I have mixed feelings about Sara Aharoni’s The First Mrs. Rothschild. The novel has a lot going for it, but certain aspects of the telling made it difficult for me to get lost in.

The story centers on the fictional journals of Gutle, wife of Meir Amschel Rothschild and matriarch of the Rothschild banking dynasty. Portrayed as an intensely introspective woman, Gutle dedicatedly records the details of the life she shares with her husband and the exploits of the children she bore him.

Gutle is an astute people watcher and I admired her unwavering commitment to her home and family. I was also captivated by her faith and the novel’s description of Jewish history and culture. Many stories incorporate this material, but few of my experience chronicle this particular time period or boast the same natural cadence as Aharoni’s.

Having said that, The First Mrs. Rothschild is an exceedingly long and drawn-out narrative. Gutle bears witness to the family’s rise of fortune, but she is a largely passive presence, relaying the movements and achievements of those around her more consistently than her own. I respect what Aharoni was trying to achieve with this approach, but I felt it severely hindered the pacing of the story and ultimately severed my connection to the heroine of the novel.

This is a complex story written through diaries about the life of the beginning of the Rothschild dynasty, The authenticity and attention to detail are what held me. I found myself wanting more, and would look up facts to delve deeper into the history stated. I recommend for any history lover

Historical fiction at its best the story of the rise of the Rothschild dynasty told in diary form.I was drawn right in could not put down.#netgalley #amazoncrossing,

In 1770 in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt a dynasty was founded...the Rothschild family. Its founder, Meir (Mayer) Rothschild and his wife Gutle. raised 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls. In spite of all that was against the family, in spite of the fact that as Jews they were only allowed to live in that ghetto with taxes and laws prohibiting them from mainstream Frankfurt, they were able to rise above the system The story was amazing, as I learned about the foundation and creation of this industrious family. The research for this historical novel was on point. The writing held me to the story as I felt as if I was there with them. The name Rothschild is synonymous with wealth, banking and power...the descendants have much to be proud of and thankful for. Highly recommended.than

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. More than that, I
am thankful to the author, Sara Aharoni, for sharing her talent with us.

I was so looking forward to reading this book as i do enjoy historical fiction, but i did find this book hard going. Maybe because i was not familiar with some of the words, as i know nothing of the Jewish faith. One of those books that i kept putting down and picking up again.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.

Awaiting Amazon to publish my review.

I loved The First Mrs. Rothschild. It is a fabulous read and I highly recommend it. It gets a five plus stars from me.

The First Mrs. Rothschild is an excellent family saga/historical fiction, about the rise to wealth, and lives of the Rothschild family. Written in diary format, this story unfolds in a beautiful way. Well written, elegant, eloquent, thoughtful and interesting. Thank you NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

With her third novel, a prizewinner in Israel, Sara Aharoni illuminates the matriarch of an international banking dynasty, perhaps the most famous in the world. When one thinks of the name Rothschild, visions of immense wealth, financial power, and influence come to mind, but their origins were humble. Aharoni shows how her heroine, a woman of remarkable character, retained her modest lifestyle through her near-century-long life and instilled strong values in her family.

As a female historical-novel protagonist, Gutle Schnapper, nicknamed Gutaleh, is unusual since she’s content, and proud, to be the wife of a great man and the mother of his many children (five sons and five daughters that survived). Conditions in the Judengasse (Jewish quarter) of Frankfurt in 1770 are overcrowded, and its residents, forbidden from full citizenship, face tight restrictions on their movement, behavior, and careers. Meir Amschel Rothschild, well aware of these prejudices, determines to achieve dignity through financial success, and he finally wins Gutaleh’s father’s approval after becoming court banker to Wilhelm, crown prince of Hesse-Kassel.

In a voice that feels true to her culture, Gutaleh evokes her daily joys and laments, including her passionate marriage, her children’s births and deaths, and her periodic concerns (“Is it seemly to have our profits founded in war?” she wonders). While she remains at home in the Judengasse, running a growing household, Meir makes connections on his travels, overcoming countless obstacles while founding a large banking and trade empire.

The sections where Gutaleh shares details on international politics and economics are rather dry, but she’s an insightful observer of her children’s natures, particularly those of her sons. Each son later establishes his own financial institution in a different European city, creating an indomitable family network. Jewish history buffs will want to read this, and so will anyone seeking an original take on 18th– and 19th-century European history.

