradually comes to learn that things are more complicated than he originally thinks. This is the kind of subtle, complex, historical, clash-of-culture story (particularly the very explicit interactions between representatives of Judaism & Buddhism) that appeals to me, especially when set in the kind of intimate detail that we find here. The writing is simple but charming and quite appealing as well, and I just fell in love with the truly good but morally conflicted characters, particularly Abraham, for whom the letter writing "helps map the contours of my soul, hidden to me until now" (77), but also the native characters with whom he interacts. It could easily have gotten preachy but, to me, never quite crosses that line. Even though it's pretty short, it gets off to a pretty slow start, as the scene is set, but once it gets going, it's very engaging.
Fairly early on, Abraham writes, "I may make light with you of Win's [his local agent] fantastical beliefs, but I would not insult his faith to his face. We have too long suffered the Gentiles' revulsion to visit ill will on another man's faith, even if he be an idolater praying before his gilded idols. Unlike our Gentile countrymen and the viper-tongued Franciscans, Win lives his faith humbly and makes no effort to save me by scourge and flame [though he DOES make efforts to convince him]. There is much foolishness and childishness about this Buddha, but Win treats me fairly and is a man, for all I can see, who tries as best he can to live a decent life. I would wish no gentler epitaph." (61) By the end, he has moved well beyond this rather grudging tolerance: Writing about a fellow European Jew who has rejected his faith but whom the devout Abraham comes to respect: "Who am I, poor student that I was, . . . to stand in judgment of this man? . . . I was too comfortable in my certitudes to think the world could teach me anything else. I write to you now a man humbled and slow to pass judgment on those whose legs are tattoed with birds and beasts and whose cheeks are scarred with war. Here is a man who our Assembly would surely excommunicate for his words and deeds, but he opens his heart to me. . . . [He] is more a brother than my old self would have claimed."
How can you, as reader, not come to love both characters as well?
Fairly early on, Abraham writes, "I may make light with you of Win's [his local agent] fantastical beliefs, but I would not insult his faith to his face. We have too long suffered the Gentiles' revulsion to visit ill will on another man's faith, even if he be an idolater praying before his gilded idols. Unlike our Gentile countrymen and the viper-tongued Franciscans, Win lives his faith humbly and makes no effort to save me by scourge and flame [though he DOES make efforts to convince him]. There is much foolishness and childishness about this Buddha, but Win treats me fairly and is a man, for all I can see, who tries as best he can to live a decent life. I would wish no gentler epitaph." (61) By the end, he has moved well beyond this rather grudging tolerance: Writing about a fellow European Jew who has rejected his faith but whom the devout Abraham comes to respect: "Who am I, poor student that I was, . . . to stand in judgment of this man? . . . I was too comfortable in my certitudes to think the world could teach me anything else. I write to you now a man humbled and slow to pass judgment on those whose legs are tattoed with birds and beasts and whose cheeks are scarred with war. Here is a man who our Assembly would surely excommunicate for his words and deeds, but he opens his heart to me. . . . [He] is more a brother than my old self would have claimed."
How can you, as reader, not come to love both characters as well?
September 9, 2014
On the plus side, this is the only historical fiction (or fictional, for that matter) book about Burma that I’ve ever read or come across. So, points for originality. And what Hantover has to say about life in the Venetian Ghetto and for Jews in Renaissance Italy may not be original, but is worth reading about.
But it is all so very tedious. Nothing happens. Abraham thinks and ruminates and thinks and ruminates and buys stones and sexes up virgins and…that’s about it.
Also, is this whole thing that a foreigner has to deflower the virgins before their marriage accurate or made up? And why does it have to be white foreigners? Because their arrival would’ve been fairly recent, and what did the people of Pegu do before that? There were nonwhite foreigners in residence; why did the interpreter insist it MUST be one of the white guys?!?!? And this ritual sounds totally made up and as a creepy tool by the author to get together the main couple. And, by the way dude, not romantic AT ALL. Especially since as far as we see from Abraham’s technique, he is not one for foreplay. For virgins who can’t speak his language I would say that being with Abraham is NOT the best experience. But somehow the love interest is SO impressed by him she falls in love. Yes…right…
So, there’s the CREEPINESS and the lack of ANY romance and the SLOW slowness that is slow and lack of any conflict, or plot, or anything but unending description and reflection on religion and culture. And then, just when the action hits (fleeing the invading army) THE END. I like the idea (of a Jewish merchant in Burma, not anything to do with the “romance” subplot) but the execution left a lot to be desired.
