Mr. Richard Smith arrived by boat in the late fall of 1746 to small town of New York.  After disembarking he made his way directly to a counting house on Golden Hill where he presented a written order in the amount of one thousand pounds. Trying to buy some time to think about how to handle such an exorbitant sum, Lovell, the owner of the firm tries to extract from Smith information about who he is what he is going to do with the money, but Smith maintained his silence. In the end, Lovell decides that he needs for confirmation and sends a letter back to England to the company who issued the note to confirm that it is legitimate.  Smith, anticipating that something like this might happen, must now prolong his stay and become acquainted with the denizens of New York.

Meanwhile the merchants of New York, the Governor, the Mayor and many others in the upper circles of New York’s society are very interested in this very wealthy young man. Where did he come from? What will he do with his money? Will he remain in the colonies, or will he move on to another place? Maybe they can get him to marry one of their daughters and keep the money in New York?  Everyone is speculating and wondering how they can use him and his money to their own advantage. But Mr. Smith seems unperturbed by the speculation and keeps his plans and his identity to himself, until he makes a drastic mistake, his identity is revealed and he almost fails to complete his plan.

Spufford has created a most interesting plot and the character of Mr. Smith is quite an achievement. For just like the people in New York, the reader too, is kept in the dark about Mr. Smith’s actual identity and his plans to use the money. Spufford introduces us to New York in 1746 with fascinating details and reveals the intricacies of its political and social networks. From the slaves who work in the homes of the rich merchants, to the powerful and wealthy, as well the common people who work as clerks or dock workers, to the whores who solicit on the streets, we are given a wide perspective on who makes up this complicated town of New York. This is Spufford’s first novel, although he has written several highly regarded books of non fiction and I certainly hope it will not be his last!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Keith, Ken, Sharon and Marian.

Book Study Worthy? YES!

Read in e-library format.