A review by ansate
Blutgeld by David Ignatius

4.0

I'm a big fan of David Liss's historical fiction, and this lived up to my expectations. It's told from two alternating points of view, which is sometimes hard to follow as they are not happening concurrently. Overall, I think it works well to set up the complicated plot (typical of Liss's books!) that would have seemed extremely far fetched for either character to fully understand. [return][return]I found Ethan to be the more believable of the two leads - Joan being so very bold that she seemed more a sop to giving modern audiences a strong female character than a believable woman of that era. But both have such witty dialogue that I forgive them their character flaws. [return][return]The ending does not quite sit well with me, but I am not sure why. Maybe its abruptness? I would have preferred to see a little more of what happens next. I like a bit of "happily ever after" for characters I've grown to like. [return][return]If you've enjoyed any of his previous books, or if you're interested in early American history (oh it's strange to think of western Pennsylvania as "the frontier"!) I'd definitely recommend this book.