(from the Historical Novels Review, August 2019)

This book is my first exposure to the Rothschild family. It started out well, with Guttle watching the world go by from the one window in their little house in the Jewish Ghetto. I enjoyed the beginning of Guttle and Meir's romance and hoped that I would soon be wrapped up in the events of the book, but I gave up after 150 pages. The story didn't flow. I had to keep going back to see what year she had talked about previously to try to keep a story line in my mind, and while I like inner monologue and reflection, I found this book could have used a bit less introspection and a bit more narrative.
If you like historical fiction, you are interested in Jewish history and you don't mind reading a lot about one person's thoughts about life, then this book is for you.

Sara Aharoni achieved a real tour de force. She describes with an accute pen the incredible life of the wife of the founder of the Rothschild dynasty. There is no contemporary understanding of life in the writing, which is a relief as it quite often happen. The book also escapes a monotonous full account of a business story. Still, the reader will learn so much. We all know about the horror of ghettos, but it is another matter to understand it through the almost daily narrative of someone who was born, became a mother and a grandmother in it. I hope many teachers (I will) are going to use the book to help people to understand what is really going on in our cultures. The choices which were made in the past, and still influencing today. The optimist note comes from the incredible success of the family. Again, the story telling does not fall in the flaw to be obsequious. I will recommend the book whenever I can.
Many thanks to the author and publishers, I got a NetGalley copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are mine.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

I had not read this author before but certainly will in the future

I slowed down reading this - that's not a bad thing - I wanted to pay full and complete attention - the book deserves that and I found it very satisfying having done that as I feel I have done the book justice by doing it.

Well written and researched - I absolutely loved this

If historical fiction is your thing, you will find this a fully satisfying read

Some books are long and some books are very long. There are long books that are fun and interesting to read and you do not notice how long they are. But sometimes...
Unfortunately, I had to give up on this book at quarter point. I am very sorry.
I love historical mystery and am interested in Jewish history. And the title of this book was very attractive as well as its description. That's why I chose this book to read.
However, the book itself, the flow, the language was not for me. The story felt made up to the point where I had to refer back to the chapters titles for the dates. The story felt more 1920s and 1930 than 1770s. In all honesty. Plus, all these long-winded reflections, descriptions and discussions between the First Mrs Rothschild and her husband... I found them boring and taking away from the book rather than adding to it.
May be it should have been a non-fiction book rather than historical fiction... may be it would have worked better...

First I want to say that it took an age for me to read this book. It wasn't because it's a bad book, it certainly isn't, but it's solid and it seemed a lot longer than what the page count tells us. It's the type of book you can sit and read for hours, then find you've barely made any headway in it. The novel does span 80 years though, so we will forgive it.

It follows the narrative journals of Gutle Rothschild, who married fellow Frankfurt ghetto resident Meir Amschel Rothschild when she was just a teenager. Her journals tell the tale of the family, through the triumphs and tragedies, loves and losses. As the tale unfolds of the rising financial dynasty that is created, we wonder at the strength of the woman, as the family rises out of the ghetto and takes control of the finances of Europe.

I found The First Mrs Rothschild to be a wonderful story, beautifully researched. It gives us an insight to the talent and fortitude of this amazing family of bankers, a unity that still lasts today, centuries later. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction, especially European history, where the novel is very much based on fact. Well done Sara Aharoni.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Young Gutle daily watches the world from the only window in her parents’ home in the Frankfurt Jewish ghetto. From here she first sees Meir Rothschild and falls in love. His tenacity wins her hand and they start their journey together. He is successful in his money dealings with locals and his persistence wins the gentile business. Meir has a dream: to build a dynasty of money-lenders who will establish their rightful position in Europe. To do this he insists on a large family; Gutle agrees. Their family grows with the inevitable loss of some babies. Meir is good in business despite the constant anti-Semitism that surrounds him but he is not skillful in recognizing his children’s needs. Gutle supports her husband’s decisions, at the same time providing compassion and insight to her family members, all the time quietly mourning her losses. Meir’s dream is realized and we follow the origins of a recognized historic family through the detailed journals of their mother. Sara Aharoni is a painstaking historian; at times the complex events confused me. I did, however, find Gutle a memorable character in her simplicity and sense of duty.

