The Women of Rothschild by N. Livingstone, published by St. Martin's Press is a lesson in history I didn't wanted to miss.
A fascinating glimpse into their world, mostly set in Europe and America; paints this book an intriguing picture, is witness to time and society, faith and social status.
An unputdownable read, 4,5 stars.

I really didn't know anything about the Rothschild dynasty, so this was a treat for me. I always enjoy learning about people and thought this was a really well done book. I could tell the book was well-researched and Natalie Livingstone kept me entertained throughout. I look forward to reading more from Natalie Livingstone, as I enjoyed reading this book.

This book was so interesting and thereby researched. Women, wow. Natalie Livingstone reveals the role of women in shaping the legacy of the famous Rothschild dynasty. What a great read.

This book is so well researched and presented that I read it in just two sittings. The stories of the Rothschild women is engrossing and surprisingly enlightening. The years that these women lived in should have made them subservient, obedient wallflowers. Instead, they became leaders of social reform, societal leaders and dabblers in the politics of the day. A great book for those of us who praise our suffragette ancestors.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The review here is solely my own opinion.

This was an interesting dive into this historically accurate time period. I enjoyed the stories of these women and how they were able to thrive in yesterday's society. This was a very well researched book and was well-written. However, the information was extremely dense at times and was difficult to follow in some of the mundane background information.

I found this to be an infinitely interesting book, about a world-famous family who, over the centuries, has made its mark in finance, art, culture, and religion. However, this book speaks of the Rothschild women as opposed to the men in the family, and the marks they made, not only in their own families, but to society as a whole. As the decades passes and women became more able to speak their minds and follow their own interests, so did these women, and the world is a better place for them.

My thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

This book gives the history of the Rothschild family through the lens of certain of the women members. I found this book to be full of interesting anecdotes and facts from the lives of the women chosen. It particularly drove home for me the “closeness” of history- what we consider historical was really just a few generations removed, and the changes witnessed in the time period covered were remarkable. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in European history or well-known women.

The second I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I adore history, especially female centered history. This book has incredibly stories about the Rothschilds. It's a wonderul plot following the real life rise of the family.

The Women of Rothschild by Natalie Livingstone is a non-fiction book that reads like a novel. I have always been fascinated by the Rothschilds and was absolutely thrilled to dive into this ARC. The author's research shines on every page, though her storytelling skills turn history into a much more immersive experience. I look forward to Ms. Livingstone's next book-highly recommend!

The Women of Rothschild is an engrossing, engaging and utterly compelling personal look into the lives of the Rothschild women from the time of founding father Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his wife Gutle in the 18th century through the French Revolution to the world wars to recent times. Talk about a brilliant book! The sheer amount of information presented is astounding. Natalie Livingstone meticulously researched and along with photographs, family tree and vivid descriptions tells the story of the women in particular, the parts they played and their roles of the times. Some of them were fiercely independent and bucked social norms; some were traditional. The family was known as the "Jewish Royal Family", living in the difficult world where Jews were slandered and treated abysmally. But over time the women raised their children to blend with Christians. Their name was connected with Disraeli, Gladstone, P. T. Barnum and Tom Thumb as well as Queen Victoria and the wealthy London set.

Not only does Livingstone describe personal details such as feelings toward Judaism, finance, childbirth, medical conditions and treatment of the time, death and sorrow (one death from a boil) but also luxurious homes and hosting majestic balls. Weddings, marriages and child-rearing are described, amongst the most fascinating information in the book in my opinion. Rothschilds were fodder for cartoon satires and wrote fascinating wills which often slighted the women. The women's personalities are as varied as can be in a family. Learning about what drove them politically, socially, religiously and personally was such a pleasure.

If you are even slightly intrigued by this family, do read this book. It is lengthy but riddled with interesting stories which makes me feel smarter. Well worth reading.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this riveting and fabulous book. I enjoyed it tremendously!

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.

What amazing research and intriguing writing!
Huge appreciation to NetGalley and publishers for allowing me to get an ARC of this research.

It is interesting, that only by reading this work, I realize that despite a vast amount of literature and research on the dynasty of Rothschild, we always read and concentrate on the founder of the dynasty and all the decisions his male descendants made. Surely, times and values were different and most of the time women, who were raised and stood by men were very much in the shadow, given their roles, but especially in Jewish culture, the role of the mother, amma of the family, is pretty heavy. Which is tried to be portrayed in this work.
The women of Rothschild managed to create a spirit and inspire their husbands/sons, help them in their way from poverty to absolute world power, and managed to keep values, beliefs, and religion in their lives.

An absolute must-read for anyone interested in the history of Rothschilds, 19-20 century history, why not feminist movement.

An easy and pretty fascinating read!

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

This was an interesting read. It was a part of American history I was not familiar with. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early read.

You not only get the history of the Rothschild women but of Jewish history as well. These women were the real backbone and driving force of the family. Politics, art, charities and education are just some of the areas these women excelled. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I want to thank Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this as an ARC. I knew very little about the Rothschild Family before I started to read this book. I had only the bare bones of knowledge. This is a very well written and researched book. It tells the story of this fascinating family from the female perspective. The Rothschild women were a strong brave intelligent and successful group as a whole. They were diverse and authentic. They were influential in their families and their countries.The book begins with the Matriarch- Gutle in 1753 in Frankfurt and ends with Miriam who died in 2005. The lives of these women are interwoven with political and world events. The focus is always in the women and the family , and they are a fascinating group. As I said, it is a well researched book. This is one that I might recommend reading in hardback, as there are pages of footnotes that are easier to flip back and forth to in a book. There is also a family tree that I wanted to flip to on several occasions. This a good book, one I would like to reread.

I thought The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty was an interesting read. I give it three stars.

I learned a lot from this book and did not know a ton regarding the Rothschild women in any generation. History has mostly focused on ensuring the men's stories are passed down and prominently featured in books, and I was surprised at the rich details surrounding the women in the Rothschild dynasty. I enjoyed the detail and vivid descriptions of the narrative and the focus on women dating back several hundred years. I'm impressed at how much detail Natalie Livingstone was able to fit in the book and it's clear she did extensive research and preparation for the book.

Fascinating look at the Rothschild women through history.Strong women who contributed to their family their time in history.The author brought them alive I learned a lot about them.#netgalley #st.Martins

I loved this book. Natalie Livingstone tells great stories of the Rothschild women with lots of historical context. It is neither a paean nor a muckraking story. I feel that it is an objective look at these women, with their strengths and flaws. The book covers lots of ground so Livingstone doesn’t really linger over any particular stories. The writing is crisp and a pleasure to read. This book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy.