The two storylines draw you into a little known period of American history. I enjoyed on of the storylines more than the other, but both were engaging. I was intrigued enough to do reading on the early years of the American government, and it gave me new respect for the founding fathers. Book is recommended.

Wonderfully written, this is the BEST type of historical fiction - fiction and made-up characters interspersed with real characters and events. Our book club gave it an average rating of 4.5 stars. Everyone liked it. We decided this book would make a wonderful movie - starring Johnny Depp as Capt Ethan Saunders.

Would have given it 4.5 stars. I took off 1/2 a star because it can be hard to follow some of the financial intrigue; however, that does not overshadow the enjoyment of this clever historical novel set in early post-revolutionary America. The format is creative with parallel, but off-set, narratives of the two main characters, who are well developed and evolve for the better or worse over the course of the novel. A very enjoyable read.

While I enjoyed the historic backdrop and the character development, I feel that it got a bit draggy in the middle. I highly enjoyed the last 150 pages. They made the read worthwhile.