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The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty
'Captivating, intimate, dazzling epic and revelatory' SIMON SEBAG-MONTEFIORE The story of the family who rose from the Frankfurt ghetto to become synonymous with wealth and power has been much mythologized. Yet half the Rothschilds, the women, remain virtually unknown. From the East End of London to the Eastern seaboard of the United States, from Spitalfields to Scottish castles, from Bletchley Park to Buchenwald, and from the Vatican to Palestine, Natalie Livingstone follows the extraordinary lives of the English branch of the Rothschild women from the dawn of the nineteenth century to the early years of the twenty first. As Jews in a Christian society and women in a deeply patriarchal family, they were outsiders. Determined to challenge and subvert expectations, they supported each other, building on the legacies of their mothers and aunts. They became influential hostesses and talented diplomats, choreographing electoral campaigns, advising prime ministers, advocating for social reform and trading on the stock exchange. Misfits and conformists, conservatives and idealists, performers and introverts, they mixed with Rossini and Mendelssohn, Disraeli, Gladstone and Chaim Weizmann, amphetamine-dealers, temperance campaigners, Queen Victoria, and Albert Einstein. They broke code, played a pioneering role in the environmental movement, scandalised the world of women's tennis by introducing the overarm serve and drag-raced with Miles Davies in Manhattan.Absorbing and compulsive THE WOMEN OF ROTHSCHILD gives voice to the complicated, privileged and gifted women whose vision and tenacity shaped history.
605 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2022
562 people are currently reading
10874 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Livingstone
7 books92 followersNatalie Livingstone was born and raised in London. She graduated with a first class degree in history from Christ's College, Cambridge in 1998. She began her career as a feature writer at the Daily Express and now contributes to Tatler, Harper's Bazaar, US Vogue, Elle, The Times and the Mail on Sunday. Natalie lives in London with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
October 4, 2022
This book carries a detailed plethora of information regarding the Rothschild women and as such, it came across as an encyclopedia. I appreciate the knowledge I consumed reading this book as I had a vague familiarity with the women of Rothschild or the Rothchilds as a whole as all I knew was that they were a wealthy dynasty. This book uncovers the essential, influential roles of the females within the Rothchild clan. They were an instrumental powerhouse, albeit delegated to the background, living in their husbands' shadows when in fact, they were much more than that. Sadly, their contributions have been overlooked throughout history yet this book sheds a truthful light on the reality of the life that unfolded for these Rothschild women.
In addition, I do appreciate the meticulous research that was required to create a detailed book to this extent, spanning a few hundred years. It is not a light read as the information consumed is abundant. I do recommend reading it for a history buff or anyone wanting to learn about the Rothschild women in detail.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
In addition, I do appreciate the meticulous research that was required to create a detailed book to this extent, spanning a few hundred years. It is not a light read as the information consumed is abundant. I do recommend reading it for a history buff or anyone wanting to learn about the Rothschild women in detail.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
September 7, 2022
The Rothschilds are a dynasty eponymous for wealth, but the women of the family have been long relegated to the shadows of history despite their major influence on English culture and society in their time.
The only thing I knew about the Rothschilds before reading this book was the myth about Nathan Rothschild making a treacherous fortune on the news of Waterloo. I had not considered the women of this family at all - which really is a shame, considering how fascinating they are.
In this book, Livingstone traces the lives of the Rothschild women who lived in England - the descendants of Nathan Mayer, who was one of the five brothers who established the family bank as an international entity. The women led fascinating lives, involving themselves in politics, charity, science, and even the family business despite a generation-long edict against female involvement. Despite the plethora of people discussed in the book, they were easy to tell apart due to the way the author strongly established their personalities.
However, the timeline of the book occasionally became confusing as we moved back and forth between the women being profiled in the different sections. I was also really disappointed that, after the level of detail in the first half of the book, some of the women in Parts III and IV were barely touched upon, though I am aware that this may have been due to the destruction of family papers that Livingstone referenced a few times throughout the book.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
The only thing I knew about the Rothschilds before reading this book was the myth about Nathan Rothschild making a treacherous fortune on the news of Waterloo. I had not considered the women of this family at all - which really is a shame, considering how fascinating they are.
In this book, Livingstone traces the lives of the Rothschild women who lived in England - the descendants of Nathan Mayer, who was one of the five brothers who established the family bank as an international entity. The women led fascinating lives, involving themselves in politics, charity, science, and even the family business despite a generation-long edict against female involvement. Despite the plethora of people discussed in the book, they were easy to tell apart due to the way the author strongly established their personalities.
However, the timeline of the book occasionally became confusing as we moved back and forth between the women being profiled in the different sections. I was also really disappointed that, after the level of detail in the first half of the book, some of the women in Parts III and IV were barely touched upon, though I am aware that this may have been due to the destruction of family papers that Livingstone referenced a few times throughout the book.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
November 8, 2022
Phew that was an exhaustive story! Following the very beginnings of the eventual Rothschild Dynasty, it careful concentrated on the ladies of the family. Following generations, that were initially encouraged to marry within either the family or another Jewish man, this was a story of strong women, determined to make their mark, even though many were in the background.
The family went on to become an integral part of all of Europe with their enormous wealth and far reaching influence. Coming from the ghetto initially, it was truly a story of how the family, assisted by the women, became one of the most powerful families of the day. Even today, the Rothschild name is well known. Beginning in Frankfort, Germany, they were of the Ashkenazi Jews. They credited their rise to power and wealth through the skills of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who started his banking business. In the nineteenth century, they were the wealthiest family in the world.
The book well points out the extreme prejudice the Jews suffered and the progress this family made in entering both the social and political scenes that they eventually arrived at. The wealth of the family initially passed through the sons, but as time progressed the women also inherited.
The ills of womanhood, particularly death from childbirth as well as the diseases of the day painted a picture that was no always rosy for the family. Marrying a Christian was forbidden, but eventually that too, faded away with more modern times.
This is a long book and one that took patience to read/listen to. Thank you to NetGalley for both the written and audio performance of this book.
The family went on to become an integral part of all of Europe with their enormous wealth and far reaching influence. Coming from the ghetto initially, it was truly a story of how the family, assisted by the women, became one of the most powerful families of the day. Even today, the Rothschild name is well known. Beginning in Frankfort, Germany, they were of the Ashkenazi Jews. They credited their rise to power and wealth through the skills of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who started his banking business. In the nineteenth century, they were the wealthiest family in the world.
The book well points out the extreme prejudice the Jews suffered and the progress this family made in entering both the social and political scenes that they eventually arrived at. The wealth of the family initially passed through the sons, but as time progressed the women also inherited.
The ills of womanhood, particularly death from childbirth as well as the diseases of the day painted a picture that was no always rosy for the family. Marrying a Christian was forbidden, but eventually that too, faded away with more modern times.
This is a long book and one that took patience to read/listen to. Thank you to NetGalley for both the written and audio performance of this book.
August 30, 2022
This is a very dense history book, and as per the author's notes, mostly concerns the women of the British branch of the family, and I would add, particularly in the more modern years of the 20th and 21st centuries, with a little French and German parts of the family thrown in for visits, matchmaking and weddings and family gatherings. The information about the women could not be presented without about half of the text relating to the male figures, so my initial expectations about the book differed from that actual text. This work certainly involved a lot of research and dedication, and provides an interesting addition to women's history. Having completed this book, I kind of wonder about the women in the other branches of the family in the other parts of Europe and wherever else they lived.