But it is all so very tedious. Nothing happens. Abraham thinks and ruminates and thinks and ruminates and buys stones and sexes up virgins and…that’s about it.
Also, is this whole thing that a foreigner has to deflower the virgins before their marriage accurate or made up? And why does it have to be white foreigners? Because their arrival would’ve been fairly recent, and what did the people of Pegu do before that? There were nonwhite foreigners in residence; why did the interpreter insist it MUST be one of the white guys?!?!? And this ritual sounds totally made up and as a creepy tool by the author to get together the main couple. And, by the way dude, not romantic AT ALL. Especially since as far as we see from Abraham’s technique, he is not one for foreplay. For virgins who can’t speak his language I would say that being with Abraham is NOT the best experience. But somehow the love interest is SO impressed by him she falls in love. Yes…right…
So, there’s the CREEPINESS and the lack of ANY romance and the SLOW slowness that is slow and lack of any conflict, or plot, or anything but unending description and reflection on religion and culture. And then, just when the action hits (fleeing the invading army) THE END. I like the idea (of a Jewish merchant in Burma, not anything to do with the “romance” subplot) but the execution left a lot to be desired.
May 11, 2020
Wow! This book is a feast of the senses. The writing is magnificent, drawing you in from the first.
Hantover lets the reader share his vision of stars, the scent of offerings in the temple, the sound of chimes, stirring breezes among tropical vegetation and all the beauty discovered by the protagonist on his journey of self-searching among the gentleness and political intrigue of the Buddhist kingdom of Pegu.
A few of the gems of writing from the book:
Music floats from a hidden courtyard, as if the stars themselves were the source of the bewitching melodies... There is a sadness in the melodies that summon forth images of those whom I miss most... things unseen, things that cannot be touched and measured and put in the ledger. p. 103
We desire what we don't have. We desire more of the things we already have. We cling to what we have like a crab to a stone at high tide. Afraid we will lose what we have... we suffer. p. 105
You would think my adventures would bring me greater wisdom. Yet the opposite seems to be happening. Certainties turn to doubts, straight roads to twisting paths. Wind ripples the water, and when I look down, my reflection is broken and shifting in the fractured surface. p. 107
Easy to be a moral man sitting safely within the four walls of your room, but when you go through the door into the world, you must choose. No path, I am learning, may lead you through the forest unscathed. p. 149
Hantover lets the reader share his vision of stars, the scent of offerings in the temple, the sound of chimes, stirring breezes among tropical vegetation and all the beauty discovered by the protagonist on his journey of self-searching among the gentleness and political intrigue of the Buddhist kingdom of Pegu.
A few of the gems of writing from the book:
Music floats from a hidden courtyard, as if the stars themselves were the source of the bewitching melodies... There is a sadness in the melodies that summon forth images of those whom I miss most... things unseen, things that cannot be touched and measured and put in the ledger. p. 103
We desire what we don't have. We desire more of the things we already have. We cling to what we have like a crab to a stone at high tide. Afraid we will lose what we have... we suffer. p. 105
You would think my adventures would bring me greater wisdom. Yet the opposite seems to be happening. Certainties turn to doubts, straight roads to twisting paths. Wind ripples the water, and when I look down, my reflection is broken and shifting in the fractured surface. p. 107
Easy to be a moral man sitting safely within the four walls of your room, but when you go through the door into the world, you must choose. No path, I am learning, may lead you through the forest unscathed. p. 149
March 7, 2012
Infused throughout with a gentle beauty I might easily have overlooked had the exotic locales & historical setting not pulled me in. Not being drawn to love stories in general, my enjoyment of this was surprising. Hantover's prose has a deceptively light touch, marking the contrasts between bliss & melancholy, contentment & fear all the more vivid. Reading this was - for me - no different than seeing a beautiful painting.
