A review by bgg616
The Light of Amsterdam by David Park

4.0

The book is set in Amsterdam just before Christmas. For me, the part of the book leading up to the various characters preparing to go to Amsterdam was just scene-setting. the book really begins once they arrive. This section of the book portrayed the loveliness of the city, and many of the descriptions were beautifully written. One of the 3 featured characters is involved in a hen party, and this custom is very unappealing to me. I don't see the appeal of a group of women dressing in ridiculous costumes and drinking themselves into a stupor. This is not a custom in the US - thank goodness. I have to add, at the risk of being labeled "politically correct", that a group of Irish women dressing up as "Indian squaws" and "whooping war cries" would make many Americans cringe. Perhaps that was the authors point and he wanted to portray this hen party as really, really crass. The ending leaves the reader wondering, which I think is often a good way to finish a novel.