The Rothschild women were often advisors and partners of their husbands, even though, they were specifically left out of family businesses by the founder Mayer Amschel Rothschild. With their name, wealth, and connections, the women played significant roles in the march of political, economic, geopolitical, social and artistic history. The wealth and business did not necessarily shield them from the anti-Semitic nature of the world, from sickness, early death, unhappy marriages and lives, and many misfortunes. As the family grew and spread, beyond the original generations of the founders, Mayer and Gutle, and their five sons, and became more integrated into general culture, it seems to me, they became unmoored from the original moral boundaries, with some major exceptions. Perhaps the fact that so many cousins married each other through the generations, there may have been a genetic component to mental and physical health issues that many faced.
I am not sure I would have completed this book if I had not won it in the giveaway and had a personal commitment to review it. It certainly is the kind of book that I most like to read, and I am glad that I finished it. Not all of the pursuits were so interesting to me, so there was room for some skimming. It was challenging to keep up with all of the names and relationships, particularly as many of the names were used many times through out the 250 years covered in this history.
Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.
The Rothschild women were often advisors and partners of their husbands, even though, they were specifically left out of family businesses by the founder Mayer Amschel Rothschild. With their name, wealth, and connections, the women played significant roles in the march of political, economic, geopolitical, social and artistic history. The wealth and business did not necessarily shield them from the anti-Semitic nature of the world, from sickness, early death, unhappy marriages and lives, and many misfortunes. As the family grew and spread, beyond the original generations of the founders, Mayer and Gutle, and their five sons, and became more integrated into general culture, it seems to me, they became unmoored from the original moral boundaries, with some major exceptions. Perhaps the fact that so many cousins married each other through the generations, there may have been a genetic component to mental and physical health issues that many faced.
I am not sure I would have completed this book if I had not won it in the giveaway and had a personal commitment to review it. It certainly is the kind of book that I most like to read, and I am glad that I finished it. Not all of the pursuits were so interesting to me, so there was room for some skimming. It was challenging to keep up with all of the names and relationships, particularly as many of the names were used many times through out the 250 years covered in this history.
Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.
November 8, 2022
I went into this book blind, having known almost nothing about this wealthy Jewish family that shaped by European history. However, after reading the book, I still don't feel like I know very much. This book read like an encyclopedia and was mainly just a litany of facts and quotes mashed together to form a loosely organized book. I had trouble keeping the numerous characters straight, and resorted to Wikipedia and Google on many occasions to help me better understand what I was reading. This book was really dry and the writing style never made the characters come alive to me. It was a slog to get through and I kept hoping for more details that would make the women more interesting. I think the author was trying to show that the women in the Rothschild family were just as interesting and historically relevant, but the way this book was written had the opposite affect on me; I found them to be dull and uninteresting, completely dwarfed by the men. I retained little of what I read because I had to struggle so much to stay engaged with what I was reading.
I do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I also appreciate the amount of research and work the author put into this book. Unfortunately, it was just not a book for me.
I do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I also appreciate the amount of research and work the author put into this book. Unfortunately, it was just not a book for me.
October 5, 2022
4.5 stars, rounding up. This is a thorough overview of the activities of the women of the Rothschild family. Starting in 1753 in Frankfurt with the birth of Gutle, who would go on to marry Mayer Amschel Rothschild when she was seventeen years old, we soon move with other members of the family to Britain during the industrial revolution. The book then focuses on the English side of the Rothschild family throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Using letters, diaries and books written by the family, the author is able to build up a picture of the Rothschild women’s involvement in politics, art, women’s suffrage, scientific research and even the twentieth century’s New York jazz scene. Alongside this is the family’s own internal politics, births, deaths, illnesses, frustrations and tragedies. What’s revealed is a collection of dynamic women who weren’t just there when important things happened, but they played an important part in making them happen.
The author has clearly put a lot of work into this book and it’s packed with factual information. Although, I did find it difficult to follow the narrative quite often, as the author would suddenly start talking about another person while discussing someone else. You really have to concentrate so as not to get mixed up. I also understand what some other reviewers say about the writing being a bit ‘dry’, but at least the author doesn’t go off at tangents or engage in speculation to liven up the story and/or fill out the blanks. It’s an honest account.
Using letters, diaries and books written by the family, the author is able to build up a picture of the Rothschild women’s involvement in politics, art, women’s suffrage, scientific research and even the twentieth century’s New York jazz scene. Alongside this is the family’s own internal politics, births, deaths, illnesses, frustrations and tragedies. What’s revealed is a collection of dynamic women who weren’t just there when important things happened, but they played an important part in making them happen.
The author has clearly put a lot of work into this book and it’s packed with factual information. Although, I did find it difficult to follow the narrative quite often, as the author would suddenly start talking about another person while discussing someone else. You really have to concentrate so as not to get mixed up. I also understand what some other reviewers say about the writing being a bit ‘dry’, but at least the author doesn’t go off at tangents or engage in speculation to liven up the story and/or fill out the blanks. It’s an honest account.
Want to read
June 10, 202210/25/22
November 2, 2022
The Rothschild's is a huge family and the book is very well researched but it read like a history book. It was very factual but there was no heart to it. I knew what the women did but not why. I didn't feel like I really got to know any of the women. There is a family tree but I think those who read a physical book will be able to benefit from it. I read on a Kindle and without the ability to enlarge it was useless. I was confused with the numerous people named Charlotte, Hannah, Mayer, and Nathan.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital copy.
January 7, 2022
The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty by Natalie Livingstone is an in-depth look at the full lineage of the fascinating women of the Rothschild family.
This book is a full and all-encompassing look at all of the formidable, fascinating, and extensive list of women that have been part of this infamous family.
The author has clearly done her research and I am impressed and stunned by the amount of facts and material that she has presented. It at times was a bit mind-jumbling to try to keep all of it straight, but the author presents the material in appropriate and sensible ways to help the reader follow through.
Unfortunately with it not being available for kindle, I was unable to enlarge the lovely family tree images at the beginning, which is such a shame. It would have really added to the learning experience.
I enjoyed learning more about this family.
4/5 stars
Thank you NG and St. Martin’s Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts immediately upon publication on 7/26/22.
This book is a full and all-encompassing look at all of the formidable, fascinating, and extensive list of women that have been part of this infamous family.
The author has clearly done her research and I am impressed and stunned by the amount of facts and material that she has presented. It at times was a bit mind-jumbling to try to keep all of it straight, but the author presents the material in appropriate and sensible ways to help the reader follow through.
Unfortunately with it not being available for kindle, I was unable to enlarge the lovely family tree images at the beginning, which is such a shame. It would have really added to the learning experience.
I enjoyed learning more about this family.
4/5 stars
Thank you NG and St. Martin’s Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts immediately upon publication on 7/26/22.
January 8, 2023
The Kardashian’s of Frankfurt could be the alternative title for this book!
Mix the Kardashians with The Kennedys, Dallas and Dynasty and you have the story of The Women of Rothschild.
Flippancy to one side I thought this was an excellent book to learn more about the famous family, the matriarchs, Judaism, anti-semitism and the humble beginnings of the Rothschild in Frankfurt.
Some of the characters are not as fascinating as others so there are parts that one wishes to read quickly but others become rabbit warrens of interesting information and internet searching.
Mix the Kardashians with The Kennedys, Dallas and Dynasty and you have the story of The Women of Rothschild.
Flippancy to one side I thought this was an excellent book to learn more about the famous family, the matriarchs, Judaism, anti-semitism and the humble beginnings of the Rothschild in Frankfurt.