December 2, 2016
A Jewish trader from Venice goes to South East Asia for business. Nothing happens! There is no story, Abraham is the drabbest character I've had to read about in a while. The story is told through letters he writes to his cousin, I didn't particularly enjoy that style of writing.
Overall...go read a different book...haha
Overall...go read a different book...haha
June 3, 2009
The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jeffrey Hantover tells the story of Abraham, a young man from Venice who escapes the city’s ghetto and restrictions on its Jewish citizens in the fall of 1598. His work takes him to the Burmese kingdom of Pegu, which has a rather unique custom of asking foreign traders to deflower young brides (this, by the way, is historically accurate).
And so enters Mya, testing Abraham’s faith, good manners, and everything he believes in. Just when he thinks he has those things figured out, Pegu goes under siege, and he has to make even more difficult decisions, including whether to try to smuggle Mya to Venice, a crime that could lead to the deaths of many.
I think because of its switching narrative perspectives, it took me a while to get into this book; at about 75 pages in, though, I was hooked, and at that point, there was no stopping me.
For several days, I took Abraham and Mya everywhere with me. I couldn’t wait to find out what he was learning about himself, Judaism, Catholicism, Mya, and Pegu itself–and how he was expressing it in letters to his cousin Joseph back in Italy. And what was young Mya feeling, in this strange house with a foreign man?
The Jewel Trader of Pegu is an extensively researched and beautifully written book. It was surely a great challenge for Hantover to write from the alternating perspectives of Abraham, a 16th century Jew in Venice, and Mya, who is illiterate, but it didn’t show at all in the prose–and I consider that a sign of great writing.
If you like well-crafted, well-written, compelling stories that delve into cultural differences, historical customs, and the meaning of true love, The Jewel Trader of Pegu absolutely delivers.
It wasn’t a quick read for me as it had me stopping and thinking every few pages, and that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much.
I give this book four espresso cups out of five.
And so enters Mya, testing Abraham’s faith, good manners, and everything he believes in. Just when he thinks he has those things figured out, Pegu goes under siege, and he has to make even more difficult decisions, including whether to try to smuggle Mya to Venice, a crime that could lead to the deaths of many.
I think because of its switching narrative perspectives, it took me a while to get into this book; at about 75 pages in, though, I was hooked, and at that point, there was no stopping me.
For several days, I took Abraham and Mya everywhere with me. I couldn’t wait to find out what he was learning about himself, Judaism, Catholicism, Mya, and Pegu itself–and how he was expressing it in letters to his cousin Joseph back in Italy. And what was young Mya feeling, in this strange house with a foreign man?
The Jewel Trader of Pegu is an extensively researched and beautifully written book. It was surely a great challenge for Hantover to write from the alternating perspectives of Abraham, a 16th century Jew in Venice, and Mya, who is illiterate, but it didn’t show at all in the prose–and I consider that a sign of great writing.
If you like well-crafted, well-written, compelling stories that delve into cultural differences, historical customs, and the meaning of true love, The Jewel Trader of Pegu absolutely delivers.
It wasn’t a quick read for me as it had me stopping and thinking every few pages, and that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much.
I give this book four espresso cups out of five.
July 29, 2016
I received this book for free from the publisher. All content and opinions are my own.
This is a solid work of historical fiction. Hantover is clearly a talented writer. The story is very poetic and romantic - without being cheesy or erotic. Historical fiction can often come across as a research project with a few characters thrown in. Here, though, the historical elements are fascinating and mixed into the story with grace. I especially enjoyed learning about a culture that I knew nothing about. For example, I learned that the women of Pegu, afraid of looking like dogs, filed down their incisors and blackened their teeth. That is a great detail that added appropriate depth to the story.
I love the epistolary form - letters written by Abraham, mixed in with the thoughts of Mya. I was drawn into this story of love and adventure, almost without my knowing it. Abraham is a lovable, flawed character. His pontifications on religion and morals were insightful without being preachy. In fact, this book caused me to reflect on the bases of my own values and religious beliefs. Rarely does a work of fiction affect me in such a manner. I would highly recommend The Jewel Trader of Pegu.
