The Hormone Factory

by Saskia Goldschmidt, Hester Velmans (Translator)

From the throes of his death bed, Dutch pharmaceutical entrepreneur and megalomaniac Mordecai de Paauw reflects on his life as the co-founder and CEO of Farmacon: the first company to standardize and distribute the contraceptive pill worldwide. With the future of his family business threatened by Hitler's precipitous rise to power and his sexual exploitation of the factory's women soon to be exposed, he struggles to keep his vision afloat, forcing him to choose between his own misguided impulses and his ethically minded Jewish family.
An incisive psychological portrait of the inseparable bond between ruthlessness and unbridled capitalism, THE HORMONE FACTORY weaves questions of scientific integrity, sibling rivalry, and sex into a narrative that is as troubling as it is illuminating.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, World War II, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Saskia Goldschmidt (Amsterdam, 1954) worked as a youth theatre producer and trainer of hospital staff and debuted in 2009 with Verplicht gelukkig (Compulsory Happiness), an autobiographical non-fiction book about growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust. The success of her debut and the discovery of documents about the rise of the pharmaceutical giant Organon (producers of the contraceptive pill), prompted her to write this novel. The Hormone Factory was an instant success in the Netherlands and rights have already been sold to Germany, Israel and the United States.

(from http://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/author...)

Reviews

[Banu Yıldıran Genç · Rating 3 out of 5]

güzel başladı, konu çok ilginçti ama bence aynı şekilde devam etmedi. organon ilaç firmasının kuruluşu ve büyümesinden yola çıkıp böyle bir roman yazmış saskia goldschmidt. anlatıcımız 1930’lu yıllarda entegre et tesisine sahip kasap de pauuw ailesinin ikiz erkek çocuklarından biri: mordechai.
artık yaşlı ve sefil bir haldeki mordechai, ölmek istediği yatağında tv’den tek oğlu aron’un abd mahkemelerinde canlı yargılanmasını izliyor ve geçmişi hatırlamaya başlıyor.
her zaman kimyager olmak isterken babasının zoruyla şirket yöneticisi olan, babası ölür ölmez kanada’da yeni bulunduğu haberini aldığı insülini hollanda’da üretmek için laboratuvar açmak ve hormonlara yatırım yatmak isteyen akıllı bir genç. üstelik elinin altında binlerce hayvan, değerlendirebileceği tonla şey var.
anlaştığı alman yahudisi bilim adamı levine’le önce östrojeni sonra testesteronu keşfederler. işler iyidir. bulunan bu hormonları yanında çalışan kadınlar üzerinde kullanan mordechai görüp görebileceğiniz en iğrenç erkek karakterlerden biri. istismar ettiği kadın çalışan yok gibi. inanılmaz bir çapkın, usta bir aşık.
duygusal ve aseksüel ikiz kardeşi aron üzerinde aşırı dozda testesteron deneyecek kadar da ahlaksız. sonuç fecaat. bu bölümler özellikle hormonların üzerimizde nasıl etkili olduğunu çok hoş bir biçimde yedirmiş romana bence.
sonra malum 2. dünya savaşı, yaşanan zorluklar, bize bir şey olmaz derken hollanda’nın işgali ilaç firmasının ve apar topar kaçabilen de pauuw ailesinin ingiltere’deki hayatları… bundan sonra roman tavsıyor maalesef.
romanın adının hakkını verdiği bölümler bitiyor ve anlatıcının tek yönetici olup firmasını büyütmek için yaptığı bir business romanı oluyor. anlatıcının ne denli kötü biri olduğunu tekrar sonlara doğru eski karısının “doğum kontrol hapını yaygınlaştır da bu sayede senin gibilerin tohumunu taşımaktan kurtulsun kadınlar” (pek çok gayrımeşru çocuk var çünkü ortalıkta) diyen bağırmasıyla hatırlıyoruz.
romanın sonunda tekrar yatağa, tv’de mahvolan imparatorluğunu izleyen yaşlı adam elbette tüm yaptıklarının ceremesini çektiğini düşünecek.
kapakta kitabı tanıtan cümleler hiç olmamış ama yayın hayatını bitiren alabanda’yı genellikle iyi romanlar yayımlamış olmasıyla anımsayacağız. çeviride pek çok aksaklık vardı maalesef. ama en büyüğü eğlenceli anlamına gelen gay’i eşcinsel diye çevirmek olmuş :)