Some of the characters are not as fascinating as others so there are parts that one wishes to read quickly but others become rabbit warrens of interesting information and internet searching.
September 8, 2022
I absolutely LOVE this type of book and it’s the type of book I absolutely struggle with.
So many names places and facts thrown out my brain starts to feel like mush.
Very worth the read - strong independent women navigating a man’s world (AND family) - this book is full of gripping and enthralling stories. Sometimes my brain just got distracted by minutiae instead of enjoying the tale so I would have to double back. This it took me longer than my average read, required a bit more concentration and focus. I may have taken a few extra reading breaks and a bit more time but I never doubted that I would soon pick it back up and dive back in.
So many names places and facts thrown out my brain starts to feel like mush.
Very worth the read - strong independent women navigating a man’s world (AND family) - this book is full of gripping and enthralling stories. Sometimes my brain just got distracted by minutiae instead of enjoying the tale so I would have to double back. This it took me longer than my average read, required a bit more concentration and focus. I may have taken a few extra reading breaks and a bit more time but I never doubted that I would soon pick it back up and dive back in.
April 14, 2022
The Women of Rothschild
The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty
by Natalie Livingston
I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist so the chance for a deep look into the Rothchild's was definitely an exciting prospect for me.
It was really an enigmatic look into the building of an empire into a world of wealth that seemingly ignores what the women in the family accomplish. Interesting really considering they were used a lot in the banking world as what the men considered, free labor.
Even since the very start the family have been entrepreneurs and widely independent. They have had their fingers in many pies over the centuries and seeing just where these women fit has really been quite interesting. The fact that they accomplished what they accomplished back then, during a time where Jews were treated like vermin, is actually quite inspiring.
The clause in Mayer’s will must have been heartbreaking for his daughters but I bet it didn’t come as any real surprise.
It was really quite an insightful read. I had no idea of the inner workings of the earlier Rothchild’s and how independent and savvy a lot of the women were. I would love to know more to be honest, about the family. I felt this book, while well researched, opened up a rabbit hole for me now. I have questions.
It was a little spiritless, I felt the tone was a little one dimensional. I felt it could have done with tonality and a little personality into the writing but that might be just me. It could have been a lot more gripping of a read with a little color.
The author did a lot of research and it was stitched together very well. It was a very pragmatic approach for providing the history.
Definitely worth the read and if you have an interest in the Rothchild's or are a conspiracy theorist like me, this is one for your shelves.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty
by Natalie Livingston
I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist so the chance for a deep look into the Rothchild's was definitely an exciting prospect for me.
It was really an enigmatic look into the building of an empire into a world of wealth that seemingly ignores what the women in the family accomplish. Interesting really considering they were used a lot in the banking world as what the men considered, free labor.
Even since the very start the family have been entrepreneurs and widely independent. They have had their fingers in many pies over the centuries and seeing just where these women fit has really been quite interesting. The fact that they accomplished what they accomplished back then, during a time where Jews were treated like vermin, is actually quite inspiring.
The clause in Mayer’s will must have been heartbreaking for his daughters but I bet it didn’t come as any real surprise.
It was really quite an insightful read. I had no idea of the inner workings of the earlier Rothchild’s and how independent and savvy a lot of the women were. I would love to know more to be honest, about the family. I felt this book, while well researched, opened up a rabbit hole for me now. I have questions.
It was a little spiritless, I felt the tone was a little one dimensional. I felt it could have done with tonality and a little personality into the writing but that might be just me. It could have been a lot more gripping of a read with a little color.
The author did a lot of research and it was stitched together very well. It was a very pragmatic approach for providing the history.
Definitely worth the read and if you have an interest in the Rothchild's or are a conspiracy theorist like me, this is one for your shelves.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 16, 2021
The only thing I knew about the Rothschild family before starting this comprehensive book was that they were very rich, and that their name derived from the German, Rotes Schild, or Red Shield. From their humble origins in the Judengrasse in Frankfurt we see the start of the family when in 1770 Mayer Amschel Rothschild married Gutle Snapper and by hard work and enterprise the dynasty started to spread beyond the confines of Frankfurt into Europe and beyond. I found the early part of the book fascinating, the history of the period, the way the family accumulated their wealth and the way in which the Rothschild women were, by and large, overshadowed in favour of their more dominant male siblings and cousins.
The book is a comprehensive account of this dynastic family and as such it took me a little while to read it as it's not one to be rushed but rather savoured in small doses. Easy to dip into and out of and nicely divided into four distinct sections I found much to enjoy, especially learning more about some of the individual female members of the Rothschild family, enjoying getting to know more about their strengths and weaknesses. Meticulously researched and with a wide breadth of information I was surprised by just how accessible the book was, never overly complicated with too much historical detail and yet filled with a realistic sense of time passing. It's a beautifully presented book with some colour plates and a comprehensive notes and index section. I especially appreciated the teal colour which highlights the section changes.
The Women of Rothschild gives a strong voice to those women who, it must be said, played a huge role in the financial growth of this iconic family and yet whose important contributions have been seriously overlooked for generations.
April 1, 2022
THE WOMEN OF ROTHSCHILD: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty
by Natalie Livingstone
St. Martin's Press
Out Oct 25
I learned so much about the Rothschild dynasty while reading Natalie Livingstone's intriguing history of its women. Jewish in a Christian world, the family started in extreme poverty and amassed great wealth over time. The author contends that the Rothschild women, while never able to work in the family's bank during the early 19th Century to the beginning of the 20th, were still influential in the rise of the family's social status as well as its gain in riches.
The extraordinary story gripped me as it moved from London to the U.S. Eastern seaboard, from Scotland to Bletchley, and from Buchenwald to the Vatican to Palestine.
Well-written and researched, The Women of Rothschild is highly recommended for history buffs and readers captivated by real life stories of influential women. Brava, Natalie!
Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
#TheWomenOfRothschild #StMartinsPress#NatalieLivingstone #NetGalley #HistoryOfWorldsMostFamousDynasty #19thCenturyHistory #20thCenturyHistory #bookstagramcommunity
by Natalie Livingstone
St. Martin's Press
Out Oct 25
I learned so much about the Rothschild dynasty while reading Natalie Livingstone's intriguing history of its women. Jewish in a Christian world, the family started in extreme poverty and amassed great wealth over time. The author contends that the Rothschild women, while never able to work in the family's bank during the early 19th Century to the beginning of the 20th, were still influential in the rise of the family's social status as well as its gain in riches.
The extraordinary story gripped me as it moved from London to the U.S. Eastern seaboard, from Scotland to Bletchley, and from Buchenwald to the Vatican to Palestine.
Well-written and researched, The Women of Rothschild is highly recommended for history buffs and readers captivated by real life stories of influential women. Brava, Natalie!
Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
#TheWomenOfRothschild #StMartinsPress#NatalieLivingstone #NetGalley #HistoryOfWorldsMostFamousDynasty #19thCenturyHistory #20thCenturyHistory #bookstagramcommunity
March 15, 2023
For a book about women there are a lot men about! Found this rather dry and hard-going.
April 2, 2023
Had high hopes for the book but I didn’t enjoy the style of writing
December 4, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Women of Rothschild.
Author: Natalie Livingstone
Narrator: Francesca Waters
Published: 10/25/22
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs -- History
Well-documented and researched facts; while I didn't fact check, I've read enough to know there was a passion involved in this book. The facts and the narration were both too dry to maintain my attention. There were bits and pieces, respectfully, of trivia tidbits that would pique my interest at that time. Sadly, nothing stands out now.