This is a solid work of historical fiction. Hantover is clearly a talented writer. The story is very poetic and romantic - without being cheesy or erotic. Historical fiction can often come across as a research project with a few characters thrown in. Here, though, the historical elements are fascinating and mixed into the story with grace. I especially enjoyed learning about a culture that I knew nothing about. For example, I learned that the women of Pegu, afraid of looking like dogs, filed down their incisors and blackened their teeth. That is a great detail that added appropriate depth to the story.
I love the epistolary form - letters written by Abraham, mixed in with the thoughts of Mya. I was drawn into this story of love and adventure, almost without my knowing it. Abraham is a lovable, flawed character. His pontifications on religion and morals were insightful without being preachy. In fact, this book caused me to reflect on the bases of my own values and religious beliefs. Rarely does a work of fiction affect me in such a manner. I would highly recommend The Jewel Trader of Pegu.
September 7, 2019
This is a sweet story of a broken man, Abraham who becomes whole again with the new found love of Mya, a Peguan peasant girl. She comes to his home to be 'deflowered' by a foreigner before her wedding night, a great honor for these people. As luck would have it her husband to be is killed and she ends up just staying on with Abraham, and eventually falling in love with him.
I enjoyed learning about the history of this tumultuous time, the vicious, insane King, the jewel trade of the times and all the characters whom Abrahams life touched. He rose to a higher level and became a free and happy man due to the influence of his new found friends and wife.
I enjoyed this book very much - Mr. Hantover is a good storyteller, recommended.
I enjoyed learning about the history of this tumultuous time, the vicious, insane King, the jewel trade of the times and all the characters whom Abrahams life touched. He rose to a higher level and became a free and happy man due to the influence of his new found friends and wife.
I enjoyed this book very much - Mr. Hantover is a good storyteller, recommended.
August 20, 2019
This was a beautifully written book. The descriptions of the time and places were well done. I loved the characters and the relationship between them was amazing being that they were from different religious backgrounds and beliefs. The love expressed in this story was so poetic and beautiful. I never thought I would enjoy this book so much.
August 22, 2018
Usually I hate books that are open-ended, leaving it up to the reader to decide the outcome, but Jeffrey Hantover does a brilliant job with his novel. The story is told between dual POVs - Abraham's letter's to his cousin and Mya's commentary. The history and culture are perfectly blended with the tale and draws the reader ever deeper into the characters' conflict. The ending is bittersweet and beautiful. I highly recommend The Jewel Trader of Pegu.
July 21, 2021
Hantover entwined the philosophy and customs of Jewish men at the turn of the 17th century with the local "pagan" lifestyles and traditions of the people of Pegu (port city Bogo of Burma). I definitely did not agree with the choice and practice of the characters in the first half of the book, but I understand the difficulty in deciding the best future for your family in the midst of political upheaval.
February 5, 2019
Interesting story with the different perspectives expressed from each of the main characters. Even though they were very different in background, beliefs and lives, they were friends and respected each other. I enjoyed see him realize that he was a person that had value.
March 3, 2019
The book started a bit slowly for me, but made up for it in rich descriptions of long ago lands. It is an interesting exploration of humanity and faith that is timeless. While it takes place at the end of the 16th century, the lessons are ones unchanged by time.
June 11, 2020
Very moving first novel told through letters from a Jewish trader in Pegu, Burma to his cousin back in Venice in the 16th century. Touching love story crossing a cultural divide with lots of history, religion, and sweet romance.
October 6, 2018
Super interesting local over near my part of the world. Never read about that part of the world so I liked it for that. Nicely crafted
January 17, 2021
An interesting tale of an exotic county in the 16th century and what it was like to be a foreigner there. No subplots, thus a short novel.
June 26, 2022
Escapism
September 25, 2013
In the 1590s news reached Italy of the source of Asia's outstanding jewels. Sailors' tales were backed by samples and so Abraham, a dutiful and good nephew, is sent, by his Uncle, on the long and difficult journey from Venice, to trade for the jewels that will make their family fortune. And there begins the tale of Abraham and what happens to him in Pegu, a Burmese kingdom noted for its rubies, sapphires, and spinels. Pegu, ruled by the usual foolish autocratic king, was now at war with its neighbours, and sold its jewels to keep the King in the kind of excessive luxury he preferred.
Abraham is sombre and solemn. Born in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, losing his parents to the plague when a babe, and his wife and child during the child's birth, he has become morose, inward looking and philosophical. On the journey and in Pegu he writes long letters to his cousin, Joseph, and this is how we read his story, through those letters. For him Pegu is freedom. No longer forced to live in the Jews' Ghetto, wear the yellow hat or star, and be home by sunset, he revels in the vivid and so different tropical city life. All traders are strangers and foreigners, Abraham is just one more, not marked out for his religion. But then he finds that he is expected to initiate selected brides on their wedding night, a blow to this devout man. From that tangle of conscience and duty comes a most unlikely love.
This is a first novel of merit. A quiet and thoughtful read about different kinds of freedoms, about prejudice and about finding oneself, about culture shock and cultural differences. Watching Abraham open out like a flower in the so different multicultural society, we too gain insights into what people can become. A book to read and reread and cherish.
June 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this novel and I feel a bit bad about the 3 stars, it is more like 3.5 stars -- but who is counting or measuring.
First thing: if you like John Burdett's 3 Bangkok novels, you might also like this one. Both authors use these novels to give us some insight into Buddhism, especially its virtues. But there the similarities end.
This novel is set in the closing years of the 16th century. A widowed Jewish jeweler sets off from Venice and lands in Pegu (present day Burma). Its a love story between jeweler and a young recently widowed Peguan women. You have to have a rather thick and crusty shell not get sucked in by the love story; I failed to resist it. But the novel is really about cultural encounter, sexual encounter, religious encounter. And here Hantover displays depth, curiosity, and something bordering on wisdom.
Hantover must have done some very serious research to put us in 16th century Pegu. I really admire that about his work. We learn as much about how Jews were treated in Venice as we do about Pegu and its people. If you want to be taken to a different world while posing some rather fundamental questions about the meanings and processes of life -- all within a love story, then this book will serve you well.
Where Hantover fails (too strong a word perhaps), lets say where he left me wanting is that the ethical dilemmas and crises that drive the book tend to resolve too early. The love story angle seems to dominate and then supplant the encounter themes.
I am eager to read Hantover's second novel. I look for him to really come into his own in the next few books.
First thing: if you like John Burdett's 3 Bangkok novels, you might also like this one. Both authors use these novels to give us some insight into Buddhism, especially its virtues. But there the similarities end.
This novel is set in the closing years of the 16th century. A widowed Jewish jeweler sets off from Venice and lands in Pegu (present day Burma). Its a love story between jeweler and a young recently widowed Peguan women. You have to have a rather thick and crusty shell not get sucked in by the love story; I failed to resist it. But the novel is really about cultural encounter, sexual encounter, religious encounter. And here Hantover displays depth, curiosity, and something bordering on wisdom.
Hantover must have done some very serious research to put us in 16th century Pegu. I really admire that about his work. We learn as much about how Jews were treated in Venice as we do about Pegu and its people. If you want to be taken to a different world while posing some rather fundamental questions about the meanings and processes of life -- all within a love story, then this book will serve you well.
Where Hantover fails (too strong a word perhaps), lets say where he left me wanting is that the ethical dilemmas and crises that drive the book tend to resolve too early. The love story angle seems to dominate and then supplant the encounter themes.
I am eager to read Hantover's second novel. I look for him to really come into his own in the next few books.
May 27, 2008
The jewel trader of the title is Abraham, a Jewish merchant heading for the Far East in the late 1500s. The story is told mostly through his letters back to his cousin in Venice, recording the facts of his journey and his impressions of the exotic land where he is to spend a year. Increasingly he ruminates upon the restriction of Jews in Venice, and in particular his own unswerving loyalty to his family and religion, compared to his freedom in Pegu. His growing friendship with his trading agent, Win, allows him to compare Jewish and Buddhist beliefs, but it is his relationship with Mya, a young woman who comes to live in his house, that causes the greater blow to his belief system. Alternating with his letters are short sections from Mya’s point of view. This is a book with a strong sense of place and belief; I found the plot less compelling than the setting.