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a free copy of this book from Netgalley. This book was translated from Dutch and is not yet available in North America. So the reviews to date on Goodreads are mostly in Dutch. I wish I could understand them because I am curious to see why The Hormone Factory gets so many low ratings. I found this book clever and well written--well worth the read. There is no doubt that Mordecai -- the first person narrator and protagonist -- is a despicable character. But that's the point. Goldschmidt does a great job of making Mordecai a three dimensional character, depicting his self delusion and self justification with occasional flashes of insight and remorse. Her Afterword may be worth reading before starting the book because it gives context to her motivation for writing this book. Also, it's worth mentioning that this is an excellent translation -- in fact, the quality of the writing does not suggest that this is a translation.

[Inge Vermeire · Rating 1 out of 5]

De inhoud van het boek klinkt veelbelovend en interessant: de ontstaansgeschiedenis van een groot farmaceutisch bedrijf, een broederstrijd, antisemitisme, Tweede Wereldoorlog... Bovendien vond ik 'Verplicht gelukkig' van dezelfde auteur écht boeiend.

'De hormoonfabriek' heb ik echter met veel tegenzin toch uitgelezen - ergens verwachtte ik misschien een spectaculaire ontknoping, een onvoorspelbare wending maar niks was minder waar. Los van de inhoudelijke oppervlakkigheid heb ik me vooral mateloos gestoord aan Goldschmidts schrijfstijl.

Ik had het gevoel dat ik een opstel las, weliswaar geschreven door één van de betere leerlingen uit de middelbare school - het is alsof ze het boek schreef met naast zich een zegswijzenboekje en een synoniemenwoordenboek.

Terwijl ik aan het lezen was, bedacht ik dat de lectuur van deze roman een mooie opdracht voor de Nederlandse literatuurles zou kunnen opleveren: "Maak een lijstje van alle zegswijzen en spreekwoorden die de auteur doorheen haar boek gebruikt." Zo gezegd, zo gedaan, dus :-)

Je krijgt als lezer een compleet assortiment: courante zegswijzen als ' door het oog van de naald kruipen', 'alles uit de kast halen', 'iemand met een kluitje in het riet sturen', 'iemand de hand boven het hoofd houden' -inspiratieloze uitdrukkingen als: ' de moffen werden in de pan gehakt' - Nederlandse zegswijzen die voor mij, als Vlaamse lezer, té Hollands klinken en waarbij ik toch lichtjes geïrriteerd raak: 'ergens doorheen zwijnjakkeren', ''iets naar de ratsmodee helpen', 'alles naar de barbiesjes laten gaan' - tenslotte ook de meer filosofische zegswijzen als 'waar je niet bij bent, wordt je 't hoofd niet gewassen' of 'wie de roos wil plukken, moet de doornen niet ontzien.' Het boek staat er vol van en leidde mijn aandacht compleet af van de inhoud.
Ergerlijk.

Nog ergerlijker is Goldschmidts overdadig gebruik van allerhande synoniemen. Zo noemt ze een dokter niet zomaar een dokter maar wel: een tongkijker, een spatelaar, een witjas. Ze heeft het over 'dooievisjesvreters, mazzelaars, smeerpruimen, smousen, lefjongen, rasploerten, lapzwansen, hellebrokken, asfaltbloempjes, zwijnjakken, minkukel... Hitler noemt ze consequent een 'hondsvot'. Té veel is écht té veel. Goldschmidt had zich beter meer geconcentreerd op de inhoud van haar verhaal i.p.v. angstvallig dubbel woordgebruik te vermijden door al die ongebruikelijke synoniemen.
Met dit boek heeft ze - in mijn ogen althans- een 'minkukel' geschreven.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldschmidt works as a drama teacher and children’s theater director. The Hormone Factory's based on the real Organon. The Van Zwanenberg Slaughterhouse and Factories founded in 1887 by twin brothers. In 1923, Saal van Zwanenberg established Organon to develop medicine from meat waste products. Goldschmidt's father survived the concentration camp Bergen Belsen. In the afterword she writes: "It took me over fifty years to find the courage to research my family's history and to probe what kind of influence that history and my father's concentration camp stay had on me. She published a memoir Obliged to Be Happy: A Portrait of a Family in 2011. The author's theatrical background and meticulous research influenced the credibility and flair of this debut novel. Goldschmidt uses impeccable tone and extraordinary detail. Though covering a serious subject, it’s at times amusing with its dry wit. She paints the story in gray not black and white. Quite effective as many flawed characters might express regret or comprehension for their actions and words.

full review here: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2014/11...

[Marissa Driesprong · Rating 4 out of 5]

In veel reviews hebben mensen kritiek op de schrijfstijl van Goldschmidt, en daar kan ik wel enigszins in meekomen. Te veel spreekwoorden, te veel duidende woorden die te veel 'tell' i.p.v. 'show' zijn.
Maar, in tegenstelling tot veel andere boeken, is het wel een écht verhaal dat ze beschrijft, dat ook nog een beetje op de realiteit berust. Mordechai is een vreselijk hoofdpersonage, maar soms is het juist heerlijk dat je je niet kunt vereenzelvigen met de belangrijkste persoon in een boek. Zo ook in de Hormoonfabriek. Goldschmidt laat goed zien dat iemand altijd meerdere kanten heeft, dus ook de vreselijke Mordechai. Tegelijk speelt de oorlog een grote rol in het verhaal, en ook welke diepe sporen die bij mensen nalaat. Bijvoorbeeld bij zijn mooie, jonge vrouw Rivka, die totaal verbitterd achterblijft terwijl ze eens zo veerkrachtig was. Aanrader is om het bijbehorende hoorspel te luisteren (via alle podcast-apps te vinden).

[Edwin van Amstel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tjonge, ben ik er toch ingetrapt. Een meer dan lovende bespreking van De hormoonfabriek door boekhandelaren in DWDD. En het boek gaat over Oss, mijn geboortestad. Tja, natuurlijk wil ik dat onmiddellijk lezen. En ik heb het een aantal pagina's volgehouden. Maar Goldschmidt kan (mij) niet boeien. Een houterige stijl, boordevol gemeenplaatsen. Laat ik een slag om de arm houden: misschien wordt het boek als je verder ploetert meer de moeite waard. Maar ik haak af.

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je poursuis mon exploration de la littérature néerlandaise avec ce titre. Le résumé ne m'engageait pas trop mais les premières lignes m'ont tout de suite accroché. Les critiques que j'ai pu lire ont eu du mal avec le caractère détestable du personnage principal mais personnellement ça ne m'a pas du tout gêné. De même le résumé insiste sur le lien entre sexualité et pouvoir alors que je n'ai pas trouvé que c'était la réflexion centrale de ce roman. Non, je suis agréablement surprise que ce livre ai réussi à m'intéresser à l'histoire de l'industrie pharmaceutique, au tournant qu'a été les années 30 dans ce domaine, à l'histoire singulière de ce grand groupe néerlandais. Même si ce livre n'est que pure fiction inspirée de la genèse de cette entreprise j'ai trouvé la plume de l'autrice et le rythme de ce livre surprenant, bien construit. Bref pas de défaut à pointer et encore un excellent cru du côté de ces auteurs du plat pays.

[Shadira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written

The book was riveting.I found the book itself fascinating
The hormone factory weaves questions of scientific integrity,diverting riverly,sex into a narrative that is troubling as it's thought provoking.
I enjoyed it and there was character development.👌

[Mies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb het gelezen in de vorm van een hoorspel. Heel goed gedaan. Was een waar genoegen. Enige misvatting tav de realiteit. Dacht dat het echt gebeurd was. Slechts deels waar.

