Florence Gould is the subject of Susan Roland's novel A Dangerous Woman. She was the third wife of Frank Gould, who was the son of railway millionaire Jay Gould. She was 27 and he was 45 when they married. Florence found her worth among the rich and famous. It was clear that she was a gold digger. As she said, "Money doesn't care who owns it." But she wanted it all. All she wanted was to be at the center. Their wealth grew from building luxury hotels and casinos. America was in shambles when the Stock Market crashed in 1929, but the Goulds prospered. Florence acquired great wealth after the crash by purchasing art, jewelry, and real estate at rock bottom prices. In 1933, the Nazis attacked Germany. Florence was a Nazi sympathizer and collaborator. Florence conducted a number of illegal operations, but she avoided prosecution. Favors exchanged for sex. Her ever-growing fortune only enhanced her fame and respectability. It has always been interesting to see how money can get you out of trouble and cause people to turn a blind eye to wrongdoings. Narcissistic and self-centered, she looked only out for herself. This book was well researched by the author.

This biography of Florence Gould starts with her leaving San Francisco after the big fire of 1906 and moving to Paris with her mother, sister, and grandmother. As she grew up, she became a famous socialite and a known beauty. She married Frank Gould of the American Gould railroad family and thus secured her wealth. She and her husband expanded their fortune by investing in and building several hotels and casinos in the French Riviera. As Nazi occupation and World War II struck, Florence maintained her high social status and immense wealth by collaborating with the Germans. She was known in her later years for her art collection.

I wanted to try to expand my horizons by reading this book, but I did not enjoy it. Florence Gould had few if any redeeming qualities. She was selfish and self-serving, doing whatever it took to stay on top. She had sex with practically everyone she came in contact with. She most likely knowingly took part in underhanded deals to acquire art fir her vast collection. She lied time and time again about her involvement with the Germans in WW II. I don’t consider her a dangerous woman, just a selfish one.

Also, considering this was a biography about Florence Gould, she was absent for much of it. Long sections went by with no mention or appearance by Florence. So many tangents, some more interesting than others. For instance, Florence rubbed elbows with and befriended many notables of the day such as Colette, Maurice Chevalier, Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and it was really interesting to learn a bit about their history as well. I just think a biography about Florence Gould should focus on its subject. A more accurate title would be something about the people and history of Paris and the French Riviera in the first half of the 20th century. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

If, like me, you knew next to nothing about Florence Gould then you’d be well advised to start with this fascinating book. Probably best know for siding with the Nazis during the occupation of France, Florence was a shrewd and cynical operator who constantly had one eye on her interests and position. Securing her financial future by marrying heir to the Gould family fortune, Frank Gould, she further cemented their finances by helping him with the construction of a hotel and casino empire. Readers of F Scott Fitzgerald might recognise Florence as her and Frank were apparently the inspiration behind some of his more gauche characters and there’s quite the cast of characters in Florence’s on life. She was close friends with Zelda Fitzgerald before the latter’s exhibitionist behaviour proved too much for the conservative Frank. There’s similar names dropped throughout the book which makes this book a must read for anyone interested in 1920s society.

The author was unable to get any cooperation from the Gould family. I imagine they don’t like being reminded of the extremely dubious manner in which Florence’s art collection was curated. The lack of official help does leave Florence slightly out of reach but the book is excellently researched. The author picks apart a lot of the financial dealings of the Gould couple and manages to break them down for the layman while keeping the book interesting. This book is perfect for anyone who’s exhausted several Mitford and swinging twenties books and is looking for something off the beaten path. If you like your society history then I’d heartily recommend this book.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

Susan Ronald's "A Dangerous Woman" tells the story of Florence Gould, a woman whose life is so vivid and opportunistic she seems more like an unpleasant Scarlett O'Hara than a 20th century society figure.

The first half of the book on Gould's early life is so meticulously researched and reported, it becomes a bit of a slog for readers, who might wonder where the story is going. Things pick up as Gould marries into money and joins French cafe society, but her story starts to read like a social column with long diversions to discuss Gould's famous friends and associates.

The most interesting part of the story is about how she collaborated with -- or sucked up to? -- the Nazis in occupied France. While her actions are despicable, Ronald's accounts of Gould's young life make her actions a little easier to understand -- from birth, Florence had been taught by her mother and grandmother to seek the main chance under all circumstances.

Gould's philanthropy later in life seem to redeem her wartime behavior to an extent -- at least in some circles -- transforming her into the grande dame her mother always had in mind.

It's an interesting book about a woman who is an obnoxious relic of the past living a life that also seems entirely modern. Those curious about social history, especially the international set in the early 20th century, will find a trove of information here.

What a deeply unpleasant woman Florence Gould was – excessively wealthy, selfish and self-centred, voracious in her appetites for men, fame and fortune, and a Nazi collaborator to boot. This is a fascinating account of her life, meticulously researched as far as was possible (the author wasn’t allowed access to the Florence Gould archives so inevitably there’s some speculation to fill in the gaps) but I found it occasionally got too bogged down in rather dull detail – for example in some of Florence Gould’s financial shenanigans. There were also some rather odd turns of phrase and inaccurate vocabulary, which is something that always irritates me – a bit more editing wouldn't have gone amiss. But overall the book does a great job in chronicling Florence’s life and depicting the times she lived in. She knew just about everyone in France during her long life there (she left the US quite early on). From Chanel to Chaplin, the Fitzgeralds to Picasso and many, many more, including leading Nazis, with one of whom she had an affair, and it’s her collaboration that I found particularly disturbing. She also acquired a lot of art, and the provenance of that is deeply questionable. A whole other story there, I think. Ronald doesn’t make excuses for her subject, and nothing could make Florence a sympathetic character, but the book shouldn’t be judged on the personality of its subject, a trap into which I fear some reviewers have fallen. This is in fact a very sound and comprehensive biography and I learnt a lot from it.

A Dangerous Woman ⭐️⭐️.5

An unvarnished account of the life of avant-garde socialite Florence Lacaze Gould, whose dazzling, gilded lifestyle belied her dark side as a libertine, Nazi collaborator, and war profiteer. Born in San Francisco in 1895, Florence spent much of her childhood in Paris after her family was displaced by the 1906 earthquake. After a brief marriage to millionaire Henry Heynemann, Florence wed Frank Gould, scion of a railroad mogul, in 1923. They maintained an open marriage (Charlie Chaplin, Harpo Marx, and Pablo Picasso were among her many lovers). Known as a great beauty with “sexually charged allure,” Florence was also a sharp businesswoman who owned successful casinos, restaurants, and hotels. Ronald sprinkles the narrative with vignettes of high society in Paris during the roaring ’20s and ’30s; Florence hosted a salon for the literati during the Nazi occupation years, during which she also bought looted artwork, bribed and bedded members of the Gestapo, and was caught up in a banking scandal. Although Florence’s letters and photographs were inaccessible to the author,


Ronald compensates with layers of research into the period and surrounding players. While the dense historical detail may deter lay readers, history lovers will welcome this impressive book about a captivating, flawed woman.

I love reading historical books, memoirs and biographies but I did not love this book for the reasons highlighted. A good book should have a flow to it. Tell a story that captures the readers interest especially this subject, instead it just bogged me down. I shall happily remain a lay reader.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley!

I do love a good biography and they are actually hard to come by. Two of my very favorites that stand out are The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor and The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark, I highly recommend both of these books as they are gripping, interesting, and so well written!

