The story of the many tragedies and triumphs of the Rothschild women, and their roles across Europe. Faced with antisemitism & misogyny, these women worked to raise their family to greater heights.

A fascinating book, but very dense and dry, with a lot of dates & names that became difficult to keep track of. I did really like learning about these women! Seeing how they took the roles and power they had access to, and made great strides for their family was inspiring.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this arc.

A well researched and insightful read about a group of women I knew next to nothing about. Recommend for those interested in influential women in history.

"The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Famous Dynasty" by Natalie Livingstone is an extensively researched and captivating book shedding light on the often-overlooked contributions of the Rothschild women.

Livingstone skillfully intertwines the tales of these extraordinary women, highlighting their resilience, intelligence, and influence spanning generations.

From serving as influential hostesses and diplomats to actively participating in social reform and the arts, the Rothschild women emerge as pivotal historical figures.

The Rothschild dynasty, originating in Frankfurt, Germany, is among the most influential banking families in history.

Founded by Mayer Amschel Rothschild in the late 18th century, the family expanded its banking empire across Europe through Mayer’s five sons.

Regardless of enduring conspiracy theories, their impact on shaping modern finance is indisputable.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Natalie Livingstone, and Publisher St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader's copy for review.

5/5 stars for this historical fiction by Natalie Livingston!! This was my first book by her and will definitely read more of hers. Thank you netgalley for the copy for exchange of my honest review.

The Women of Rothschild provided a comprehensive insight into a family I've heard of but knew little about, particularly regarding the women's role within it. While the book was informative, I found it overly lengthy and tedious with little mention of why the women did what they did, it read more like a historical record, which surprisingly caused me to lose interest at times. Nevertheless, I appreciate the opportunity to read and review it, thanks to NetGalley.

"The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty" by Natalie Livingstone is a compelling and meticulously researched account that sheds light on the remarkable women who played pivotal roles within the renowned Rothschild family. Livingstone's narrative provides a fresh perspective on one of history's most influential dynasties, showcasing the significant contributions and challenges faced by the women behind the scenes.

This was a fascinating read. I loved that the focus was truly on the women of this family. Learning how the families were managed and guided by the matrilineal line showed how smart these females were.

Where some might say grasping, conniving, calculating, I have to retaliate with the fact that anyone without the power to make their own choices, will figure it out.

Livingstone shows her research skills. She uses as many primary sources as she can while using secondary sources as well.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy of The Women of Rothschild in exchange for this honest review. This one is available for purchase today!

I don't read a ton of nonfiction, but I really enjoy historical fiction, and while I've heard of the Rothschild family, I didn't know a lot about them - it was very clear that Livingstone has done a lot of research on this subject, and I had a good time reading this. I will say, this is a title that you need to be in the correct mindset for, as the material is quite dense to read, as it reads very factual, which is a bit outside of what I normally read as a fiction lover. I can definitely appreciate all the research put into this title.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this review!

Really interesting book. I like books that focus on the wives/daughters/mothers of famous men, as they usually have such an impact even if we don't know about it.

I honestly did not know much about this family beyond the name going into this book. The research that went into writing this was thorough and, in the beginning, a bit difficult to follow because of all the detail. It took my a very long time to get through this book due to the subject matter. Ultimately, this was a well written story that needed to be told. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book and learned so much. It is full of striking and inspirational stories of amazingly strong women devoted to their families. This book goes deep into the Rothschild family tree, past the uber-successful men, to examine the Rothschild women, whose contributions were key to building the men's and the family's power and influence. In the 18th century, the Rothschild patriarch specified in his will that only the male descendants could inherit any interest in the businesses or have any controlling interest. Despite this restriction, the women contributed behind the scenes in crucially important supporting roles. In order to keep the business and wealth in the family, Rothschild women often married Rothschild male cousins and uncles. Starting in the 19th century, some young Rothschilds entered into interdenominational marriages which were controversial at the time but led to strong business and personal connections. For example, the marriage that united the Rothschild and Montefiore families (a marriage between Ashkenazi and Sephardic diasporas) in 1812 led to a branch of the family that was heavily involved with progressive charity for the benefit of Jewish women in London’s East End in the late 19th century. If I had to choose a favorite Rothschild woman, it would be Miriam, who was tutored by her father and uncle in the natural sciences, and went on to serve at Bletchley Park, provide shelter for Jewish children fleeing Nazi Germany and become a respected researcher in lepidoptera and biochemical studies and philanthropist. This is such a sweeping story, and at times it was quite hard to keep all the family members straight. At one point I gave up and decided to just go along for the ride, and I’m glad I did. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for an advanced egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before reading this book, I did not know much about the Rothschilds. However, these women had fascinating stories. The writing of the book was very engaging and compelling. I hope there will be more stories on the women in the future!

