The Moneylender’s Daughter – V A Richardson
Allen & Unwin Bloomsbury, 2006
382 pages
RRP: AU$15.95
ISBN: 9780747578192

Reviewed by Nicolee Baxter

It is 1637. The moneylender’s daughter seeks the admiration of her father who wishes he had a son instead of a daughter. His rejection of her leads her to swing between betraying him to, and protecting him from, his various enemies. One of his enemies is Adam Windjammer whose family fortune was lost, thanks to the manipulations of the moneylender. Adam struggles to recover his family’s livelihood as the moneylender seeks to take it from him.

This book is aimed at the younger reader. I would recommend it to readers from about 10 years of age. The story itself is interesting and nicely paced, although a little simplistic for the adult reader. The physical environment is described as 1637 but occasionally the characters seem to slip out of 1637 and exhibit more modern behaviour. For example, one character comments on the congestion of boats in the canal by referring to “boat rage”. I can’t imagine “boat rage” being a familiar term in 1637. As a result the credibility of the characterisation was diminished.

The Moneylender’s Daughter is the second book of a trilogy and the end of this book is not the end of the story – it has clearly been left open for the next book in the trilogy. However, it is not necessary to have read the first book of the trilogy in order to appreciate the second book.