This book promises to be another incredible read, A Dangerous Woman by Susan Ronald. I’ve never heard of Florence Gould and am intrigued. Take a look:

Born in turn-of-the-century San Francisco to French parents, Florence moved to Paris, aged eleven. Believing that only money brought respectability and happiness, she became the third wife of Frank Jay Gould, son of the railway millionaire Jay Gould. She guided Frank’s millions into hotels and casinos, creating a luxury hotel and casino empire. She entertained Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Kennedy, and many Hollywood stars, like Charlie Chaplin, who became her lover. While the party ended for most Americans after the Crash of 1929, Frank and Florence refused to go home. During the Occupation, Florence took several German lovers and hosted a controversial salon. As the Allies closed in, the unscrupulous Florence became embroiled in a notorious money laundering operation for fleeing high-ranking Nazis.

Yet after the war, not only did she avoid prosecution, but her vast fortune bought her respectability as a significant contributor to the Metropolitan Museum and New York University, among many others. It also earned her friends like Estee Lauder who obligingly looked the other way. A seductive and utterly amoral woman who loved to say “money doesn’t care who owns it,” Florence’s life proved a strong argument that perhaps money can buy happiness after all.

I so admire a writer who can take on a life story such as this and produce a book about a very complex woman! This is on my To-Read list and I cannot wait to sit down with it.

Florence Gould was a master at spinning a story and at making things work to her advantage. As the third wife of Frank Gould, Florence engineered their success in hotels and casinos on the Riviera in the 1930’s, and had many friends in the arts who were pleased to be part of her circle. During World War II, Florence was associated with a money laundering scheme for the Nazis, and somehow avoided prosecution after the war was over. She then reinvented herself once again, and became a patron of the arts, contributing to worthy causes such as the Metropolitan Museum, gaining the status and respectability that had somehow evaded her throughout her life.

I was fascinated by the description of this book, and eagerly began reading, only to find a rather dry biography that was heavy on facts and light on story. I was disappointed, since Florence did lead an interesting and exciting life, that the book wasn’t more compelling.

"Florence understood instinctively that beauty, as well as money, was power; and she had both in abundance."

Florence Gould was an intelligent, conniving, self-centered, savvy business woman, but most of all she was a survivor.  She survived the San Francisco earthquake and fire as a child, a major flood in France, World War I and World War II.  Her survival skills came into play again with her questionable connections with top officials of The Third Reich which was a contention with FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, after the war.  Hoover tried everything to get her convicted for aiding and abetting the enemy to no avail.  She was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Her open marriage to a very wealthy and shrewd American multimillionaire, Frank Gould, gave her the opportunities she needed to become an independent wealthy woman in her own right by investing in real estate and art, though obtained under dubious conditions.  It's known that many of her art purchases were bought from collections taken by the Nazis from French Jews.  Though rumors said she was an anti-Semite, Ronald supposes that Florence didn't care one way or another.  She preferred to have fun rather than worry about "political rumblings", and being the self-serving woman she was, she chose to help both sides when it suited her.

She was equally loved and hated, but she was only interested in power, sexuality, luxury and excess.  With an ego that was larger than life she succeeded in becoming the wealthy, famous and notorious socialite she always wanted to be no matter who or what she had to do to get there.

"She was selfish, egotistical, generous, gorgeous, promiscuous, quick-tongued, and quick-witted. She was never dull, never boring... Above all, she moved with the times and, given the dangerous sweeps of history in which she lived at the height of society, she became—perhaps, despite herself—a dangerous woman."

In her final years, she was very charitable in giving her time, and money to good causes though instead of creating a foundation in her husband's name her ego got the better of her and she created one in her own instead.

Ronald notes that "Florence’s estate on her death was estimated to be worth some $123.8 million, or around $300 million in 2016."

