The Jewel Trader of Pegu: A Novel

By Jeffrey Hantover

In the autumn of 1598, Abraham, a melancholy young Jewish gem merchant, seeks his fortune far from the imprisoning ghetto walls of Venice. Traveling halfway across the world, he lands in the lush and exotic Burmese kingdom of Pegu—an alien place, yet one where the jewel trader is not shunned for his faith. There is a price for his newfound freedom, however. Local custom demands that Abraham perform a duty he finds troubling and barbaric . . . and thus Mya, barely more than a girl, arrives to share his bed. Gently banishing his despair, awakening something profound within him, Mya ultimately accepts Abraham's protection and, unexpectedly, his love. But great social and political upheaval threatens to violently transform the Peguan empire—with devastating consequences for Abraham and Mya and their dreams for the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061864926

Jeffrey Hantover

Jeffrey Hantover has written extensively on social issues, art, and culture for international publications, and his poetry has been published in several U.S. literary journals. He lived in Hong Kong for more than a decade and resides with his wife in New York City.

Reviews for The Jewel Trader of Pegu

[vernefan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

*A Gem of a Masterpiece*Jeffrey Hantover is what I call a Word Weaver. He has the incredible rare talent of blending words and phrases, creating sentences and paragraphs so beautiful it almost makes you weep for the experience of reading his work. This novel is beyond beautiful, a book as shining as the jewels he writes about. The reader immediately gets pulled in with evocative descriptions of the lush and exotic world of Pegu, its flora and fauna, its people and culture. Our main character Abraham is a quiet and solemn soul, and is a man of few words because of the unfortunate life he lives as a Jew amongst Christians in his home land of Venice. The author offers informative and vivid portrayals of how the Jews were cruelly treated and ostracized in 16th century Italy. When Abraham sets his feet on Burmese soil, his sense of craved freedom breathes life into his heart and into his story. Lost and uncertain in a strange land, alien to these new surroundings and odd cultural ways, Abraham soon finds peace and serenity among beautiful people of Buddhist faith. Again his religion clashes against another, but here he is treated with respect and love and feels freedom unbound. I felt while reading this story that I WAS Abraham, instead of the usual reader experience of watching the story unfold as an outsider on the sidelines. I saw what he saw, felt what he felt, smelled what he smelled. This style of writing reeks of talent so rare. Our Abraham soon meets Mya, a young Burmese woman, under peculiar circumstances that challenge Abraham's faith, views of life and love, and his beliefs of what is right and wrong. But, as he and Mya learn about each other's worlds, obstacles are easily overcome and their love prevails. This novel is like a masterpiece of art, one you will read more than once just to experience again and again the exquisite blend of the alluring and mysterious setting, with the deep sensual characters, both so rich in life. There is great wisdom, philosophy and love here in this tale, dont' miss this literary gem. It truly sparkles!

[labibliophille · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Jewel Trader of Pegu is an odd book. It tells the story of a sixteenth century jeweler from Venice. Abraham is sent to Pegu (now known as Bago, a city in Myanmar) to purchase precious stones for the family business. Abraham is Jewish, and the customs of the Buddhists of Pegu are baffling to him.Abraham hires Win, a local broker, to help him navigate the markets of Pegu. It has taken Abraham a year to travel to Pegu, and he will spend a year there before journeying back to Venice. Win also helps Abraham navigate the strange world of daily life in Pegu.Jeffrey Hantover seems to have invented a very strange and unbelievable world in The Jewel Trader of Pegu. I really did not care much for this book. I did finish it because it was a selection for my book club, but I’m glad I borrowed it from the library and I don’t recommend it.

[devourerofbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Abraham is a young Jewish man from the ghettos of Venice who travels in 1598 to Pegu (part of Burma, as far as I can tell). He goes on behalf of his uncle who took him in when he was orphaned as a child and who is a jewel merchant. Pegu is a goldmine of precious jewels for European traders who can take them back to their homes for great profit. Abraham is a devout man, one who is determined to abide by his religion while far from home, although he greatly enjoys the freedom of not being subjected to the traditional rules that Europe places on its Jews, rules like no touching fruit in the market. Peguan culture eventually conflicts with Jewish culture, though, and provides Abraham with a very difficult decision, one that will change his life.I liked this book, but I was not totally blown away by it. The writing was good and very descriptive of life in Pegu. I think my main problem was trying to read anything resembling historical fiction right on the heels of “The Sunne in Splendor.” Perhaps part of my problem as well is that I was expecting historical fiction and “The Jewel Trader of Pegu” seemed to me to be more literary fiction in an historical setting than actually historical fiction. “The Jewel Trader of Pegu” was pretty good and I would recommend it for someone who enjoys literary fiction and is interested in reading something in an historical setting. Don’t go into it expecting traditional historical fiction, though.