[Mireille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beetje gemengde gevoelens. De hoofdpersoon is ronduit onaangenaam en het taalgebruik in de overdrive is zeker minder, maar het leest vlot en het verhaal wil je toch uitlezen

[Peter vdK · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Gelezen tijdens vakantie Valencia.]

[Kirsten Oppalfens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geen zin teveel in dit boek. Het verhaal is zeer voortdravend en onderhoudend.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often wonder, when I read a novel, where the author has come up with the plot. Oh, some are easy; five marriageable sisters desperate for husbands or the logistics of a murder and get-away are pretty common plots and authors don't get many points for originality for employing them. However, occasionally an author will invent a plot that is way up there on originality. So it is with the plot - and characters - in Dutch novelist, Saskia Goldschmidt's "The Hormone Factory". This book, which was originally published in Dutch in 2012, is now being released in English, after an excellent translation by Hester Velmans.

The 1920's and 30's were a time of great experiments in medicine and science. The Great War was over and many scientists were hoping to advance medicine's boundaries. And along with the scientists and their discoveries came businessmen who were needed to produce and market these products. The two went hand-in-hand; commerce trading on the rush to new discoveries. Saskia Goldschmidt looks at the commerce surrounding the marketing of hormones. While this might be a mundane sort of product, the discovery of insulin was a life-saver to the world's diabetics. And after insulin was developed by a Dutch company called "Organon" (now part of Merck, International), the company's scientists went on to work on hormones and hormone replacement programs. The company, owned by a Dutch Jew and a German Jew, saw the market expand during the 1930's and was affected by the German occupation of the Netherlands.

Goldschmidt's novel is less about science and more about the personalities behind the company, referred to as "Farmacom" in the book. There is a personal tie of Goldschmidt to the real firm of "Organon" and much of the book seems to be an attempt by Goldschmidt to understand both the company's product and those who developed and marketed that product. I can't quite tell how much of the novel is "real", but it really doesn't matter. Saskia Goldschmidt gives the reader a wonderfully nuanced character in "Mordechai de Paauw", the financial brains behind "Farmacom".

The book opens with "Motke" on his deathbed, sometime in the 1970's or 1980's. He's been silenced by a stroke, only able to mutter unintelligibly as he watches his son, Ezra, on TV being accused of "rape" by a hotel employee. (Shades of France's Dominique Strauss-Kahn!) Motke reviews his life as he's waiting for the Angel of Death to come fetch him. The various family members and business associates he's become estranged from and feel he's failed in his 90 years of life. The political games he played in order to keep his company going in those treacherous years of financial depression and then the looming war years. But along with those thoughts are ones of the women he's "had" and the sexual reachings he's made to get those women in his bed...or office couch. It was ironic that Motke never needed the testosterone his own company marketed.

"The Hormone Factory" is a beautifully written novel about a flawed man who somehow seemed to me to retain humanity in his dealings with the world. I don't know if every reader will feel this way when reading this book; in fact, I think this book will garner a range of stars from "five" down to "one". And each reviewer will have his own good reasons for those rating. Me, I really liked it.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 out of 5 stars -- Why is it that successful, powerful men so often justify their betrayals and sexual misconduct while granting themselves extraordinary privileges as they ruin the lives of all around them?

Inspired by true events surrounding the family business of a meatpacking company that diverged into a hormone "factory" in Holland, this novel relates the research, development and marketing of a successful operation that gave the world important hormones such as insulin and later testosterone and the contraceptive pill. It's also the story of the men who were behind this meteoric rise to wealth and fame -- and how it affected their families and workers.

Twin brothers, Mordechai and Aaron De Paauw, inherited the family's meatpacking business and join forces with a brilliant German scientist, Rafael Levine, when they decide to create Farmacon -- a subsidiary laboratory dedicated to pharmaceutical products with potential for world wide distribution. The narrative from the point of view of the youngest twin, Mordechai -- the head of the company -- is told as he lies dying, the victim of a stroke that has left his body a shell but his mind still active.