I believe someone was excited when they saw the title. (Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis does it for me.) There is a market, and I would gift this to someone that asks, is a Rothschild enthusiast, or someone who I knew to be a smart reader.
Author: Natalie Livingstone
Narrator: Francesca Waters
Published: 10/25/22
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs -- History
Well-documented and researched facts; while I didn't fact check, I've read enough to know there was a passion involved in this book. The facts and the narration were both too dry to maintain my attention. There were bits and pieces, respectfully, of trivia tidbits that would pique my interest at that time. Sadly, nothing stands out now.
I believe someone was excited when they saw the title. (Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis does it for me.) There is a market, and I would gift this to someone that asks, is a Rothschild enthusiast, or someone who I knew to be a smart reader.
April 3, 2023
Good but…
I was hoping it would be a bit different. However, it was exactly as it claimed to be. The stories of the Women of Rothschild, not any getting to really hear their voices, etc. I love history but, sometimes I think I love more historical fiction. That’s nothing to be proud to admit, of course 🤷🏼♀️
I was hoping it would be a bit different. However, it was exactly as it claimed to be. The stories of the Women of Rothschild, not any getting to really hear their voices, etc. I love history but, sometimes I think I love more historical fiction. That’s nothing to be proud to admit, of course 🤷🏼♀️
April 20, 2025
This was exactly what I needed. This family is so damn fascinating and I truly feel like I learned so much. It was so neat reading about the different generations of Rothschild women, especially the ones who married in. (The second generation Rothschilds were like the Royals of Europe and married their cousins 🥴 ).
I thought this was an amazing work of literature and I'm very excited to continue my reading on this family, knowing what I do now when it comes to the wives of this dynasty.
4.5 ☆
I thought this was an amazing work of literature and I'm very excited to continue my reading on this family, knowing what I do now when it comes to the wives of this dynasty.
4.5 ☆
October 25, 2022
I received a copy of the Kindle ebook of this via NetGalley and all opinions are my own. My review will also be published today on my Goodreads account.
Natalie Livingstone has clearly done a lot of research in this volume containing multiple biographies of the women of the famous Rothschild banking family. She does a good job giving an overview of the English branch of the family, but as with books such as these, I don't pressure myself in remembering who everyone is, since there are so many members mentioned. Some of the women profiled do stand out, such as the witty Charlotte and outsider Blanche. With such a multitude, Livingstone does run into the problem of running out of steam towards the latter half of the book, which to me felt rushed in chronicling the lives of the later Rothschild women, and my eyes glazed over whenever politics was mentioned, but overall it's a good read.
4/5 stars
Natalie Livingstone has clearly done a lot of research in this volume containing multiple biographies of the women of the famous Rothschild banking family. She does a good job giving an overview of the English branch of the family, but as with books such as these, I don't pressure myself in remembering who everyone is, since there are so many members mentioned. Some of the women profiled do stand out, such as the witty Charlotte and outsider Blanche. With such a multitude, Livingstone does run into the problem of running out of steam towards the latter half of the book, which to me felt rushed in chronicling the lives of the later Rothschild women, and my eyes glazed over whenever politics was mentioned, but overall it's a good read.
4/5 stars
July 25, 2023
This was so interesting!
November 2, 2022
I received an ARC from the publisher. (Though it didn't arrive till after the publication date!)
A well-researched and well-written overview of many of the significant female members of the English branch of the Rothschild family. It's a bit overwhelming in both length and scope, but the writing is readable and engaging enough that it never feels like a chore to get through. It's really quite impressive how much the whole thing hangs together instead of feeling choppy or cobbled together.
The women of the Rothschild family, both those born into it and those who married into it, were interesting, vivid people, and their personalities are well drawn in this book. Livingstone is even-handed and clear-sighted about her subjects and about their (often complicated) relationships and foibles as well as their strengths and accomplishments.
The book ends up portraying the trajectory of possibilities for upper-class women through the 19th and 20th centuries. The women start out being bound by domestic concerns, then becoming society and (increasingly) political hostesses, pulling strings behind the scenes. They take on charitable and outright political work of the temperance/suffrage/poor relief kind, moving more and more center stage instead of behind the scenes. The 20th century women finally got to pursue careers; while Nica's role as a patron of American jazz is flashier, I was more impressed by Miriam's wide-ranging interests and accomplishments and Rosie's feminist criticism.
There's the usual stuff you can expect from family biographies of this sort--marriages both good and bad (though mostly bad, to be honest--whether they were arranged or chosen didn't seem to make much difference), tragedies and triumphs, feuds and forgiveness. It was sometimes difficult to hold who was who in my head as we moved from one generation into the next (and it was always difficult to keep any sort of understanding of the family tree!), but that was a necessary evil for a book with a scope as large as this one.
The question of the women's relationships to their own Jewishness surfaces and submerges throughout the book; I would have loved more of that, but given the lacuna in the records, that probably wasn't possible. I'm going to be spending a lot of time pondering the ways in which they were just like their Christian peers in the upper echelons of British society--and all the ways in which they very much were not.
A well-researched and well-written overview of many of the significant female members of the English branch of the Rothschild family. It's a bit overwhelming in both length and scope, but the writing is readable and engaging enough that it never feels like a chore to get through. It's really quite impressive how much the whole thing hangs together instead of feeling choppy or cobbled together.
The women of the Rothschild family, both those born into it and those who married into it, were interesting, vivid people, and their personalities are well drawn in this book. Livingstone is even-handed and clear-sighted about her subjects and about their (often complicated) relationships and foibles as well as their strengths and accomplishments.
The book ends up portraying the trajectory of possibilities for upper-class women through the 19th and 20th centuries. The women start out being bound by domestic concerns, then becoming society and (increasingly) political hostesses, pulling strings behind the scenes. They take on charitable and outright political work of the temperance/suffrage/poor relief kind, moving more and more center stage instead of behind the scenes. The 20th century women finally got to pursue careers; while Nica's role as a patron of American jazz is flashier, I was more impressed by Miriam's wide-ranging interests and accomplishments and Rosie's feminist criticism.
There's the usual stuff you can expect from family biographies of this sort--marriages both good and bad (though mostly bad, to be honest--whether they were arranged or chosen didn't seem to make much difference), tragedies and triumphs, feuds and forgiveness. It was sometimes difficult to hold who was who in my head as we moved from one generation into the next (and it was always difficult to keep any sort of understanding of the family tree!), but that was a necessary evil for a book with a scope as large as this one.
The question of the women's relationships to their own Jewishness surfaces and submerges throughout the book; I would have loved more of that, but given the lacuna in the records, that probably wasn't possible. I'm going to be spending a lot of time pondering the ways in which they were just like their Christian peers in the upper echelons of British society--and all the ways in which they very much were not.
January 13, 2022
This book is absolutely fascinating and I learned a lot from it. I didn’t know much about the Rothschilds at all before reading it and certainly nothing about the women of the family. The women may have been outsiders in some ways, being female in this patriarchal family and Jews in a predominately Christian society, but it mustn’t be overlooked that by and large they were incredibly privileged and that the wealth of their family gave them many opportunities.