May 11, 2010
I struggled to get excited about reading this book. I could compare it with Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" - but for some reason I just was not as into this book. Could be that I downloaded the card game free cell on my phone and have been playing that instead of reading!! I did enjoy the book when I was reading it. The story is of a Jewish man from Italy who travels to Asia to make his riches through jewels in the late 1500's. His ideas of what is right and wrong are turned upside down by experiencing the new culture. There were moments of deep reflection that followed the plot. The story is told through the jewel traders letters to his cousin in Italy and the woman he falls in love with also has chapters where she tells the story. The book was fairly easy to read, I just had a hard time picking it up regularly.
April 10, 2008
A Jewish widower named Abraham goes to Pegu to make some money trading jewels. He would find adventure, love, and answers to lifelong questions he didn't know he had. You hear Abraham's words through letters he writes to a relative. Quite touching and feeling somewhat ethereal.
At the same time, a young native girl is signed up to get married and the day of her wedding finds out her husband dies. She falls for the pale-skinned, hairy Abraham.
The characters really do grow and learn in the book. And in a story that became more romance than I would prefer, these moments of clarity shined through. The ending kind of bothered me but otherwise an enchanting story that one can really enjoy.
February 15, 2011
Slow paced but it fits the slow inner discovery of freedom that Abraham finds so exhilarating. This shadow of a man who slept walk through his life (his own words) finds his place at the end of the world at the turn of the 16th century.
The letters Abraham writes to his cousin Joseph take the reader through the long journey Abraham takes on from dutiful nephew going to the end of the world to trade for priceless jewels to free thinking man, alive and feeling every single beat of his heart and every breath he takes. Of course, he meets the exotic and wonderful foreign girl that changes his life but Jeffrey Hantover goes beyond the cliché and makes you care about Abraham inner turmoils.
A solid 3 stars.
The letters Abraham writes to his cousin Joseph take the reader through the long journey Abraham takes on from dutiful nephew going to the end of the world to trade for priceless jewels to free thinking man, alive and feeling every single beat of his heart and every breath he takes. Of course, he meets the exotic and wonderful foreign girl that changes his life but Jeffrey Hantover goes beyond the cliché and makes you care about Abraham inner turmoils.
A solid 3 stars.
November 1, 2010
This is a beautifully written book. It takes me to a place I've never known and find it fascinating - such as the details about the bells, the tradition of the bride's wedding night, etc. But ultimately, the canvas of this book was too small. I wish this book had been longer with more of a variety of stories to tell instead of two or three main stories that centered around one theme (I don't want to give it away too much).
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about and visit a place that no longer exists, but I only gave three stars because I'm pretty sure I'm not reading it again.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about and visit a place that no longer exists, but I only gave three stars because I'm pretty sure I'm not reading it again.
March 7, 2008
When I first read the description of this book I wasn't sure I would like it. I was in a bookclub online where the author joined us for a month and I'm so glad I did it. I really enjoyed the main characters journey and the strong friendships and love he found. I learned a lot about the different cultures and I really liked the characters. Having the author involved made it easier too because he answered so many questions and explained details and told us where the inspiration came from. I will probably read this book again.
February 25, 2008
This is a story about a Jew from Venice who travels to Pegu in the late 1500s to trade for jewels. This is a story of an emotionally closed person -- weary of the discrimination against his kind in Europe -- who opens up in response to an entirely different culture. This is a romance between this jewel trader and a native woman. Intricately, delicately written, rich in detail and cultural observances and contrasts, this books seems longer than it actually is (in a good way). You will no doubt see a bit of yourself in these characters.
February 12, 2011
In reading the reviews of this book, I learned that the author made the sounds, sights and smells of this small Burmese country come alive. I didn't get that. It is written in the form of letters home, a style I admit I don't enjoy. I don't enjoy it because I do not get to really know the characters. It was a quick read, but when finished left me empty. It had some very beautiful sections, but I couldn't get into the story or the characters.
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August 2, 2011Although a little difficult to get into at first, I really ended up enjoying this novel. It was interesting to hear the different points of view from the two main characters, one written in letter form and the other in simple bursts of thought. I liked how social expectations were reviewed and scrutinized by Abraham, and how he grew as a person as his time in Pegu passed. I also loved the overall historical setting, not something that is covered in many history classes.
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