Mordechai is a megalomaniac who wields his power with abandon and personal self-interest as he excuses his every heinous act with any type of justification. He's sexually reckless and immoral, faithless to his loyal wife and to his brother seeing only his immediate gratification. Impetuous and impatient, he treats his employees and Rafael as if they were serfs in his little kingdom. When Hitler's rise to power and subsequent war interfere with Mordechai's safety, he manipulates things so that he can retain his control while sacrificing everything and everyone to hold on to his greed and desires. He's an awful man, without conscience or empathy, and cares little about the plight of the Jews who work for him or those who have helped him.

Will there be redemption for Mordechai on his deathbed? He's forced to watch from his hospital bed as his company is hit with scandal involving his only son. Powerless, unable to speak, and completely helpless, events finally spiral out of his control.

I really enjoyed this short but fascinating fiction that follows very closely the story of the twin brothers from Oss in Holland. I'd enthusiastically recommend it for book clubs and anyone interested in the history of hormone discovery during the years before World War II.

Amazon Vine ARC.

[Jan-Joost Bouwman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book.
I picked it up hoping it was a factual history of Organon, the big farmaceutical company from Oss. It turned out to be a novel loosely based on the history of that company. Too bad, but it could still be good, right. I mean there is a lot here: scientific discoveries, the clash between science and business on the one hand and religion on the other (they were the first to introduce large scale birth control pills, at a time it was still quite controversial), building an international company in the interbellum, the clash between entrepreneurial people working in a provincial place, a Jewish factory owner (of a slaughterhouse processing loads of pigs!) in a Catholic town, a Jewish family (or even a large portion of the scientific staff) trying to survive the Holocaust, rebuilding an empire after the war, the effect of the hormonal preparations on the factory workers. Loads of interesting angles.
Unfortunately none of these were really used. Instead out of the 280 pages the author kept coming back to the sexual escapades of the tycoon, for at least 200 pages (or so it seemed at least). And not very well at that. This is a typical case of a writer that failed at creating a believable protagonist from the opposite sex. The guy stays a boring stereotype throughout the book and you never get any closer to him. And he has NO character development whatsoever. The stuff that would have been interesting: all stereotypes and platitudes as well. The best thing I can say about this book is that is was a quick read. I think I would have much better liked a history of the company. In fact I know so.

[Jess Swann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un ouvrage déroutant narré par le personnage principal qui n'est pas, loin de là, un homme sympathique. A travers les souvenirs de Motke, nous sommes entrainés dans la genèse de la création d'un grand laboratoire pharmaceutique, il est à signaler que cette fiction est largement inspirée de la véritable histoire d'Organon (ce qui rend le livre encore plus intéressant !)

Donc nous avons Motke, cloué dans son lit qui dévide lentement l'histoire de sa vie. Autant le dire tout de suite, Motke est un salaud : mari menteur, patron détestable (il n'hésite pas à faire pression sur ses ouvrières pour obtenir des faveurs sexuelles), frère immonde (il est d'ailleurs renié par son jumeau) et ami peu fidèle... Et pourtant, la force du roman réside dans le fait qu'on ne peut s'empêcher de comprendre le personnage. Je ne dis pas qu'on l'excuse, ni que ses actes sont justifiés, mais on comprend le "pourquoi" il agit de la sorte. A travers les actes de Motke, on voit sa frustration, son amertume de n'avoir pas pu accéder aux études dont il rêvait. Autodidacte, Motke tente d'égaler son "mentor" Levine tout en le haïssant de posséder le savoir qui lui a été refusé jusqu'à la trahison ultime...

A travers les aventures personnelles de Motke, on découvre aussi les avancées scientifiques de l'époque et la difficulté pour les entreprises (et pas que !) durant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale. Le personnage d'Aron, comme une némésis, rappelle sans cesse à Motke ses erreurs, tout comme Levine dont le comportement durant l'occupation finit par faire honte à Motke, planqué en Angleterre (même si Mokte dans sa suprématie ne s'en rend pas compte).