[wrighty_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was very surprised by how much I liked this book. I was so unfamiliar with this topic but impressed with the story. Abraham is a gem merchant who was born in Venice but after personal tragedy decided to travel to the Burmese kingdom of Pegu in the year 1598. It is hot, exotic, lush and full of colorful customs and odd superstitions. Everything is alien to him here but he is not hated or shunned for his faith the way he was in Venice. As a Jew he had been forced to live a harsh life behind the walls of the Ghetto. In Pegu there are many merchants there to trade and foreigners are required by local customs to perform certain duties. As Abraham stays on he becomes well respected and makes several friends and forms a romantic relationship. When their lives are threatened by the cruel treatment of the King and his soldiers, Abraham and his new friends must decide if it is safer to stay in their homes or flee. His adventures are told in letters home to his cousin and it's very well done.

[carolynschroeder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was quickly sucked into this exotic novel, not having read about the area before, that I can recall. Although many reviewers seem annoyed by the "letter writing" method, I found it interesting, given the time and place (author: 16th Century Burma - recipient: Venice, Italy). The first 3/4 of the book were such a wonderful transport, interesting and educational regarding the region and people of the time. It was a great premise/idea, to put a Venetian Jew (a very segregated, denounced group of people) in a land where he at first considers the people "heathens" but quickly learns his freedom is much greater there ... and the people much kinder to him. His views change rapidly throughout his stay. There are also wonderful, spare reflections (both astute and seeming a little silly) on living with Buddhism and how it is applied to various situations. I loved the character Win, and also did care about Abraham and Mya. However, near the end, the last 1/4, it started to fizzle. The love story drags a bit (and is a little too sappy for my liking) and the war parts were rather dry and truncated. Overall, it's a quirky, interesting, fast-paced, short novel that I believe most readers would enjoy. Recommended.

[anshaw_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In alternating first person narrative and epistolary chapters, The Jewel Trader of Pegu vividly describes a variety of exotic locations and cultural experiences. In particular, Hantover carefully details Abraham's previously unexperienced personal freedoms through his letters to his brother. These highlighted freedoms emphasize the cultural differences between the two worlds in which Abraham has lived and worked. While the prose is rather superficial, this book is a quick, enjoyable read.

[electablue · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was really looking forward to reading this book from the description. I am not going to repeat the plot, as many others have done that before me. I had a very hard time getting into the book because I didn't like the style in which it is written. The book is written as alternating chapters narrated by the two main characters. Abraham, the main narrator, writes letters home to his cousin which I found awkward. As time went on, I found it less annoying, but I would have enjoyed it far more if it been written in a different style.Overall, I found the book interesting, and the author obviously researched his area. I think if it had been written in another format (such as a narrative from just his perspective) I would have enjoyed it far more.

[erinclark_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a sweet story of a broken man, Abraham who becomes whole again with the new found love of Mya, a Peguan peasant girl. She comes to his home to be 'deflowered' by a foreigner before her wedding night, a great honor for these people. As luck would have it her husband to be is killed and she ends up just staying on with Abraham, and eventually falling in love with him.I enjoyed learning about the history of this tumultuous time, the vicious, insane King, the jewel trade of the times and all the characters whom Abrahams life touched. He rose to a higher level and became a free and happy man due to the influence of his new found friends and wife.I enjoyed this book very much - Mr. Hantover is a good storyteller, recommended.

[talbin_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Jewel Trader of Pegu, by Jeffrey Hantover, tells the story of Abraham, a 16th century Venetian Jew, who travels to the Burmese kingdom of Pegu to purchase jewels to bring back to his uncle, an Italian merchant. Upon arriving in Pegu, Abraham discovers that one of the tasks that the locals expect of him is to deflower just-married virgins before they go to their new husbands. Abraham resists at first, but eventually complies. Along with way he meets Mya, a bride whose husband died on their wedding night. Abraham takes Mya into his household and they fall in love. Along with the love story, Hantover explores the idea that Abraham, who as a Jew is treated quite poorly in 16th century Venice, finds release and freedom in Pegu, a place where no one treats him differently because he is Jewish.I was quite excited about this book - the premise seemed fresh and interesting, and the setting was one with which I was not previously familiar. However, I found the novel to be rather weak. While the writing is good, not much happens throughout the book and the characters are thinly drawn. Hantover uses two structures in the novel - Abraham's story is told through letters that he writes to his cousin, and Mya's story is told in alternating sections, mostly in the first person. I think that Mya's story could have been left out, while Abraham's story could have been fleshed out and been more robust. In the end, the "Mya sections" did not add anything to the book, and I felt that Hantover included them only so that "the other's" story could be told.All in all, there were some interesting ideas and some good writing included in the book, but it seemed as if Hantover was trying to do too many things at once - two narrators, two narrative styles, explore love, explore the idea of "the other", explore the idea of being an outsider, etc. - and in the end he was not able to focus enough to do any of them as well as he probably can.

[dragonlady_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I too approached this book with great excitement as it presented both an interesting premise of what to do when faiths conflict and an opportunity to learn about an episode in history with which I was unfamiliar. I too was disappointed. Too many ideas with too little exploration of any one.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Scheduled for publication in early 2008, The Jewel Trader of Pegu is the story of Abraham, a Jewish gem merchant from Venice who travels to the Burmese kingdom of Pegu and becomes immersed in a culture quite different from his own. He is schocked to find that local custom requires him to "perform" with all brides to be, just prior to their marriage. This is an interesting premise, and Hantover writes beautiful descriptive prose that helps the reader immerse themselves in the Peguan landscape: "The last two days I have taken walks at sunset, when the palms come alive with the sound of birds, high and shrill like the chatter of Peguan women in the market. Without plan I ended by the river sparkling in starlight. I had no destination. The simple act of walking drew me through the quiet streets in the growing darkness. ... I felt for the fist time freedom as a presence, as something real that exists in the world."Unfortunately, setting the scene is only one part of a successful novel. In The Jewel Trader of Pegu , the plot and character development are weak. The novel is written primarily in the form of letters from Abraham to his cousin. He writes about one letter a week, with astonishingly little to report. The story moves along very slowly. Every so often, a small chapter is written from the point of view of a young woman. Again, the pace is glacial. And the characters felt superficial to me. By page 95, Abraham and the woman still had not met, I was finding it increasingly difficult to care about Abraham's "fish out of water" circumstances, and I had had my fill of the Peguan scenery. It is extremely rare for me to abandon a book, but I just couldn't get through this one.

[ksgreer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As others have mentioned, Jeffrey Hantover's premise for this novel has a lot of promise. What intrigued me most was the setting: the 16th-century Burmese kingdom of Pegu. Additionally intriguing was the use of an Italian Jewish protagonist. Going into this novel, I was excited to read what was sure to be a unique contribution to historical fiction. In that sense, Hantover certainly doesn't disappoint. The reader is left with the curiosity about real history that so often accompanies historical fiction. I found myself wanting to do further research on Burmese history and the history of the Jews in Italy.Unfortunately, like many others, I was also disappointed by this novel. The story is interesting enough, and the characters likable enough, but there is too little development for both characters and culture/setting. Details are so sparse, one is left asking many more questions than are answered. I blame this on the epistolary format the author chose--I think a different narrative form would have suited this ambitious project more.Overall, this is a book that is not without its problems but it still provides an enjoyable, quick read.

[mikeandmelinda · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Jewel Trader of Pegu provides an interesting look at life in the 16th century, both in southeast Asia and in Italy. Although the story takes place primarily in the island nation of Pegu, main character Abraham's letters to his cousin back in Venice show insight into Jewish life in Europe. The love story is poignant, and the interludes written by Mya help to break up the rigid format of having each letter as a chapter. While there were moments when I stopped to savor a particularly well-crafted phrase, I thought that overall, The Jewel Trader of Pegu was good, but not great.