As is often the case, history largely focusses on men with women getting an occasional mention as a wife, mother or daughter. Here Natalie Livingstone brings the women out from the shadows of their illustrious husbands and puts them at the forefront of her book. The women are so interesting and here are just a few of the stories which really caught my attention. I have to start of course with Gutle whose marriage to Mayer Amschel Rothschild in 1770 really begins the story. Their five sons founded the Rothschild dynasty but their daughters were never to inherit any of the family’s wealth directly. In the early 1800s, Hannah de Rothschild campaigned for Jewish liberty and emancipation. Her daughter, Hannah Mayer Rothschild, was proposed to by an Austrian prince, shocked the family by marrying outside the faith in 1839 and later suffered the tragic loss of a young son. That Hannah’s niece Constance (later Lady Battersea) was involved in campaigning for social reform and her 1922 memoir Reminiscences was very positively received, selling enough copies to earn Constance some royalties. I found Miriam Rothschild (b 1908) particularly fascinating. She was a renowned zoologist and heavily involved in the environmental issues. Highly intelligent, she was recruited to work as a translator at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. I hope I have got the relationships correct – there were a lot of Rothschild women to keep up with!
To mention those women above is just to touch on the memorable women of the Rothschild family. The book is impeccably and extensively researched and the author has brought together her findings in a compelling and very accessible way. It’s as much a social history as it is the history of the Rothschild women. The hardback is a physically beautiful book that would not be out of place on any coffee table. It’s a well written book revealing so much about this remarkable family and would be enjoyed by anyone with an interest of the role of women in history, albeit women from a extraordinarily privileged family.
As is often the case, history largely focusses on men with women getting an occasional mention as a wife, mother or daughter. Here Natalie Livingstone brings the women out from the shadows of their illustrious husbands and puts them at the forefront of her book. The women are so interesting and here are just a few of the stories which really caught my attention. I have to start of course with Gutle whose marriage to Mayer Amschel Rothschild in 1770 really begins the story. Their five sons founded the Rothschild dynasty but their daughters were never to inherit any of the family’s wealth directly. In the early 1800s, Hannah de Rothschild campaigned for Jewish liberty and emancipation. Her daughter, Hannah Mayer Rothschild, was proposed to by an Austrian prince, shocked the family by marrying outside the faith in 1839 and later suffered the tragic loss of a young son. That Hannah’s niece Constance (later Lady Battersea) was involved in campaigning for social reform and her 1922 memoir Reminiscences was very positively received, selling enough copies to earn Constance some royalties. I found Miriam Rothschild (b 1908) particularly fascinating. She was a renowned zoologist and heavily involved in the environmental issues. Highly intelligent, she was recruited to work as a translator at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. I hope I have got the relationships correct – there were a lot of Rothschild women to keep up with!
To mention those women above is just to touch on the memorable women of the Rothschild family. The book is impeccably and extensively researched and the author has brought together her findings in a compelling and very accessible way. It’s as much a social history as it is the history of the Rothschild women. The hardback is a physically beautiful book that would not be out of place on any coffee table. It’s a well written book revealing so much about this remarkable family and would be enjoyed by anyone with an interest of the role of women in history, albeit women from a extraordinarily privileged family.
November 27, 2022
The Women Of Rothschild was a very informative book. I've heard the name, but didn't know much about the family, especially the women. While I did learn something, I did find it to be long and tedious, though and lost interest along the way.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 14, 2025
The Women of Rothschild
Author: Natalie Livingstone
=======================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Why this book:
I’m on a history and non-fiction kick.
_________________
The Feel:
There’s a great sweep of history.
Favorite Character:
Hannah Barret Cohen Rothschild
Constance de Rothschild, Lady Battersea
Rozsika von Wertheimstein
Nica (Kathleen Annie Pannonica) Rothschild
Miriam Louisa Rothschild
The stories of these and the other Rothschild women was fabulously told here. Especially once we got past where they had to live in the reflected light of the Rothschild men.
Least Favorite Character:
Mayer Amschel Rothschild using his will to throw all of the women in the family out of the family business, forever. Nice guy there. Product of the times. But considering that his wife Gutle and his daughters were part and parcel of his businesses success, it is a mean-spirited slight. And you can see it being used as a weapon by the misogynists in the family down through the ages. And leaving his wife the house and a trust, but the trust is locked within the Rothschild businesses and those are handled by the sons and she has no say in how it was used. And again, yes, product of the times, but damn. He wouldn’t have been a success without Gutle. And this is how he rewarded her…and all their female progeny. Though despite his interdiction, the women of the family seemed to generationally fall into leadership roles within the family, society, politics, and banking either through the passing of their family patriarchs or some shortcomings of the men in their generation.
Baron Jules Adolphe de Koenigswarter was classic misogyny and toxic masculinity. All the things that attracted him and Nica to each other before World War Two died on the vine amidst the horrors of war and the marriage staggered on in the aftermath. As his career advanced, he expected her to be seen and not heard and to “know her place.” He went so far as to destroy her record collection when she didn’t do to please him. He sounds like a horrid little man.
We Can’t Go On Together With Suspicious Minds:
So, the British promised Chaim Weizmann and the proto-Israelites, and the Prince of Mecca that the British Empire supported a homeland for both Arabs and Jews in Palestine. Lord Crewe could've been a modern American politician.
Favorite Concept:
Hannah Barret Cohen Rothschild sneaking away to the exchanges in Paris while she was supposed to be attending her daughter who was expecting her grandchild.
Uhm Moments:
So, the cousin loving in pre-20th century Euro society extended beyond royalty to aristocracy and wealth. Whole lotta keeping it in the family. Ick.
Juxtaposition:
While interesting, the “focus” on the Rothschild women wanders severely telling us the story of the men while the women stand at the edges of the story, at least in the early chapters. The story of Hannah Barret Cohen Rothschild and her husband Nathan expanding his businesses in England including getting involved in smuggling payroll and such to the Duke of Wellington in Spain.. And he and his brothers on the Continent making huge currency exchanges between the pound and the franc behind the scenes during the Napoleonic wars. But that story is told as a part…an overwhelming part of the story of Nathan being the first of the Rothschilds to move to and marry into the growing English Jewish community with a strong woman who softens his strident and gruff business personality increasing the business and the tenor of his professional associations through her efforts. In fairness, as the history advanced, Hannah Rothschild became a force of nature in politics through the soft power of socializing and hosting, and her charitable work.
Anachronism:
The whole scribbling notes, writing letters, and diaries as opposed to modern social media…a poorer world? The difference in writing words that you’re never sure anyone is going to read as opposed to writing words designed to elicit someone to read them.
Pareidolia:
Miriam’s husband, married in wartime, George Lane, nee Gyorgy Lanyi, being involved in X Troop of No. 10 Commando and being dropped into northern France to obtain details of German mines and prepare for Allied landings reminds of an Anglo version of Inglorious Basterds, though probably with fewer baseball bats.
The Unexpected:
So MUCH cousin marriage. Exceeding European royalty factors, even. The branches of the tree grow back together so much that it is hard to keep track of.
_________________
Pacing:
Very well paced.
Last Page Sound:
This was a really good book.
Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
Having survived World War One largely intact, the impending horror of World War Two and the Holocaust hangs over the pages. It is similar to the feeling when you are reading a book you really love and you approach the end, and you don’t want to get there. This book is wonderfully well written. The characters are well fleshed out and true to life. I don’t want to read what is about to happen to them as it happens to all of the people of Europe.
Author: Natalie Livingstone
=======================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Why this book:
I’m on a history and non-fiction kick.
_________________
The Feel:
There’s a great sweep of history.
Favorite Character:
Hannah Barret Cohen Rothschild
Constance de Rothschild, Lady Battersea
Rozsika von Wertheimstein
Nica (Kathleen Annie Pannonica) Rothschild
Miriam Louisa Rothschild
The stories of these and the other Rothschild women was fabulously told here. Especially once we got past where they had to live in the reflected light of the Rothschild men.
