I could not finish this book. It was like pulling teeth to even try. The pacing was so disjointed; there would be sufficient action to lull me into a false sense of security, and then the author would go into such excruciating detail about the gilding or the cuisine that my eyes would glaze over. I’m disappointed because this book had such potential, but it thoroughly missed the mark for me and I couldn’t make myself soldier on.

This book introduces readers to the Goldbaum family, the definition of wealth and power all through Europe. One of the family, Greta, is forced into an arranged marriage to a distant cousin who she never really sees eye to eye with, and has zero things it common it seems. When World War 1 and the rise of anti-Semitism threaten to tear the Goldbaum family apart and reduce their lavish ways to nothing, what will happen?

Oh boy, does this book have everything going for it that I love to see in a good story and historical fiction novel. An accurate representation of a time period, the culture, the people, and some great ol' family drama? Yes, please. I absolutely loved how incredibly written the details were in this story and how sweeping and encapsulating it all felt.

That praise said, this book simply fell short for me. I kept pushing through and hoping, just hoping it would redeem itself by the end, but it didn't. The storyline, the characters, it all just felt average and nothing stuck out to me as being memorable or a good take-away. I believe the biggest struggle for me to get past was how overall disjointed the elements of the book felt. We see such a jump around from character to character, that it's difficult to pick up and put down without losing track of where things are at. Almost as if the author was trying to cram way too much into this story at once. By the end I just wasn't quite sure exactly what I had read, or really the point.

Overall, there were clearly elements to the story that I did like, which really just makes me wish the book would have had more to offer. Rounding up to 3 stars from 2.5 in my rating because half stars are not an option.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic read. I was so engrossed in the stories and characters that I couldn't put this book down. I HIGHLY recommend this book! Thank you Natasha Solomons.

Interesting story of the Goldbaum banking family throughout Europe during WW1. Greta marries a Goldbaum from England in an arranged marriage and then learns to get along by taking after her mother-in-law with gardening. Her brother Otto is her rock. As the men in her life go off, her husband to the US on banking business and her brother to war, she must go on raising her 2 children.

I received this from Netgalley**

This cover!!! I mean come on! It is stunning! I love this!

This book was on my radar when I seen it was coming out and I wanted to pick it up. Let me tell you this book did not disappoint. I have never read a book by Natasha and honestly I am not sure if she has any other books out but I will check her out.

I love this book. I do think there is another cover out there for this book but this is the cover that I fell in love with.

I don't read a lot of war books but this novel was set in World War One and in the events leading up to the Great War.

I highly recommend it.

Set just before the start of WWI and then throughout the war, this slow moving (in a good way!) book follows a leading Jewish family entrenched in banking. The main character is Greta, who is being sent from her home in Austria to marry a distant cousin in London. Along with Greta, we also get POVs from her brother (Otto) and few other characters. In the first half(ish) part of the book, we get to see the opulence and the political reach of the Goldbaum family. As the war begins and the family communication is severed between the east and west family branches, we see how the war changed everyone’s lives. The entire Goldbaum family is looked at askance, either because they are rich and Jewish or living in the wrong country (Greta). While some of the book deals with the mundaneness of life, like Greta building a garden, it really allows you a view of the time and how quickly the tides can turn against people. The description of the war from both sides was fascinating. And while it is set mainly in Europe, we also get to see how America is pulled into WWI in a way I had never really thought about. If you enjoy richly descriptive historical fiction with great characters, pick up House of Gold.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. House of Gold is set during WWI in Europe. This rich family saga immediately draws you in. The characters are well thought out. Early on, I found myself willing characters to make certain decisions. Once I started, I could not put the book down. This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

I really loved this historical novel about an Austrian heiress who is forced to choose between her husbands family and her own who are on opposite sides of the war. I love the way the author described everything from the characters clothes, scenery and the mansions. This is a well written book with well defined characters and a beautiful story.

I read 60% of this, and by that point, it felt like a chore and so I stopped. It just didn't hold my interest.

This historical fiction focuses on the Goldbaum family during WWI. The story is incredibly detailed and focuses on the events leading up to the war. I generally don’t seek out books that focus on WWI, but this was a beautifully written story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in a few sittings and loved it. This was .sweeping Great War story set in a family divided by the war. The characters were believable. The story was well researched. I felt immersed in this story.

I recently had the opportunity to interview the author and I was able to asked her what inspired to write this story and I absolutely loved this story.

if you are a fan of historical fiction, then you should pick up these book.

The interview with the author will be posted on What to Read Next Podcast (http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com) on November 16, 2018.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC of this book!

Ok, so this book started out VERY slow. Although I was intrigued by the premise - Greta is sent to marry Albert, who she has never met, to strengthen the bond between their families, and the marriage does not start off happily at all - there were so many details about gardening (which Greta becomes obsessed with to keep her mind off her unhappy marriage), finances, and butterflies, I felt that this book would be lucky to get 3 stars. But the more I read, the more I came to LOVE each and every one of these characters. By the very end I had tears streaming down my face because I truly cared about what happened.

First off, Greta and Albert. Their romance is actually SO well done. I still stand by that there were way too many details about Greta's garden, but now looking back I actually love the way it was done. Greta and Albert barely speak to each other in the beginning, much less live as husband and wife. But slowly, very subtly, they begin to fall in love with each other and I fell in love with them and their story.

I loved the other characters too. Henri and Clement and Otto and Lady Goldbaum and really everyone all had interesting, and sometimes heartbreaking, side-stories and were such fleshed-out, real characters. Add to that the eventual backdrop of World War I, and one large family on opposite sides of the war, and it just resulted in such an interesting storyline.

If you can stick through the slow beginning, I promise that this is worth the read. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I ended up enjoying it. I am sad to say goodbye to these characters, I feel like I really came to know and love them.

House of Gold by Natasha Solomon was provided to me by NetGalley for my honest review.

After several attempts to get past the first few chapters, I gave up. The characters seemed flat and uninteresting and I could not become invested in the storyline. If I have time I will try to read this at another time and if my opinion changes I will amend this review.

I had a rough time starting this book as it didn't start out like most books as far as getting to know the characters which made me really push myself to get through the first couple chapters. After getting through those the book was easier for me to get into. I really enjoyed the book and the characters and am really glad I didn't give up reading this as I would normally have because I would have really missed out on a good read.

I really liked this rich family saga set against the backdrop of the Great War. The historical details were richly illustrated and the characters were faced with a changing world. A very interesting and enthralling read! I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I gave this book a very serious try and I just couldn't get into it. The writing was dull and dragging in my opinion and I couldn't complete it.

An engaging historical fiction straddling the wealthy banking Jewish Goldbaum family across Europe prior and during World War I. At the heart of the book is young Greta in Vienna - vibrant, endearing and with a mind of her own - she knows hers will be a marriage of convenience - one that will strengthen ties for the family’s business empire. With wealth comes power and influence and as a dutiful daughter she’s sent off to England to marry a distant cousin - Albert. The book is as much about their relationship as it is about the strong Goldbaum women - each in their own way contributing to the success of the Goldbaum empire, keeping things going behind the scenes. As World War I breaks out Greta finds herself in her new life on the opposite side of the war from those she left behind. Drama, love, family, wealth and war - all the ingredients of an historical fiction combine into a good read, although just a wee bit too long. Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review.

This a a big, sweeping novel that takes place just prior and at the start of WWI. The setting is Austria, England, and Germany and is loosely based on the House of Rothschild, the banking family. It tells of the marriage of Greta and Albert, House of Gold cousins, she from Austria and he from England and their journey together. It also tells of how the war divided families and some of the struggles within. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

House of Gold is a sweeping family drama that follows the fictional Goldbaum family in the years leading up to and during WWI. I read a lot of historical fiction, but I've read very little set in this particular time period, so I was excited to get into this book. Greta, a member of the Austrian branch of the Goldbaum family, is the main focus, although the novel does delve into the perspectives of other people in her life. The cast of characters was one of the main strengths of the novel, and it was a very character-driven narrative.

Greta is gregarious and free-spirited. She is getting ready to marry Albert, a distant cousin and a member of the English branch of the family when we join her story. (Goldbaum family tradition involves intermarrying to keep their vast wealth within the family.) Greta has never met Albert when her marriage with him is arranged by the family and feels extremely ambivalent about the pairing. She doesn't want to marry a stranger but is afraid of going against her family's wishes.

While I was very invested in Greta and her story, the pacing took away some of my enjoyment of this novel. The way Solomons dabbled into the stories of other relatives occasionally made the story feel somewhat unfocused. The aside about Greta's cousin's gambling debts, for example, did not add much to the story. (It did move the story forward as a plot point, but it was not necessary to go into his perspective to do this.) These sections really just felt like they bogged down the pace. We have no reason to care about this character as he is a relatively minor one, so his obviously impending breaking point doesn't actually introduce any tension to the story.

Conversely, other parts of the story seem to be entirely skipped over. Greta is pregnant with her first child and the next thing I knew, she was in labor with her second. Aside from just skipping over a big chunk of time, it pains me to think of the character development that could have been explored in that time frame. Greta is young and a bit flighty when we meet her. She is deeply changed by the war and by motherhood, but we don't get to see any of those changes happening; we simply skip over from young, newlywed Greta to Greta as a mother of two.
Great's brother Otto is also a major character, although he is largely separate from her throughout the story. His story largely focuses on the war and some very interesting power dynamics come into play in this context. The Goldbaum family is rich beyond measure, but also Jewish in a time of rising antisemitism. The concept of wealth countering relatively little social privilege as well as instances in which it cannot do so play a large role throughout the novel. Otto's story, despite his wealthy background, is ultimately tragic.

Overall, I enjoyed House of Gold despite my misgivings about the pacing. I became very invested in some of the characters, I liked the importance of the family's Jewish identity in the novel, and the family's personal affairs were balanced well with what was happening on a worldwide scale. Readers who enjoy family dramas and historical fiction set during war time may find this a worthwhile read.

The House of Gold is the first novel I have read by author Natasha Solomans. It is a beautiful novel, artfully written and thoroughly delightful. The story begins in Austria in 1911. We are introduced to the Goldbaums, a prominent Jewish family who have made a fortune all throughout Europe. Our Protagonist is the fiery, willful Great Goldbaum, who at this point in her life is set to be married to another Goldbaum cousin whom she has never met. Goldbaums only marry other Goldbaums. Her marriage means she must leave her home in Austria and travel to the cold, drearyness of London, England. Her marriage to Albert Goldbaum proves a challenge, as two people who don’t know each other attempt to tie their lives together.

Greta finds a sense of purpose in her life in London as she undertakes the renovation of she and Albert’s future home, and the grand gardens that surround the estate. Despite some early drama in their relationship, Greta and Albert become comfortable and soon welcome a daughter and then a son. Peace and tranquility is short lived however as the blissful lives of the Goldbaums clash with the First World War. Despite their influence, War touches the Goldbaum family, and Greta finds herself confronted with new challenges as all the important men in her life are called upon to serve. Even gold doesn’t exempt them from service.

They characters are all relatable and a delight to listen to as we are let into their personal inner thoughts. Story was a pleasure to read. Copy provided by Net Galley.