Ms. Ronald does a superb job in her research as seen by her copious notes and extensive bibliography even though The Florence Gould Foundation would not give her access to their archives and made it known that they did not wish to have her book published.  I especially enjoyed hearing about the many famous people Florence hobnobbed with--and there were many--including Coco Chanel, Maurice Chevalier, Charlie Chaplin, Winnaretta Singer, Princesse de Polignac, and daughter of Isaac Merritt Singer, inventor of the sewing machine, Ernst Jünger, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Pablo Picasso.  Though the book is about Florence Gould, a very unlikable woman, it is filled with fascinating historical places and figures.  If  you like autobiographies filled with French history during World War I and World War II, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Ms. Ronald, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Wow, what a selfish, awful woman! I can't believe someone wanted to spend so much time on her. I didn't see what redeeming qualities she had that would make us want to know more about her- other then learning what not to do. The book was obviously well researched and well written, just the subject was so displeasing and frustrating to me.

Beautiful, wealthy and clever, Florence Lacaze had a great ambition. She wanted to be an opera singer. However, it was easier for her to marry wealthy men and when she eventually married Frank Jay Gould, she hit the jackpot! She and Frank cut a swathe through the Riviera with their lavish hotel and casino businesses but they associated with swindlers and thieves, and scandals would eventually follow them. These were nothing, however, compared with Florence’s extremely questionable activities during The Second World War…

This was a very enjoyable book, partly because of all of Florence’s famous friends, such as Chanel and Arletty, and the wonderful descriptions of the luxurious lifestyle on the Riviera in those days. I have seen Arletty in old movies but I didn’t know much about her. However, I found the machinations of the casino and hotel businesses very technical at times.

If you like biographies and reading about high society, you will enjoy learning about this ‘dangerous woman’.

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

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Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

This book reads like a thrilling historical novel. It should be made into a movie pronto. We can't condemn those that made bad choices in the past or we'll never be able to learn from their mistakes.

This extensively researched biography was well written, but all the information was overwhelming.
And to spend that much time and energy writing about such a distasteful person!
Florence Gould seemed only interested in what was happening in the world around her with regards as to how she could gain from it.

Florence Gould: Socialite, Empire Builder, Nazi Collaborator, Philanthropist

Florence Gould’s French parents did very well in turn-of-the-century San Francisco amassing a substantial real estate portfolio. The San Francisco earthquake changed all that. Although the family was safe, the buildings were damaged or destroyed. Florence’s mother fearing a worse catastrophe took her daughters to France.

From an early age, Florence knew exactly what she wanted: money and love. Marrying Frank Gould, son of the railway magnate, Jay Gould, she achieved financial success. With Frank, she moved to France where they amassed an entertainment empire of luxury hotels and casinos. World War II ruined many fortunes, but Florence and Frank stayed in France and prospered much through Florence’s contacts with the Nazis. Not only did she continue to be wealthy, but she bought a substantial art collection much of it looted by the Nazis.

The book is a fascinating, well researched look at Florence’s life. The early chapters present a picture of the young Florence and her determination to get what she wanted from life. The middle chapters describing Frank and Florence’s forays into French real estate are interesting, but I think the best part of the book details her activities during the Nazi occupation of France. Florence was a hard-headed woman determined to get what she wanted.

The book is not a quick read. I found parts quite boring. However, the ending chapters were worth waiting for. If you’re interested in the WWII period, I recommend this book. It gives an overview of the period and one of it’s colorful characters.

I received this book from St Martin’s Press for this review.

A Dangerous Woman illuminated life in France during the 1920's through the 1940's in a totally different way for me:

. . . I am familiar with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's playful period on the Riviera;

. . . I enjoyed reading about Gerald and Sara Murphy's golden times as American's abroad;

. . . and I was intrigued by Coco Chanel's life at the Hotel Ritz during WW2;

BUT, I was not prepared for this in-depth and very troubling tale of a woman whose ambition and quest for riches was so powerful that she literally sold her soul to the devil (the Nazi's).

Although I'd read many books about the period, I don't recall any mention of Florence Gould. This book certainly remedied that! The story is a fascinating one, but the level of detail is mind-numbing. It would be an invaluable text for a serious student of nazi collaboration, but it is a bit tedious for the casual student of the period and its social history.

NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't fond of the "story-telling" of this book. At times, the author hit a really engaging notes, but it mostly had the diction and cadence of a reference book. Mrs. Gould was a controversial, vivacious woman, but this telling was slow and difficult to get through. Overall, I learned a lot, but I didn't enjoy the read.

This biography was quite the undertaking--both for the author and for the reader. I had never heard of Florence Gould before, but had heard of the Gould family, so I was going into this with no expectations, other than the title and the synopsis of the book.

It seems Florence was living an earlier version of the Kardashian lifestyle, albeit without the constant glare of cameras and social media. Just about every aspect of her life was a paradox. I never really felt that I got to know who Florence was and I can’t blame the author, considering the estate was not helpful in providing a window into Florence’s life. There is also the possibility that any documents or diaries that Florence possessed may have been destroyed.

For the first half of the book, I saw Florence as a vapid, money hungry woman who was desperate to be noticed among important people. As she made her way in life, the author mentioned numerous individuals from her private life, the arts, the hotel industry and people in politics. In fact, there was so much name-dropping that at times it was difficult to keep track of Florence.

I almost abandoned this about halfway through, but as WWII got underway, I thought it might get more interesting and it did but even so, Florence kept getting lost in the recounting of other individuals that were weaving in and out of her life. I understand the need to tie these people into her life, but it was very hard to keep track of everyone.

By the last part of Florence’s life, the story seemed a bit more personal and it was probably easier to document what she had done in more recent years. She was a big philanthropist, but also spent most of her life trying to work events to her advantage.
All in all, this was not a very favorable view of her life.

Author Susan Ronald did an outstanding job of researching in order to write about the life of Florence Gould. It’s a shame the estate was not willing to allow the author access because it most likely would have added to her story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy. It was my pleasure to provide my honest review.

The author begins chapter one with a Mark Twain quote. “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” That is one of the precepts with which Florence Lacaze Gould lived her life. She lied about everything from her “eye-witness” account of the San Francisco fire to where her father was buried. She lied about important things and unimportant things. She used anyone to further her position in society and to increase her wealth. She was a thoroughly despicable woman who was a traitor to her country. Did she have any redeeming qualities? Well, she could be generous to her friends and she did donate to charities when she got older. She probably did it to see her name plastered on buildings up and down the East Coast.

Ronald does not like her subject and makes it very clear in this biography. At times, she cannot avoid a snarky comment when Gould pulls off a particularly objectionable act of flimflamery. And how can one like a woman who marries her first husband just to be able to return to the United States to collect an inheritance? A woman who schemes to marry her next husband, a drunken and druggy scion of the infamous Gould clan, to get her hands on his money. One decent thing she did do was make him clean and sober; however, she did this because she did not want him dead before he changed his will in her favor.

Florence was a fantastic business person. With Gould’s money to invest, she created a business empire consisting of casinos and hotels up and down the Riviera. If she broke the licensing laws, it really didn’t matter. Just pay someone off. The Goulds had an open marriage, each content to let the other spouse entertain lovers. That’s fine, but Florence' s lovers in the 1940’s were high-ranking Nazis. She was happy to entertain them in her Paris salon, sleep with them, accept their gifts, and even launder their Nazi loot through her properties at the end of the war so they could have a comfortable life in South American, or in the case of her chief lover, in the US. Her fabulous art collection was the result of buying the paintings of Jewish Holocaust victims.

She almost paid for her collaboration. J. Edgar Hoover had her in his sights. Somehow, the FBI did not buy her story that she was really part of the Resistance. Fortunately for Florence, McCarthyism swept the US and the FBI dropped the investigation to pursue the Red Menace. Which just goes to prove that if someone is beautiful enough and rich enough, she can get away with treason, live to a ripe old age without suffering any consequences for her deeds, and sweetly smile while concert halls and college buildings are named after her.

