One of the reasons I love the works of Edward Rutherfurd is that I always learn a lot of history as I read his novels. This particular story begins in New Amsterdam in 1644. What once started as a small trading post at the point of a natural harbour has already, within 50 years, become a busy port of 1500 people - due to the efforts of Governors Stuyvesant and Minuit.
Obviously, given the title, the port that was once New Amsterdam eventually grew into the modern city of New York. But what I had not realized was the Dutch background of this cosmopolitan city. A little research on the internet confirmed the reality of these facts. It was indeed the Dutch, through the efforts of the Dutch East India Company, who first settled the area and controlled the port for forty years.
However, it is not only the setting that is rooted in history but the characters as well. Introduced at the outset of the story, the characters of both Minuit and Stuyvesant did exist and are portrayed quite accurately. For example, according to the website usahistory.info/colonies, "Stuyvesant was a sturdy, self-willed, obstinate old fellow, with little culture and much strength of character. He was a man of great energy and no doubt his intentions were honorable; but he was born autocrat, had no sympathy with democracy and no power to read public opinion. He was an experienced soldier and had lost a leg in battle." It is this same man who is described at the outset of the novel as "Tall, upright, determined, with piercing eyes, he might be gray, and well into middle age now, but he was still indomitable. As for the peg leg, it was a badge of honour, a reminder of his battles."
The ability to repackage history into an epic story of human passions and struggles makes for a great learning experience as well as a fascinating read.
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