Ce que j'aime : le fait que l'histoire soit basée sur des faits réels, le personnage de Motke, vrai salaud à la psychologie fouillée


Ce que j'aime moins : j'aurais apprécié quelques détails sur Ezra


En bref : Un très bon roman où l'on suit avec passion la vie d'un authentique personnage antipathique et les différentes avancées pharmaceutiques du siècle dernier


Ma note


7/10

[Merel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler!

De broers Aron en Motke erven het slacht- en vleesverwerkingsbedrijf van hun ouders. Motke is directeur en richt een bedrijf op met de wetenschapper Raphael: Farmacom. Door de jaren heen groeit het gestaag maar Motke rommelt met personeel. Hij trouwt met het meisje Rivka dat hij per ongeluk bezwangerd heeft en krijgt vier meisjes en een jongen genaamd Ezra. Ook bezward hij Roosje. Later heeft hij nog een vlam Diane. In 1938 probeert hij een testosteron medicijn op Aron waarna Aron Roosje verkacht. Hij moet naar de gevangenis. Aan het eind van Motkes leven heeft hij spijt dat hij soms allen maar voor zijn eigen hachje is gegaan en niet voor zijn gezin en vrienden. Toch blijft hij zichzelf geweldig vinden.

Dit was echt een boek dat mij een figuurlijke klap in het gezicht gaf. Hoe kunnen mannen zulke monsters zijn door hun personeel zo te behandelen? Natuurlijk ben ik geen fervent feministe dus uiteraard kan een vrouw ook zo zijn, maar mannen zitten vaker in de positie dat ze deze ongein kunnen uithalen. We zien dat mannen in het bedrijfsleven nog steeds de hogere functies bekleden. Motke is een echte narcist. Hij vind zichzelf helemaal geweldig en alle wijkt ook voor hem. Zijn schuldgevoel dat af en toe komt opzetten is maar van korte duur. Uiteindelijk is hij altijd degene die voor gaat.
Zijn broer Aron is er helemaal klaar mee. Nadat hij Roosje heeft verkracht, doordat zijn broer de dosis testosteron gevaarlijk hoog had opgehoogd, besluit hij zijn broer niet meer te willen zien. Het is ene beetje een triest verhaal eigenlijk. Motke heeft wel succes, maar elk succes heeft een fundering nodig die oa bestaat uit familie en vrienden. En uiteindelijk was dat er voor hem niet meer.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hormone Factory is a fictionalized account of the actual firm in the Netherlands that produced, among other things, insulin, testosterone, and the birth control pill. It focuses primarily on Mordechai de Paauw, the fictionalized version of the industrialist that started it all. Mordechai is on his deathbed, looking back at his life, finally suffering for his misdeeds as he watches his son follow in his oversexed, womanizing footsteps.

As Mordechai and his brother Aaron and their partner Professor Levine built up their business, Hitler was busy rising to power in next door Germany. All three partners and many of the employees were Jewish but the main concern to Mordechai always seemed to protect the business from the hands of the Nazis.

Mordechai is the anti-hero, a despicable human being but the protagonist of his own story. He is old, his body is frail and falling apart, he can't speak, but his mind is as sharp as ever. This is the punishment he gets for a lifetime of disloyalty, forcing his young and attractive factory workers to satisfy his sexual whims, and being an all around sickening individual. The author is far more subtle in her judgments of Mordechai than I am and I would have liked to see him suffer more for all the damage he inflicted.

This book was riveting. Though I hated the main character and wanted to see him receive a far harsher punishment, I found the book itself fascinating. The invention of so many life-saving or life-altering drugs, being able to put TB hospitals out of business, all of this while fearing the advance of Hitler's troops makes for a truly interesting novel.

[TammyJo Eckhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I had the chance to get this book to review from the Vine program here on Amazon, it was classified as history but I cannot find any evidence that the specific people or events in the book actually happened. The book's back cover claims it is based on the story of Organon, a historical Dutch pharmaceutical company that is now part of Merck & Co..