[msbaba · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the moment I first read about it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jefferey Hantover. I was overjoyed when I received word that I would receive an Advanced Reader's Edition to review. Everything about the description of this book enchanted me. It looked like it would be a tantalizing and sensuous mix of literary delights: an adventure story set in the 16th century Burmese Kingdom of Pegu, a tender romance with ancient multiracial and multireligious overtones, a thinking-reader’s tale rife with thematic undercurrents, and a work of dreamy and lyrical prose. I finished the novel easily in one day, and found the experience pleasant enough, but as I came to the end, I realized that I was sorely disappointed. It wasn’t the ending that disappointed. Rather, it was the insubstantial literary weight of the entire work. I wanted so much to like this work. There was so much promise, on so many levels, but none of the parts measured up. The novel left me feeling empty.Typically, I write a review within a day or two after finishing a book. But I didn’t for this book. Instead, I kept waiting. I let almost a week go by hoping time might provide further insight that I could use to appreciate this book in a better light. But the more time passed, the more I found myself finding even greater fault with this work. On the good side, the author succeeded in giving me an intriguing glimpse of two separate late-16th-century worlds: the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, and the Southeast-Asian Kingdom of Pegu. But even here, I felt cheated. I wanted much more detail. Historical fiction typically takes its readers deep into the culture, politics, economy, technology, and customs of a new world. This book merely gave an overall feeling for the times. That might have been all right, if the novel had delivered convincing deeply wrought main characters. But here, too, I felt let down. For me, none of the characters came to life. They weren’t flat. They were just not real three-dimensional human beings. Frankly, the main characters, Abraham and Mya, were nothing more than flimsy fantasy—too perfect to be real. The inspiration for the story evidently came from a single sentence in an unnamed Southeast Asian history book: “In Pegu and other ports of Burma and Siam, foreign traders were asked to initiate brides.” From this one source, the author builds the entire scaffolding for his novel. But I found his framework to be little more than a house of cards. I was completely unable to buy into the author’s fantasy of what this sentence might suggest. The more I thought about it, the more upset it made me. How dare the author create a fictional history on so little evidence? To me this idea seemed little more than a masculine late-night sailor’s tale that somehow made its way into some obscure history tome. But perhaps more important, is how poorly the author succeeds in making us believe these rituals: the deflowering of ancient merchant-class Burmese brides by foreign traders in order to bring their families good luck. Nonsense!The novel did have one significant redeeming quality: the prose was fresh, reflective, and at times delightfully lyrical. In the end, this novel was nothing more than a light sensual soft-core romance—uncommon in its unusual ancient multicultural setting, but nonetheless very forgettable. The best future I can envision for this book is seeing it turned into a blockbuster Hollywood movie. With all-star casting, and lots of money for recreating historically awe-inspiring movie sets, this plot could really soar in the visual medium of film. Of course, an outstanding screenwriter would be essential. If the movie were successful, the original book would certainly be reissued and receive a second life with a wider audience. Although I can never imagine myself rereading this book, I would certainly go out of my way to see this story recreated on the big screen.

[jmeisen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Jewel Trader of Pegu is a fascinating, sometimes frustrating, but rewarding tale of belief, duty, and love. I was very interested in the details of Abraham's life in Renaissance Venice, and his struggle with his beliefs felt real. The plot is a bit predictable, and Abraham's letters home sometimes feel overly literary, but the milieu of Pegu became palpable to me as I read. The book would be of particular interest to Jews, though many other lovers of historical novels might enjoy it.

[dds1981 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Other members' reviews of this book have been quite strong but the only rating assigned was two stars. I have to agree with the star rating. An interesting idea for a novel: a 16th Century Jewish merchant doing business in Burma. Alienated in his home in Venice and alienated in other ways in Burma (Pegu, which I was unclear it was Rangoon or some other city). The book is structured as a series of letters from the trader to his cousin and as he writes them, he has no idea whether they will ever reach their destination. While the epistlary form may have been Hantover's attempt to set the novel in its time period, I found it tedious. In between some of the letters home are first person passages from a Burmese maiden reflecting on her fate (who is she writing to?).I wanted to like this book much more than I did partly due to the current events in Burma and partly from having lived in Laos as a child more than 30 years ago. Honestly, I didn't even finish the book -- something I rarely do.

[pshaw_56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I swooned, I wept, I am pierced to the heart by this novel of love and exotic lands. It took my breath, but let me stop enthusing to perhaps give some real reviewing.The plot is well metered and handled deftly, building towards its end with the inevitability of a roller-coaster. You see it coming, but crave the trail there. I can't say enough, and I admit to being more emotional than cerebral, because it tugged at my heart and my recent wounds, and made me feel my heart open again for these people.I would recommend this without any reservation. It's a beautiful book, and well worth the reading. It is a jewel as much as the pigeon-blood ruby Abraham purchases. As beautiful as any dark blood right out of the heart.

[litfan_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When a novel is so absorbing you can't wait to get home from work to keep reading, you know you've found something good. So it was with The Jewel Trader of Pegu. While initially confusing, as it's told in letters by the protagonist, interspersed with narration from an unknown character, the story becomes more absorbing as the details become clearer. Set in the faraway kingdom of Pegu, this is the tale of Abraham, the jewel trader who has come to practice his trade in Pegu. Far from all that is familiar, Abraham confronts his own prejudices, questions his faith and his identity, discovers love, and struggles with the battle between his heart and the demands of law and custom. All of this is set against the backdrop of increasing unrest in Pegu; while following Abraham's story the reader also gains insight into the history of this little-known place. While Abraham's philosophical meanderings are a bit melodramatic at times, the story is consistently captivating. The lush descriptions of Pegu allow the reader to experience it along with Abraham. Highly recommended.