I really wanted to love this fictive saga featuring a Jewish family based on the Rothschilds starting just before WWI. But too much detail bogged down the story of Greta, an Austrian heiress, who marries Albert, a Brit, and moves to England as this conflagration upends the world. 3/5

Pub Date 23 Oct 2018

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#HouseOfGold #NetGalley

Thank you so much for this ARC.

I was not able to completely read this book. It did not capture my interest as I had hoped it would.

Thanks to NetGallery, Penguin Group Putnam and Natasha Solomons for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The characters are well-developed and I especially loved Greta, who was so strong and a no nonsense spunky type, especially for the era. The plot was very interesting and the writing kept me engaged throughout the story, was descriptive and well researched. My only complaint is, as with so many books, the ending seemed a little abrupt and left a few loose ends, but still a solid Historical fiction and very worth the read. Strong 4 star.

House of Gold is a compelling epic inspired by the iconic Rothschild family and taking place before and during WWI. It has everything a good novel needs: life and death, war and peace, love, hate, kindness and brutality. The characters are well-developed in their moneyed opulence, abject poverty and everything in between. Feminism, racism and international intrigue abound. My only complaint is the ending which I found rather abrupt. I'd like to have seen a few loose ends tied up. I would definitely read a sequel.

'House of Gold' is destined to be a classic - one that will be around for a very long time to come. The historical setting adds an element of richness and depth. A book to keep on the shelf to re-read from time to time.

2.5 stars this book took me forever to get through. It was extremely slow and honestly never really caught my attention unfortunately.

I really wanted to enjoy it since historical fiction is my favorite genre, but for some reason nothing in this book really hooked me or made me really want to continue reading. It was show going, but now I'm finished and honestly I'm happy to move on to something else. I felt it was unnecessarily long and drawn out.

A historical fiction that reads as a family's diary or journal. The fictitious Goldbaums bear some resemblance to the real life Rothschilds. Set in the same era the story unreels as if you were talking to your grandmother about her life. Greta easily moves through her life making the best of what she has and helping others along the way. Once World War I starts, she increases her efforts and will find herself living a completely different life than what was planned for her. The story reminds me of the Kent family saga. The writing, while not thrilling, easily sent the reader back in time to "see" the Goldbaums. A good read.

House of Gold follows the lives of the Goldbaums, a wealthy Jewish network of families across Europe - the men are bankers and the women marry their Goldbaum cousins to further the family tree. The story is set in the early 20th Century and extends through WWI, and focuses on Greta Goldbaum, an independent daughter of the Austrian branch of the family. Duty bound to marry Albert, her English cousin, she struggles to find her place in England, far removed from her family, but finds solace in creating her own garden. The outbreak of WWI threatens to break the family bonds, and ultimately shatters the Goldbaum's privileged existence as history unfolds.

The narrative was slow to follow, as the focus shifted from several characters, and I found it difficult to relate or empathize with the characters, even as their gilded empire began to crack. Nevertheless, it was a good story of the impact of world history had on this particular family.

The author certainly has a gift - her writing can be quite beautiful. However, I struggled to get in to this story. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. Truthfully, I’m not sure how I feel about it at all.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love historical fiction and I really appreciated that this book is based off of an actual family from those days. House of Gold was different than I expected - slower. It's beautifully written, pulling your imagination into action with detailed descriptions of the scenery. Even though this book was much slower than I had anticipated, I am still giving it a four star review because this is the first book I've read that shows you what it was like to be a wealthy woman during that time. Not to mention, a Jewish woman. Her responsibilities were much different from men and the concerns of the poor, though still very important. I love the independence and quirkiness of Greta, the main character. I related with her stubborn streak and feel that I would've behaved very similarly had I been born back in her day. I was happy with the pace of this book once I got used to it and I was happy with the ending. I will be keeping an eye out for more from Natasha Solomons in the future.

Greta Goldbaum dreams of finding love and being able to make her own choices, however, as a Goldbaum, what one wishes for and what is expected of them are not always the same thing. This is a great read depicting the lives of one of the wealthiest families in the world during the first World War. Diving into the specific challenges of being Jewish, and growing up isolated from the reality of what the rest of Europe was going through. Greta is a wonderful character who the reader falls in love with. She challenges everyone around her, as well as the stereotypes set for her gender during a difficult time. This was a fast paced read that kept the reader asking for more.

This book begins prior to WWI and follows the Goldbaum family through the war. Greta is our main character and she is delightful. Spunky, fun, and spoiled, I throughly enjoyed learning about her and her wonderous family. Besides having parties and weddings, we get to hear about the tragedies and horrors of war. I recommend this book to anyone who emus history and historical fiction.

I got all excited when I first read the synopsis because its' setting during WWI and the family saga and I adore historical novels.