Susan Ronald wrote a good biography of a woman she did not like. The Gould Foundation did not allow the author access to Florence’s papers. Heaven knows what else would have turned up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

First of all, this was a very hard book for me to finish. It is lengthy, at 400 pages, and is chock-full of details which seems to be overwhelming at times. Second, Florence Gould was not a likable person. She was a despicable woman, and I don’t use that word lightly. This biography details how Florence used her wealth and social standing to become a patron of the arts. Her 1983 obituary lists her literary and artistic prizes, but neglected to mention she was also a Nazi collaborator. As Florence liked to say, “money doesn’t care who owns it.”

Florence’s parents were French immigrants living in San Francisco. After the 1906 earthquake, Florence, her mother and her sister returned to Paris. Florence was groomed to marry well, and she did exactly that when she married Frank Gould, an heir to millions made on railways. In addition, Frank’s scheming business practices made him even richer. After their marriage, Frank and Florence partnered together to create an empire of luxury hotels and casinos. The 1929 crash only meant that Florence could pick up real estate, paintings, jewelry, etc. at bargain prices.

During the war, Florence had several Nazi lovers and was embroiled in a money-laundering scheme. After the war, women who slept with the enemy had their heads shaved and were paraded through the streets to be humiliated and spit upon. Florence, however, escaped judgment and prosecution for treason, most likely due to her vast fortune and social connections. I found it interesting that she called Joseph Kennedy, who had his son, Teddy, a war correspondent, interview Florence. Teddy’s article indicated that anything Florence may have done was to keep her and her husband out of a concentration camp. See, she was despicable!

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I found this a fascinating read about a very strong woman who decided one way or another that she would be rich and made it come true. Philanthropist, patron of the arts, Nazi sympathizer. Florence Lacaze (later fancied up to La Caze) was all of these things and more, apparently and had quite a fascinating life. She started out in San Francisco as a child born to French parents and moved to Paris with her mother after the great earthquake at age 11. She went through WWI and eventually ended up the third wife of American railway millionaire Frank Jay Gould. She went after him when he was still married to his 2nd wife but saw the marriage as no barrier to what she wanted, as she was obsessed with being rich and a member of society. While he battled through his divorce with his 2nd wife, Frank bought Florence a mansion of her own in Paris and arranged for her to be introduced into high society circles.

Once they married, he 45 to her 27 on February 10, 1923, she went about pursuing even greater riches for them. They researched land available and suitable for a hotel and casino on the French Rivera and began buying and building. After much time they had built quite an empire with several casinos and hotels and they developed several spa towns such as Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, Granville and Juan-les-Pins. They opened the famous Hotel “Le Provencal” in Juan-les-Pins which was their favorite. They had privately agreed to an open marriage and she had helped him beat his long-time heavy drinking habit before they wed, but it still had taken a great toll on his health.

Her husband died in 1956 at age 78. The problem for most is how she spent her time in Paris during WWII when the Germans occupied France. It seems she was quite the Nazi sympathizer...collaborator? when it was convenient and she and her circle of friends fared very very well by adding several important Germans to her cast of lovers. Florence passed away childless on February 18, 1983, at 87.

Her foundation has paid for New York’s Florence Gould Hall and San Francisco’s Florence Gould Theater, both named after her. There are other books also establishing her ties as an enthusiastic hostess and friend to Nazis and Nazi collaborators in her lavish Parish digs during WWII such as “And The Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-occupied Paris,” Alan Riding’s book from from Vintage Books (Oct 2011), along with “Americans in Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation” by Charles Glass (Feb 2011) from Penguin, and “The Shameful Peace: How French Artists and Intellectuals Survived the Nazi Occupation” by Frederic Spotts from Yale University Press (March 2010)

An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, Susan Ronald, and St.Martin's Press for my review. Publication date Feb 20, 2018