This is more 'historical fiction" where the background of science research is a vehicle by which medical and science corporation development in the first half of the 20th century are explored. In 1905, Ernest Starling first used the word "hormone" so the history of this science of our biochemical selfs does indeed have a fairly recent history.

This novel is told in the memories of one Mordechai de Paauw, a Jewish Dutchman who turns his father's meat packing company into a multinational pharmaceutical company. Motke, as everyone calls our main character, is an utterly unlikeable fellow. He is selfish, he is driven, he is manipulative, and his sexual pursuits cross the lines of morality and legality until it almost causes the destruction of his family and business.

The only bit of empathy I could manage for Motke was his living through WWII. While he had to flew and almost everyone else we may have felt sympathy with in the book struggles even more than him. Is he ever made to pay for his loose morals and greed? You'd have to read the book to find out.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the true story of a Dutch pharmaceutical company, Organon, that became enormously successful after discovering and developing a range of drugs and hormones, from insulin to the birth-control pill, this is a fictional account of the firm and its founders and in particular the story of the main protagonist. An unreliable narrator par excellence, but one with an enviable ability to recall the events of his tumultuous life, we meet him first as he lies on his deathbed looking back and reflecting on all that happened. As much family saga as account of the company and his role in it, it’s a compelling exploration of the marriage between scientific research and discovery and their translation into successful business practice and the compromises that sometimes have to be made. The story of the development of the drugs and chemicals that have become so familiar to us today is in itself an interesting thread to the novel, as is the way the war impacted on Holland and some of its enterprises. The family thread is also engaging as we see how the ruthlessness of the company’s founder impacts on his loved ones and associates. All in all I found this an extremely enjoyable and thought-provoking novel. Its theme is unusual and the author covers the complexities with understanding and empathy. Well-written and well-paced, it’s a clever debut and one which I very much recommend.

[Megan Ammer-Barefield · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that this is a work of fiction, and that the author had very little, historically, to go off of to create these characters, but the lack of humanity in Motke was extremely troubling during my read through. I was attracted to the novel for the simplified version of the plot, the hormone race and war, and how those two things can affect the evolution of human kind. I expected some traditional sexism, because the story is based in an era famous for sexism, but Motke's attitude toward everyone was disgusting, making his character the worse possible narrator. The story quickly changes from information about the scientific aspects of the company to personal ramblings about Motke's sex drive, accounts of rapes he's performed, while under the illusion that he wasn't an attacker, and details of ways women are lesser than men. He takes no issue with describing women's physical aspects bluntly and roughly, while refusing to refer to his penis as anything but "beast." His mindset was awful and I found it really difficult to continue reading. The only positive part is that Motke is dying, and there's hints that he's being kept alive to suffer longer. With the exception of a few characters who improved sections of the novel, the one redeeming quality of the novel is Motke's much deserved death.

[Ingrid Krüs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik woon zelf inmiddels al jaren in Oss en was daarom wel geïnteresseerd in dit boek, gebaseerd op het leven van een van de oprichters van Osse multinational Organon, Saal van Zwanenberg. Geen idee of hij in werkelijkheid net zo'n onscrupuleus figuur was als hoofdpersoon Motke de Paauw.
Ik vond het interessant om te lezen wat het bedrijf allemaal in de markt heeft gezet (insuline, oestrogeen, testosteron, de pil) en hoe dat in zijn werk is gegaan. Het levensverhaal van De Paauw is tumultueus genoeg om een boek mee te vullen en bij tijden was ik geboeid aan het lezen, vooral in de tweede helft.

Jammer genoeg is Saskia Goldschmidt echter geen schrijver die het aan komt waaien. Ze moet echt werken voor haar tekst. Dat is te merken aan de de wat onecht aandoende (Brabantse) dialogen en vooral aan de vele gekunstelde synoniemen en uitdrukkingen. Als ze daarin nou fors had geschrapt, had ik wellicht een ster meer gegeven.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather mundane tale of a Jewish businessman in pre-war Holland who partners with a brilliant scientist to develop and market first insulin an then a host of other synthetic hormones. Ruthless in business and in his personal relationships, de Paau built an international pharmaceutical juggernaut but at enormous personal cost. Told from the perspective of de Paauw at the end of his life, one found it difficult to muster much sympathy for the old goat. A man ruled by his appetites found himself unable to care for even his own simplest needs but was at the mercy of his caretakers. And even yet, he still admitted no culpability. I picked this up in hopes of learning a little about the development of insulin, but instead learned a little more about the exigencies that war can engender and the cruel aftermath of choices made under duress.

[Karmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Main character is Mordecai de Paauw, Dutch co-founder & CEO of the first pharma company to invent the contraceptive pill and other hormonal treatments. The company, a butcher's, is inherited from his father just before Hitler begins his rise to power. Mordecai takes the company from De Paauw Slaughterhouse and Meatpacking to a pharma concern with their new division Farmacon in partnership with Rafael Levine.

The material couldn't be more interesting. The book reads more like a gossip magazine. It doesn't seem to take itself seriously. I was not expecting a scientific paper or scholarly treatise, but definitely something with a little more weight.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het verhaal is gebaseerd op (vh) Organon in Oss, maar de personen zijn fictie. Geschreven vanuit het perspectief van een oude, stervende man die terugkijkt op zijn leven als directeur van de onderneming en die koste wat kost het bedrijf groot heeft gemaakt. Veel persoonlijk leed dat hij veroorzaakt heeft komt naar voren. Ook een enorme gedrevenheid. Aan de ene kant kun je je soms inleven in zijn 'handelingen' omdat het vanuit zijn perspectief is geschreven. Aan de andere kant geeft het een beeld van een egoïstisch leven.
De omschrijving bij het boek vind ik wat spectaculairder dan het boek uiteindelijk is.

[Marja Paffen-wetzels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goed verhaal over een familie waarvan de vader directeur/eigenaar is van een fabriek.Door de ontrouw van deze vader valt het hele gezin uiteen en door zijn houding in de Tweede Wereldoorlog verliest de vader zijn beste vrienden.Alleen hijzelf leeft onbezorgd en de ontwikkeling van de fabriek gaat voortvarend.De prijs die hij hiervoor in zijn leven heeft moeten betalen dringt eigenlijk pas door als hij oud en bedlegerig is.Een aanrader !

[Paula Schumm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Other Press for a free advance download of The Hormone Factory by Saskia Goldschmidt.
This fictionalized account of a rising Dutch pharmaceutical company during World War II was engaging. The Hormone Factory is told from the point of view of the 97-year-old Mordechai De Paauw on his deathbed. The former CEO of Farmacom takes the reader from a family slaughterhouse through its transformation to an international lab and pharmaceutical company. Great read!

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the fact that the idea for this book was based upon a real company and real events. I also liked the setting of the Netherlands before, during, and after World War II.

While the characters were certainly strongly developed, the main character didn't seem realistic. He seemed like an evil caricature. I also ended up getting tired of reading about his sexual appetites throughout the entire book.

I received this book as a Goodreads First-Read. Yay!

[Aninha · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Het individu vangen in een specifieke identiteit, dat is de truc die gebruikt wordt om de ander te isoleren" "Het spijt me, maar zo lopen de gootjes als het regent"
Fascinerend verhaal en goed opgeschreven. Ik had graag meer willen lezen over de periode na WOIi , die periode wordt versneld beschreven. Ongelooflijk dat dit bijna allemaal echt zo gebeurd is.

[L'Occitane littéraire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre d'intensité et d'une profondeur puissante et poétique, qui en font un coup de coeur manifeste pour moi. Le personnage de Mokte est complexe mais fascinant à suivre, et l'histoire ne vous laissera pas insensible,je vous laisse ma chronique complète juste là si ça vous intéresse : http://bookymary.blogspot.fr/2015/11/...