The first half is pre-war and talks of Greta, arranged marriage, and the workings of banks. The second half is the beginning and during the war.

I was not able to relate to any of the characters. There were a lot of areas were just boring and tedious. I tried to like or even enjoy the book. It took me weeks to finally finish this book which is unheard of me.



I'll give it a low 3 stars.



I received this ARC from Penguin Group Putnam through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased honest review. Thank you!

A great book to start off the new year. I loved this book for its historical content and the family dynamics. The story of a Jewish family who loan money and assist their country's government with their influence and power. Relatives who live in France, England and Austria where the men control the banks and the women marry distant cousins to keep the wealth and power within the family. Though as Jews, they are outsiders, they have always commanded respect. But now the world around them is changing.



Vienna born, Greta Goldbaum has been married to her English cousin, Albert and is just finding out how to be happy in her marriage and new country when her loyalty is tested by the outbreak of WWI.

In a family that arranges marriages to keep the power and financial influence within the family, Greta begins life as a young wife to a distant cousin she does not seem to like. Her brother who has been her best friend comes to try and help her adjust. Her mother in law, who also was a young Viennese bride shows her the way to happiness is to find a project of your own. Greta, like her mother in law, decides to create a garden of her own.



As the war begins and the men are sent off to battle, Greta is able to build a garden that will distract her from horrific world around her. She discovers that she can grow the kind of plants she wants and employ the women to work in the garden. As the war rages on, helps the war effort, by bringing young pregnant women to the house until they go into labor. She sets up a make shift hospital there and they young women can learn gardening to give them work experience to improve their lives after they give birth.



Using this family saga as the plot driving the novel, we are also informed of the historical significance of this time period. Increasing Russian pogroms, growing anti-Semitism, and socialist reform that all led to the First World War. Also explored in this book is the European US relationship. As the war continues in Europe, Britain and Germany are borrowing money from the US. This influx of financial stability leads us to the Roaring '20s of a time of United States economic boon. That leads us into war and then in the financial collapse and the Great Depression.

This book shows us the unavoidable dichotomy of the global shift of power.

A solid entry into the World War I historical fiction market. The fictional Goldbaums are an interesting parallel (acknowledged by the author) of the real Rothschild family. Historical romance lovers will have a little to satisfy them as well although the primary focus is on the history, not the love story.

I really wanted to love this one! I really did. But unfortunately this was a bit of a struggle for me and took a loooong time to get through. I love historical fiction. I love war stories. But this one just fell really flat for me.

Greta Goldbaum is a bright spot in the story and I devoured every chapter about her. She's smart and feisty and goes by the beat of her own drum. despite being part of the Goldbaum empire - one of the wealthiest families in the world. All the men are bankers and the Goldbaum women, marry the Goldbaum men just to produce heirs, and more Goldbaum bankers. I already dislike them. Yes, I know - it's how it was in the early 1900's. Everyone married their cousins to keep the bloodline going and everyone who had money was full of themselves and thought they were better than everyone else. This is especially evident in this LONG family saga. Which made it particularly hard for me to like anyone but Greta.

Greta is sent from Vienna to England, to marry her distant cousin Albert. She is NOT happy about the arrangement and struggles in her new life. But them her mother-in-law introduces her to gardening and a new love blooms, and may just help her get to know Albert a little better. But war is looming and there is a whole cast of characters to keep track of - including multiple cousins and family members. We follow them all though loves, and loss and war.

There's a lot of political and government conversations that go on as far as, who the family will align with, who they will loan money to and the reasons behind these decisions - which BORED THE HELL OUT OF ME. Half of the story - the strategies and wealth and political/government decisions - just to much. Too confusing. Too many character and countries and opinions and numbers and who gets along with who, and I think my head just exploded.

I loved Greta. I loved her story, and the gardens and the talk about plants. I hated just about everyone else, and there were SO MANY story lines and plots to follow. A bit too much for me. This book felt like work.