Having the chance to take a deep look into the Rothschild family was really intriguing for me! The research that went into this book was amazing! It's definitely a book a history buff would love!

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

When I first read the description of this book, I didn't realize it was nonfiction. However, once beginning to read it, it did not feel like nonfiction at all....this was a very informative and interesting book on the history of the women in a very illustrious family.

I feel that I learned a lot, having only known the basics of this family. This was a well researched and documented book.

Took me a long time to get through this book, that was because of me trying to keep everyone in order and who belonged to who. Very interesting story of this family especially the women, they had more influence I think than the men, that saying is true, behind every successful man is the woman and that sure goes without saying in this family. You start out with the original Rothschild family, mom and dad how he started out in life and what he intended to leave his children to carry on after they were gone and they sure did a great job as everyone today, even in 2023, you know who this family is, and they had an impact on the banking world. Starting out in the Jewish ghetto to big houses, travels all over the world, this family did. Follow the successes, the failures, the politics, the banking world, the money and you have all of this in this story plus some scandals but then doesn't every family? You see in this story what a so very important part the woman of the Rothschild women played in establishing the world we live in today! Enjoyed the story of this family, found out so many things that they were involved with and you sure can tell that so much time and research went into the story!

THE WOMEN OF ROTHSCHILD: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Famous Dynasty, by Natalie Livingstone (This review is from ARC given to me by Netgalley)


Natalie Livingstone covers several generations, from its origins in a Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt, the family of Meyer Anshel Rothschild (1744-1812) and his wife, Guttle Schnapper (1753-1849), created an extraordinary financial dynasty that spread throughout the world of banking family’s wives and daughters, the author covers over 300 years of family history. The legacy of the famous dynasty is associated with wealth and power.
The women were outsiders as Jews in a Christian society and in a patriarchal family. Histories of the influential family have focused almost exclusively on men. However, Livingston through her narrative and intensive research, though archives, memoirs, and published resources the focus of this book is on the British Rothschilds who were influential in Literature, Zionism, politics, science and social reform Many of the women were often advisors to their husbands but did not participate in any financial policy or decisions.
Being a Female member of the Rothschild family and wealthy, they were tolerated by the British Aristocracy, as many of aristocracy were antisemitic.
Being a Rothschild wife “was stressful and thankless work” despite living in luxury and having servants.
They were scrutinized within the family especially when they married outside of the Jewish faith.
This an intensive read and at times there were just too many threads to get a grasp on the history of the Rothschild women but it was informative and gave a good background of the periods covered by the author.

Here is the setup: We know about the Rothschild family. They have written about, conspiracy theoried about, spoken of for over a century. Yet we only have heard of the men. Picking one wing (The British wing) of the family Natalie Livngstone walks us through the lives of the women. Where they fall in the hierarchy (they really didn't have the view of official power - sons only in this family) how they wielded their power and their husbands and how their lives unfolded.

It was incredible to read how these women, behind the scenes, were supporting people like Disreali and other political leaders. There are so many stories and big political moments that are run on dinners and relationships and these women were so adept at all they did. This was also a family that struggled as all families do and I appreciated that this was well researched and Livingstone didn't shy away from those struggles.

Who is it for: This is for people who love to see the women's side of history, love family dynasties and enjoy a slow and steady read. I didn't find this to be one that I would have to blast through but it was a good slow and steady that lead me down some other historical rabbit holes throughout.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an Honest Review.

The influence of Rothschild wives and mothers was interesting to read about. I am not a history scholar so I got a bit bogged down along the way. Nevertheless, I preserved and especially enjoyed reading about the late 19th and early 20th century women. By then, their impact was in science, gardening, politics, art, and Israel - not ‘just’ helping the Rothschild men to be successful, they were very successful in their own right.

Well researched, fascinating look at the women behind the name. Not a quick read. I’m always intrigued by women who succeed, especially in that time period, and acknowledging their Judaism. Recommended for those who enjoy a deep dive into the time period.

Not my type of book. Started it and couldn’t get into it. Think I’m just not the right audience for it. Too much like a history book