Monday, October 30, 2017
Fortuna is fickle
Title: Golden Hill: a novel of old New York
By: Frances Spufford
He was the one unshackled, as yet unconfined; the one from whom diversion, or news, or any other of the new worlds a stranger may contain, were to be expected. And perhaps desired. For if your fortune at present is not such as pleases you, there is a prospect of mercy, as much as of doom, in the thought that Fortuna is fickle. The goddess’s renown is all in her changeableness, and strangers are her acknowledged messengers.
A lively tale with some curious twists and remarkable turns. A view of the early days of New York, pre-independence, when it was 1/100th the size of London. Young Mr. Smith arrives from London on November 1st, 1746, with a letter of credit so large that the local banker can’t cover it and mistrusts its validity. Since letters travel between the East Coast and Europe by sailing ship, Mr. Smith must manage somehow until further confirmation arrives. His adventures occupy the space of time through December 25th--and I won’t say any more than that, so as not to spoil your enjoyment. I will say that Spufford is an elegant and witty writer who uses period language with a modern sensibility.
View similarly tagged posts: fiction
Posted on Oct. 30, 2017 at 1:14 a.m.