Least Favorite Character:
Mayer Amschel Rothschild using his will to throw all of the women in the family out of the family business, forever. Nice guy there. Product of the times. But considering that his wife Gutle and his daughters were part and parcel of his businesses success, it is a mean-spirited slight. And you can see it being used as a weapon by the misogynists in the family down through the ages. And leaving his wife the house and a trust, but the trust is locked within the Rothschild businesses and those are handled by the sons and she has no say in how it was used. And again, yes, product of the times, but damn. He wouldn’t have been a success without Gutle. And this is how he rewarded her…and all their female progeny. Though despite his interdiction, the women of the family seemed to generationally fall into leadership roles within the family, society, politics, and banking either through the passing of their family patriarchs or some shortcomings of the men in their generation.
Baron Jules Adolphe de Koenigswarter was classic misogyny and toxic masculinity. All the things that attracted him and Nica to each other before World War Two died on the vine amidst the horrors of war and the marriage staggered on in the aftermath. As his career advanced, he expected her to be seen and not heard and to “know her place.” He went so far as to destroy her record collection when she didn’t do to please him. He sounds like a horrid little man.
We Can’t Go On Together With Suspicious Minds:
So, the British promised Chaim Weizmann and the proto-Israelites, and the Prince of Mecca that the British Empire supported a homeland for both Arabs and Jews in Palestine. Lord Crewe could've been a modern American politician.
Favorite Concept:
Hannah Barret Cohen Rothschild sneaking away to the exchanges in Paris while she was supposed to be attending her daughter who was expecting her grandchild.
Uhm Moments:
So, the cousin loving in pre-20th century Euro society extended beyond royalty to aristocracy and wealth. Whole lotta keeping it in the family. Ick.
Juxtaposition:
While interesting, the “focus” on the Rothschild women wanders severely telling us the story of the men while the women stand at the edges of the story, at least in the early chapters. The story of Hannah Barret Cohen Rothschild and her husband Nathan expanding his businesses in England including getting involved in smuggling payroll and such to the Duke of Wellington in Spain.. And he and his brothers on the Continent making huge currency exchanges between the pound and the franc behind the scenes during the Napoleonic wars. But that story is told as a part…an overwhelming part of the story of Nathan being the first of the Rothschilds to move to and marry into the growing English Jewish community with a strong woman who softens his strident and gruff business personality increasing the business and the tenor of his professional associations through her efforts. In fairness, as the history advanced, Hannah Rothschild became a force of nature in politics through the soft power of socializing and hosting, and her charitable work.
Anachronism:
The whole scribbling notes, writing letters, and diaries as opposed to modern social media…a poorer world? The difference in writing words that you’re never sure anyone is going to read as opposed to writing words designed to elicit someone to read them.
Pareidolia:
Miriam’s husband, married in wartime, George Lane, nee Gyorgy Lanyi, being involved in X Troop of No. 10 Commando and being dropped into northern France to obtain details of German mines and prepare for Allied landings reminds of an Anglo version of Inglorious Basterds, though probably with fewer baseball bats.
The Unexpected:
So MUCH cousin marriage. Exceeding European royalty factors, even. The branches of the tree grow back together so much that it is hard to keep track of.
_________________
Pacing:
Very well paced.
Last Page Sound:
This was a really good book.
Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
Having survived World War One largely intact, the impending horror of World War Two and the Holocaust hangs over the pages. It is similar to the feeling when you are reading a book you really love and you approach the end, and you don’t want to get there. This book is wonderfully well written. The characters are well fleshed out and true to life. I don’t want to read what is about to happen to them as it happens to all of the people of Europe.
November 14, 2022
3.5
My Interest
The name “Rothschild” conjures up for me images of unimaginable wealth. Aristocratic families are a big interest of mine, so when I saw this on NetGalley I requested it and somehow got both a print and an audio copy. I listened to the audio.
The Story
Starting in the 18th century in “Jewish ghetto” and ending in the late 1990s, this biography purports to tell the real story of the women behind the Rothschild men. We are promised that the women were more than mere wives and mothers. What did these women do as the wives and daughters of one of the world’s best known Jewish families? That is what the biography sets out to tell us. The family is compared to a royal family because they all hate each other but close ranks and form a united front in public–I loved that, even if I couldn’t stop and write out the exact quote. (NetGalley’s reading app doesn’t have any features and I forgot and downloaded to it and not Kindle, so it wasn’t easy to find it).
In the early years the women were more involved with the family business, but as time went on they fell into the normal society lady type charitable works. There is nothing unusual about a great “lady” helping with encouragement and money to improve the education of poor children, nor is there really anything unusual about them working to improve health conditions. It was unusual for anyone to take up the cause of Jewish “women of the night,” but as others were doing it for non-Jewish women of that profession I don’t really see it as that unique.
Fast-forward to the 20th Century. While various men of the family involved themselves in the late 19th Century with the Prince of Wales “Marlborough House” set, there was little remarkable about that, either. They had pots and pots of money. The Prince often needed it. Sir Ernest Cassel (Grandfather of Edwina Mountbatten) was another Jewish financier in the Marlborough House set.
Finally, somewhere around World War II or just after we get to some slightly more interesting activities. A Rothchild woman contributed to a report hoping to de-criminalize h o _ – se-u _; ! ty. Good thing, since at least one of the men had such proclivities. Miriam became an expert on fleas and other parasites. She was finally even welcomed by “professionals” for her extensive knowledge. Veronica, aka “Nica’ gets the lion’s share of the coverage–or rather her famous male associates to. Thelonious Monk and Charlie “Bird” Parker. The hose she built for jazz sessions was called “The Cat House.” And, she observed first hand a Jim Crow-era beating in New Castle, Delaware (a Civil War border state) that Monk endured.
Finally, another end-of-the-book Rothschild, discovers that motherhood isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Being rich and having discovered this, she got to write about it. Wow. I think Betty Friedan beat you to it, Sweetie, but …. Goodness knows it must be way harder to be a Mom with a ton of money in the 1990’s than in the stifling suburbia and low pay of the early 1950s!
Miriam, of flea fame, also did contribute in a very humanitarian way to the founding of Israel and the Zionist movement as led by the nation’s first President, Chaim Weizmann. That was very commendable and I would like to have heard more about that.
My Thoughts
I’m being a bit snarky for a reason. There is so much MORE material in here (as there often is in such biographies of pre-21th Century women) about the men. And the man with the most coverage wasn’t even a Rothschild! He was Theolnious Monk, a great jazz musician. I love his music, his talent, but I came to read about how different the Rothschild women were. Instead I found out they did exactly the same sort of charity work as most other titled ladies of the era until about the time of World War II. Helping decriminalize you-know-what is very noteworthy. Also, Miriam certainly deserves praise for sticking to her studies and taking her naturalist studies to the professional level. (I loved that she included her son in her research)/
This is not a bad biography. I learned a lot. The prose is well written. It just didn’t profile enough about the women that was “exceptional.” I also found it very weird that they married cousins and it was even possible for an uncle to marry a niece–though not the very bold uncle whose announcement of such a marriage was one of the stories in the book. Too weird for words. Liberty Rothschild, the hidden “Rosemary Kennedy” of the family, deserved more attention, but alas, the records about her treatment were mostly burnt. I also like the appearance at the very, very end of Lady Bird Johnson and her “beautification” schemes with wildflowers. That was wonderful. She gave the world a gift–nice to see someone outside America, and with influence, admiring her work.