A big book - a novel in diary form- that tells the tale of Gutle and Mayer Rothschild. Set in the 18th and 19th century, it's an interesting way to learn not only about the famous banking family but also the situation in Europe at the time. Because it's told from Gutle's point of view, it's a domestic novel, focusing on their romance, their marriage, and their children. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Fans of the historical novel, especially those based on real people, will enjoy this one for a different take and insight into a woman who is not well known.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this tomb of a novel, The First Mrs Rothschild, about Gutaleh Rothschild. I am a buff for historical fiction and to the best of my knowledge not much has been written about the life of Mrs. Rothschild. She is a character with so much class and grace. As a child, she respected the decision of her parents, when they at first refused to allow her to marry who she considered, her bashert, or her chosen one. Luckily, with time, they came around to grant her her permission. She had so much love for her husband, Meir Amschelm Rothschild, and for the family of 10 children that they had. The heartbreak that she expressed when there were disappointments in their life was truly palpable through the pages into my subconscious. She had immense strength to mix out of all the family's business interactions, even when she had strong opinions that she would have liked to share. The politics of the times she lived through were tumultuous, especially for Jews, who were not considered to have any rights. Even with Napoleon, Jews in Frankfurt were denied equal rights for a long time. When this finally happened, thanks for the most part to her husband,Meir,Amschelm Rothschild, Gutaleh Rothschild did not lose one minute, and took her mother to stroll The Gardens of Frankfurt, something, they always could only dream of doing!.
I loved everything about this book and was only sad when Gutaleh Rothschild's life finally came to an end. Thanks so much #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this e-Arc #thefrirstmrsrothschild. 5 stars! On shelves in bookstores July 9, 2019.

3.5 stars


Thanks to Netgalley for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

A historical fiction spanning the 18th and 19th century and written in diary format by matriarch, Gutle Rothschild. The First Mrs Rothschild details the courtship of Gulte and Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the rise of her husband and children's banking dynasty, and the world events that are happening as she raises her family. Translated from the original Hebrew text, Sara Aharoni's characterization of Gutle, showcases a devoted wife and mother that stood by her husband, listened to her children and was fiercely loyal to the city of Frankfurt.

As a historical fiction fan, I do love when authors centre on the woman behind the man. Mayer Amschel Rothschild jas oftentimes been recognized as introducing the prototype of modern capitalism and in 2009 was listed in Forbes magazine as one of the most influential businessmen of all time. So it's interesting to focus on Gulte who actually did outlive her husband and watched her sons and grandsons as they expanded their banking system throughout Europe.

When Gulte is 17 years old, she is captivated by Mayer who seems worldly and dreams of something that will take his family name past the Frankfurt Judengasse. ( Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt). Although her father and mother have their hesitations about Mayer, it is soon evident that Gulte will have no other man but Mayer. In the years that follow Gulte's three notebooks will chronicle the triumphs and tribulations of the Rothschild family.

Honestly, I find myself at a 3.5 because I did read this book in one sitting, but I did feel that Gulte was written a bit with kidgloves. No doubt through her research, Aharoni came to admire her protagonist very much and while there are moments where Gulte is very human in her interactions with different family members, she's also painted a bit like a perfect model of what a wife and mother is envisioned. But as I always do after reading a book, I research online. It would seem that while I am a cynic, Gulte really is depicted in history as being this way and that is because letters that she wrote to her sons have survived.

Whatever the case, the first Mrs Rothschild is the perfect summer read for the historical fiction fan.







Goodreads review 15/06/19
Publication Date. 09/07/19

I really enjoyed this book about the first Mrs. Rothschild. It is written in diary format and feels very natural. You are hearing the story from her perspective. I found it interesting to see how Jewish people were treated in that time.

The one contention I did have was that the translator used the term holy bible when referring to sacred Jewish texts rather than the correct term, Torah. I didn't like it, as holy bible is a christian term, not a Jewish one, and the narrator was Jewish and obviously not referring to Christian scripture.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, I just think the wording could use a little correction in the translation.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I had a hard time getting into this book enough to finish it. It turned out to be written entirely in a diary format vs. a novel. I read the first two chapters which consisted of the character looking out her window at life passing by. My general rule is that if a book doesn't draw me in by the end of the second chapter, then it tends to lose my interest in continuing.