Customer Reviews

The Pepper Trader: True Tales of the German East Asia Squadron and the Man who Cast them in Stone

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Well, I enjoyed the book, probably because I am based in Indonesia and know many of the places the author talks about. I never expected the book to be a thesis, or serious attempt at the "melancholy of time", but a lightweight story and entertainment. I read it to the end, unlike many books that probably get better literary ratings from serious chaps, and found it to be refreshingly un-pretentious rather than "silly".
I recommend this book to anyone who reads for fun father than intellectual advancement, but suspect it will appeal mostly to those who have lived or worked in Indonesia. The author's short descriptions of the local characters do reflect some interesting aspects of the Sundanese world-view, which might be missed by most foreigners.

Very self-indulgent, silly sentimentality, no primary archival research, poorly structured

I was hoping for well-written material on a fascinating part of history, the Dutch East Indies in WWI.
Instead, one gets an amateurish hodge-podge.
The best parts are the biographical chapters on the Helferrich Brothers, Karl, Emil, and Theodor which include some original material from personal experiences in Indonesia, recommend consulting this material in a library copy, not buying it
However, the bulk of the book is a rehash of secondary sources on the German East Asia squadron, on which there are much better books. This is not a good book from the point of view as popular or serious history.
He does not even manage to be historically accurate when he tries to mix in later well-known historical events in for the 'dramatic effect of the "sweep of history" and lame attempts at the melancholy of time Very half-baked.
Too bad he did not mix the original anecdotal Helferrich material he has with some coherent research in national archives of USA, UK, Netherlands [and Germany as well] where there is substantial material on the activities of the Helferrich brothers, who are in themselves very interesting characters.