The Rothschilds were once one of the wealthiest Jewish families in Europe. They established themselves as one of the most prestigious international banking families in all of Europe and gained nobility in the United Kingdom and Holy Roman Empire.
When you think of the Rothschilds, you think of great wealth, extravagance, opulent wealth, grand palaces, vast art collections and philanthropy.
As the Weekly Register said, “The Rothschilds are the wonders of modern banking. We see the descendants of Judah, after a persecution of two thousand years, peering above kings, rising higher than emperors, and holding a whole continent in the hollow of their hands...”
With all of the good comes the bad and the Rothschilds were the subject of many conspiracy theories and intrigue. Historian Niall Ferguson said, “The Rothschilds had decided the outcome of the Napoleonic Wars by pulling their financial weight behind Britain...”
If the story of the Rothschilds sounds intriguing then Natasha Solomons book, House of Gold, is a must read.
Loosely based on the Rothschilds, Solomons introduces us to The Goldbaums, a wealthy European banking family.
The House of Goldbaums influence spans from Austria to the United Kingdom and while they wield incredible power with their wealth, they also find themselves frequent targets of antisemitism and persecution.
In order to keep the Goldbaum dynasty thriving, Greta Goldbaum, of Vienna, marries English cousin, Albert Goldbaum.
Feisty, spoiled and fiercely independent, Greta, now finds herself in an unfamiliar role, one that requires her to be an obedient, demure and subdued wife to her cousin, now husband, Albert Goldbaum.
Will Greta be everything that Albert needs in a wife? Will Greta find love with Albert? Will she find a way to bring life to the House of Goldbaum? And when lives and family are at stake, can Greta find a way to save them in the most dire of circumstances?
Solomons gives us a historical fiction of epic proportions. One that spans years and countries. We are treated to a book that is full of rich detail and historical accuracy. You will be transported back in time effortlessly and will savor Greta’s journey.
The only regret is that this book ended and left me wishing for more.
I received an advance copy of this book from #Netgalley #HouseofGold

I highly recommend “House of Gold” and will be reading other works by the same author!

The Goldbaums, are an Austrian Jewish family who are beyond wealthy and though wealth has its charms, it also comes with much family obligation and expectation. Greta Goldbaum, a strong-willed young woman with a penchant for trouble, must marry the man chosen for her. She must carry herself properly in a new country with different social requirements and views. She must learn to appreciate and entertain her husband’s idiosyncrasies and somehow maintain some semblance of who she is. Surprisingly, her mother in law is a bright spot in her often dreary and lonely days. She offers her a purpose and distraction.

Greta, her older brother Otto, their cousin Henry, Greta’s husband Albert and his worthless brother, Clement make up the robust cast of characters. Though I didn’t necessarily like all of them, I understood their motivations. The family dynamics swirl in a time period when Antisemitism is sky rocketing. They each grapple with that in their own way.

I’ve never been one to follow fiction trends. (For example, I’ve not read a single J.K. Rowling novel!) I read the back cover blurb and decide whether or not I’d like to read the book from that. Therefore, I came across House of Gold, liked the sound of it, and decided to read it. I’ve never read any of Natasha Solomons’ previous works, and I’d no idea that House of Gold is to be developed as a television series. To me, the Goldblum family sounded as divided as Queen Victoria’s descendants during World War 1.

House of Gold is based on the Rothschild family, about which I didn’t know much. A bit of research on my part revealed the extent of the similarities. Like the Rothschilds, the Goldblums are a multi-national banking family. The “house of gold” is the Austrian branch of the bank. Almost everything that happened to the Rothschilds happens to the Goldblums, including their forays into English politics. Even a quote made by British politician David Lloyd George about Nathan Rothschild appears here. There are occasions, however, when Solomons plays with the timing of real events to fit her fictional timeline.

This is the Gilded Age, Austrian style. The narrative starts with Greta agreeing to marry an English Goldblum, even though it means moving to an unknown country and marrying someone she’s never met. The reader gets several perspectives, including Greta, her brother Otto, and also that of a young homeless man by the name of Karl. Greta and Otto long for ordinary lives, but be careful what you wish for in this novel. Life isn’t all sweet, as evidenced by the life of their French cousin, Henri. The first half of the book is set pre-World War One. The second takes place in 1917, when everything has changed.

The ending is sudden. It made me happy and sad at the same time. I wanted to know more. There had to be more. It wasn’t even 1918. There were still unresolved plot points. Yes, this is the story of a woman living in an arranged marriage, but the other characters had become important as well. But how do you create a sequel that does House of Gold justice? I’m not sure you can.

Disclaimer: I received an electronic Uncorrected Advance Proof of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a review, and the words above are my own.

I have read a lot of novels about WWII in recent years, but almost nothing about the WWI period. So, when offered this ARC, I decided to give it a chance. While the book dwelt a lot on the mechanics of a banking empire and associated financial activities, and the lifestyle of the wealthy, the characters in their “real life” seemed shallowly drawn and mostly unlikable. The marriage between two of the main characters – Albert and Greta – is not particularly successful and not a love match for most of the book. Until it suddenly is. Greta in particular, was annoying, self-centered and whiny but perhaps that IS how the wealthy were (are?). There were parts that were repetitious (Greta and her garden, for instance) and others that glossed over major events. We went from declaration of war to being in the trenches years later with no clear transition. In other parts of the book, we jump from one country/branch of the family to another with little continuity or justification for doing so. And the ending of the book was such a disappointment.

I think the author’s intention was to write a family saga but did not succeed for me. I couldn’t wait to get to the end of this.

Thanks to NetGallery, Penguin Group Putnam and Natasha Solomons for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.