Cornelius starts as a glazier's apprentice in New Amsterdam, where just being him gets him into trouble. Unwanted, Cornelius gets notice of an inheritance in Rotterdam, Holland and sets off to find his wealth. Instead of making a life using the skills he learned as an apprentice, Cornelius always seems to try the easy way out. Thus he finds plenty of people who use him, and many situations in which he must find escape.
Cornelius believes that he is above many of the people he meets, even though he is of poor education and has no qualms about stealing from most people. He rarely feels that his misfortunes are of his own causing, and seems to have entitlement issues. One of his only redeeming qualities is his perseverance.
The pace of the storytelling in this selection was good. I really liked that the story moved from different venues and hosted a wide variety of characters for Cornelius to interact with. I also liked how the book put Cornelius into historically significant times and places.
My biggest problem with this story was that Cornelius didn't really learn any lessons to help him do right in his future. He continued to make selfish and arrogant choices at the cost of many of his loved ones. Not to mention, the guy just never caught a break! As much as I disliked Cornelius as a character, I still hoped he would find true happiness at some juncture in his life. Didn't happen...
On a scale of 1-4, I give this book a 3. The writing was done well, the story was diverse and interesting, but damn that Cornelius! Always ruining everything! Perhaps in the next book, his son will learn from his mistakes.
This book was published by AAS White Heron Press
ISBN: 9781453602379
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