My Verdict
3.5
My Interest
The name “Rothschild” conjures up for me images of unimaginable wealth. Aristocratic families are a big interest of mine, so when I saw this on NetGalley I requested it and somehow got both a print and an audio copy. I listened to the audio.
The Story
Starting in the 18th century in “Jewish ghetto” and ending in the late 1990s, this biography purports to tell the real story of the women behind the Rothschild men. We are promised that the women were more than mere wives and mothers. What did these women do as the wives and daughters of one of the world’s best known Jewish families? That is what the biography sets out to tell us. The family is compared to a royal family because they all hate each other but close ranks and form a united front in public–I loved that, even if I couldn’t stop and write out the exact quote. (NetGalley’s reading app doesn’t have any features and I forgot and downloaded to it and not Kindle, so it wasn’t easy to find it).
In the early years the women were more involved with the family business, but as time went on they fell into the normal society lady type charitable works. There is nothing unusual about a great “lady” helping with encouragement and money to improve the education of poor children, nor is there really anything unusual about them working to improve health conditions. It was unusual for anyone to take up the cause of Jewish “women of the night,” but as others were doing it for non-Jewish women of that profession I don’t really see it as that unique.
Fast-forward to the 20th Century. While various men of the family involved themselves in the late 19th Century with the Prince of Wales “Marlborough House” set, there was little remarkable about that, either. They had pots and pots of money. The Prince often needed it. Sir Ernest Cassel (Grandfather of Edwina Mountbatten) was another Jewish financier in the Marlborough House set.
Finally, somewhere around World War II or just after we get to some slightly more interesting activities. A Rothchild woman contributed to a report hoping to de-criminalize h o _ – se-u _; ! ty. Good thing, since at least one of the men had such proclivities. Miriam became an expert on fleas and other parasites. She was finally even welcomed by “professionals” for her extensive knowledge. Veronica, aka “Nica’ gets the lion’s share of the coverage–or rather her famous male associates to. Thelonious Monk and Charlie “Bird” Parker. The hose she built for jazz sessions was called “The Cat House.” And, she observed first hand a Jim Crow-era beating in New Castle, Delaware (a Civil War border state) that Monk endured.
Finally, another end-of-the-book Rothschild, discovers that motherhood isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Being rich and having discovered this, she got to write about it. Wow. I think Betty Friedan beat you to it, Sweetie, but …. Goodness knows it must be way harder to be a Mom with a ton of money in the 1990’s than in the stifling suburbia and low pay of the early 1950s!
Miriam, of flea fame, also did contribute in a very humanitarian way to the founding of Israel and the Zionist movement as led by the nation’s first President, Chaim Weizmann. That was very commendable and I would like to have heard more about that.
My Thoughts
I’m being a bit snarky for a reason. There is so much MORE material in here (as there often is in such biographies of pre-21th Century women) about the men. And the man with the most coverage wasn’t even a Rothschild! He was Theolnious Monk, a great jazz musician. I love his music, his talent, but I came to read about how different the Rothschild women were. Instead I found out they did exactly the same sort of charity work as most other titled ladies of the era until about the time of World War II. Helping decriminalize you-know-what is very noteworthy. Also, Miriam certainly deserves praise for sticking to her studies and taking her naturalist studies to the professional level. (I loved that she included her son in her research)/
This is not a bad biography. I learned a lot. The prose is well written. It just didn’t profile enough about the women that was “exceptional.” I also found it very weird that they married cousins and it was even possible for an uncle to marry a niece–though not the very bold uncle whose announcement of such a marriage was one of the stories in the book. Too weird for words. Liberty Rothschild, the hidden “Rosemary Kennedy” of the family, deserved more attention, but alas, the records about her treatment were mostly burnt. I also like the appearance at the very, very end of Lady Bird Johnson and her “beautification” schemes with wildflowers. That was wonderful. She gave the world a gift–nice to see someone outside America, and with influence, admiring her work.
My Verdict
3.5
September 10, 2022
About the only thing I knew about the Rothschild family when I started this book was that they were rich. Very, very rich. To be honest, I'd never thought about how they got that way. This book tells us and, wow, it wasn't easy. It was even harder for the women of the family given the blatant sexist attitudes of the time Gutle Snapper married Mayer Amschel Rothschild in 1770. I won't even attempt to summarize this book as it contains exhaustive research and reaches into the early 2000s, so would direct you to the book blurb for more specific bits of info within.
I have to also admit that I was expecting a drier, more scholarly read. Thank goodness I was wrong about that. Yes, it's long, but it also focuses on the people and how they reacted to events, not just the events of their lives. And, what amazing lives they lived. From Gutle's days in the surely claustrophobic confines of the Judengasse, a narrow, shadowy, crowded stretch of land on the east side of Frankfurt where Jews were basically confined (and forced to pay), to Miriam in more modern times as she moves about the world, they had an impact upon not just the family but the world. Let's just say, modern Israel owes the Rothschild family.
It was interesting to see how each generation moved within the norms of the time, from Gutle's days when Mayer's will cut her and his daughters out of his inheritance and basically turned over their well-being to their brothers, to Miriam's world which spanned the resistance movement of WWII into more modern times as a respected scientist and benefactor. Famous faces make an appearance, all of which kept me busy aligning my own knowledge of the time (being a history major helped) to movies given appearances by Clark Gable and Alec Guinness.
Bottom line, there's a great deal to take in from this book and I'll admit to reading it in bits and pieces and, gasp, yes, even skimming sections at times. I also spent some time going back and forth from the index to the topic listed to make sure I hadn't missed anything, wishing I had the time to read the lengthy list of articles and citations at the end. Admittedly, this isn't a book for everyone, making it difficult to rate, but if you love history, are intrigued at the idea of a woman's place in historic events, or are just simply curious about how this one family that began in dire poverty not only survived but thrived, give it a read. Yes, it's long but, hey, no one said you have to read it in one day.
Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for opening my eyes to not only a fascinating family and the role of its women throughout history but introducing me to some bits of history that I had only a passing knowledge of. Kudos to author #NatalieLivingstone for making that possible.
I have to also admit that I was expecting a drier, more scholarly read. Thank goodness I was wrong about that. Yes, it's long, but it also focuses on the people and how they reacted to events, not just the events of their lives. And, what amazing lives they lived. From Gutle's days in the surely claustrophobic confines of the Judengasse, a narrow, shadowy, crowded stretch of land on the east side of Frankfurt where Jews were basically confined (and forced to pay), to Miriam in more modern times as she moves about the world, they had an impact upon not just the family but the world. Let's just say, modern Israel owes the Rothschild family.
It was interesting to see how each generation moved within the norms of the time, from Gutle's days when Mayer's will cut her and his daughters out of his inheritance and basically turned over their well-being to their brothers, to Miriam's world which spanned the resistance movement of WWII into more modern times as a respected scientist and benefactor. Famous faces make an appearance, all of which kept me busy aligning my own knowledge of the time (being a history major helped) to movies given appearances by Clark Gable and Alec Guinness.
Bottom line, there's a great deal to take in from this book and I'll admit to reading it in bits and pieces and, gasp, yes, even skimming sections at times. I also spent some time going back and forth from the index to the topic listed to make sure I hadn't missed anything, wishing I had the time to read the lengthy list of articles and citations at the end. Admittedly, this isn't a book for everyone, making it difficult to rate, but if you love history, are intrigued at the idea of a woman's place in historic events, or are just simply curious about how this one family that began in dire poverty not only survived but thrived, give it a read. Yes, it's long but, hey, no one said you have to read it in one day.
Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for opening my eyes to not only a fascinating family and the role of its women throughout history but introducing me to some bits of history that I had only a passing knowledge of. Kudos to author #NatalieLivingstone for making that possible.
October 10, 2022
There’s no doubt that Natalie Livingstone put a lot of time, effort, and research into The Women of Rothschild. Gathering all of the information and categorizing it into separate family branches and time frames could not have been easy. And I commend Livingstone for writing a very readable account of the lives of the Rothschild women. While some of the pages may appear to be filled with dense paragraphs, the writing itself is easy to follow and is not bogged down by unnecessary information, or obscure academic wording and phrasing.
That being said, however, I did find myself bored throughout the middle section of the book. This is in no way a reflection on Livingstone’s writing. In fact, I think she did well for what I’m assuming to be the scant information that was available on the Rothschild women during the 1800s. A narrative can only be put together from surviving diary entries and correspondences. Livingstone stated multiple times that pages had been torn away, letters burned, and passages blotted out. Obviously, the more salacious aspects of these women’s lives are forever lost to history. Despite knowing this, however, I couldn’t help but want to know more. It’s great to learn that these women started and headed charitable foundations and were involved in politics (in whatever ways they were allowed to be), yet, these tidbits of knowledge weren’t engaging enough. I wanted more of the story. I guess that’s why I found the latter half of the book more engaging, as it followed the contemporary Rothschild women. There was more meat to these stories as these women lived in a time where wider types of media and archiving existed.
One smaller note to make is that sometimes it does get a bit difficult to keep track of who’s who, and what branch of the family they come from. Some of this has to do with certain names being used multiple times throughout the family, but again, Livingstone has no control over this nitpicky complaint of mine. Perhaps I’m just too dumb to keep names and family trees straight in my head.
* I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
That being said, however, I did find myself bored throughout the middle section of the book. This is in no way a reflection on Livingstone’s writing. In fact, I think she did well for what I’m assuming to be the scant information that was available on the Rothschild women during the 1800s. A narrative can only be put together from surviving diary entries and correspondences. Livingstone stated multiple times that pages had been torn away, letters burned, and passages blotted out. Obviously, the more salacious aspects of these women’s lives are forever lost to history. Despite knowing this, however, I couldn’t help but want to know more. It’s great to learn that these women started and headed charitable foundations and were involved in politics (in whatever ways they were allowed to be), yet, these tidbits of knowledge weren’t engaging enough. I wanted more of the story. I guess that’s why I found the latter half of the book more engaging, as it followed the contemporary Rothschild women. There was more meat to these stories as these women lived in a time where wider types of media and archiving existed.
One smaller note to make is that sometimes it does get a bit difficult to keep track of who’s who, and what branch of the family they come from. Some of this has to do with certain names being used multiple times throughout the family, but again, Livingstone has no control over this nitpicky complaint of mine. Perhaps I’m just too dumb to keep names and family trees straight in my head.
* I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
September 12, 2022
In “The Women of Rothschild: the Untold Story of the World’s Most Famous Dynasty,” author Natalie Livingstone explores multiple generations of Rothschild women, both those born into the dynasty and those who married into it. Starting in 1753 with Gutle Rothschild, the family matriarch and mother of the five sons that would form the basis for the worldwide Rothschild family, the book covers many historical events and their impact on the Rothschild women and the Rothschild women’s impact on those same historical events. Wars, political movements, and domestic crises are just some of the areas covered by this book, which concludes with the twentieth century and twenty-first century Rothschild women.
Through Livingstone’s beautiful writing style and extensive research into private letters, diaries and family memoirs, the author brings each woman to vivid life. She details their contributions to politics, science and culture, as well as their interpersonal relationships with various family members. My only quibble with the book was that the lengthy period covered made it difficult at times to remember each individual and her relationship within the family. Although a genealogical chart was provided in the beginning of the book to help identify the women in relation to the family, it is difficult to read the chart in the ebook format as opposed to a print edition. However, as mentioned previously, the author’s meticulous research and almost poetic language made up for this minor annoyance. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Rothschilds, Jewish history and women’s impact on historical events.
(Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my honest review).
Through Livingstone’s beautiful writing style and extensive research into private letters, diaries and family memoirs, the author brings each woman to vivid life. She details their contributions to politics, science and culture, as well as their interpersonal relationships with various family members. My only quibble with the book was that the lengthy period covered made it difficult at times to remember each individual and her relationship within the family. Although a genealogical chart was provided in the beginning of the book to help identify the women in relation to the family, it is difficult to read the chart in the ebook format as opposed to a print edition. However, as mentioned previously, the author’s meticulous research and almost poetic language made up for this minor annoyance. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Rothschilds, Jewish history and women’s impact on historical events.
(Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my honest review).
October 27, 2023
On the plus side: This book is exceptionally handsomely produced, elegantly bound, with heavy glossy paper, two-color printing, complete with ribbon bookmark in a matching color. Ms. Livingstone has done her research, and her writing is clear and accessible. The subjects are an interesting lot, and among them, met nearly every important person in Europe in the 19th and, to some extent, the 20th century.
On the minus side: The book is, given the potential interest of the subjects, curiously lifeless, in part, I think, due to the large number of protagonists jostling for our attention; no one gets her due. Many of the Rothschild ladies would seem to deserve biographies of their own. The title is a bit of a misnomer, since Ms. Livingstone deals chiefly with the British Rothschilds. However, even these are so numerous, and so frequently married to cousins, and given the same names as their ancestors that the reader often wishes for a more sensible family tree than the one provided, which is oddly horizontally oriented over several pages, and, for me at least, difficult to follow and hard to consult while reading. I realize there may not be many portraits of the early Rothschilds, but more photographs of the later ones would have been useful; the book is rather sparsely illustrated.
Nonetheless, the book is not without interest, especially in the first half. The rise of the Frankfurt banking family is fascinating, the way the women found meaningful roles to play within it, and the reception they got from their male relatives are interesting. The experiences of Jews in German, and later, British life are fascinating; the history of emancipation for British Jews forms a good deal of the activity in the first part of the book.
I am glad to have read the book, but it was a trudge toward the end. Worth reading especially for its picture of Jewish struggles in Britain in the 19th century and how the Rothschilds of both sexes participated in movements to broaden and improve Jewish life.
On the minus side: The book is, given the potential interest of the subjects, curiously lifeless, in part, I think, due to the large number of protagonists jostling for our attention; no one gets her due. Many of the Rothschild ladies would seem to deserve biographies of their own. The title is a bit of a misnomer, since Ms. Livingstone deals chiefly with the British Rothschilds. However, even these are so numerous, and so frequently married to cousins, and given the same names as their ancestors that the reader often wishes for a more sensible family tree than the one provided, which is oddly horizontally oriented over several pages, and, for me at least, difficult to follow and hard to consult while reading. I realize there may not be many portraits of the early Rothschilds, but more photographs of the later ones would have been useful; the book is rather sparsely illustrated.
Nonetheless, the book is not without interest, especially in the first half. The rise of the Frankfurt banking family is fascinating, the way the women found meaningful roles to play within it, and the reception they got from their male relatives are interesting. The experiences of Jews in German, and later, British life are fascinating; the history of emancipation for British Jews forms a good deal of the activity in the first part of the book.
I am glad to have read the book, but it was a trudge toward the end. Worth reading especially for its picture of Jewish struggles in Britain in the 19th century and how the Rothschilds of both sexes participated in movements to broaden and improve Jewish life.
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