Natalie Livingstone's history of the brilliant women of the extensive, world-spanning Rothschild clan is impeccably researched and gloriously readable. From the 1753 birth of Gutle, the original clan matriarch, into the women of the modern era family, we come to know these women's interests, talents, and roles played in their political and economic times. What a story! And all true.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I went into this book blind, having known almost nothing about this wealthy Jewish family that shaped by European history. However, after reading the book, I still don't feel like I know very much. This book read like an encyclopedia and was mainly just a litany of facts and quotes mashed together to form a loosely organized book. I had trouble keeping the numerous characters straight, and resorted to Wikipedia and Google on many occasions to help me better understand what I was reading. This book was really dry and the writing style never made the characters come alive to me. It was a slog to get through and I kept hoping for more details that would make the women more interesting. I think the author was trying to show that the women in the Rothschild family were just as interesting and historically relevant, but the way this book was written had the opposite affect on me; I found them to be dull and uninteresting, completely dwarfed by the men. I retained little of what I read because I had to struggle so much to stay engaged with what I was reading.

I do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I also appreciate the amount of research and work the author put into this book. Unfortunately, it was just not a book for me.

This is one thoroughly researched history book! The level of detail with which Natalie Livingstone describes the lesser-known women of the Rothschild banking empire is astounding. While it is dense and not good for a casual read, I enjoyed learning about the Rothschilds, their business practices, and (especially) their family drama. I appreciated how Livingstone highlighted the accomplishments and influence of the women--who were literally written out of the business in the patriarch's will--and how the Rothschild enterprises wouldn't have been nearly as successful without them.

TW for inbreeding, I suppose, and death. Lots of death.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC. To be transparent, I did not finish this book. I have not had the time, but can I just say I am blown away by this Livingstone's research skills. I made it about 68% of the way through before life got in my way. The Women of Rothschild are the true backbone of their families and Livingstone begins with such great detail about a time I knew so little about, I really felt like I learned something new from this book. For those of you who are looking to learn the background of all the Rothschild, please pick this up. Also, Natalie if you read this, please let me in on your prep work process because I am impressed!

The Women of Rothschild was an informative book, but a dry history read. While I enjoy non-fiction, I was missing the heart of the women who were the subjects of the book. This felt more like an academic treatise than a book for pleasure. If that style of writing is one you enjoy, then this is the book for you. If it’s not, then I would advise you to skip this particular book.

Rothschild is a huge family and the book is very well researched but it read like a history book. It was very factual but there was no heart to it. I knew what the women did but not why. I didn't feel like I really got to know any of the women. There is a family tree but I think those who read a physical book will be able to benefit from it. I read on a Kindle and without the ability to enlarge it was useless. I was confused with the numerous people named Charlotte, Hannah, Mayer, and Nathan.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital copy.

I have been on a nonfiction kick recently and this one stood out for many reasons. I felt like I was in the moment with the author and I felt like the past was described in such a way that I could picture it without feeling like I was bogged down with details.

This book is definitely well-researched. I personally would have enjoyed it more if it read like a fiction novel vs. an encyclopedia. It was a little dry for my taste.


Thanks very much to NetGalley for this ARC.

About four or five pages into the introduction, I was rolling my eyes and muttering, “Oh brother.” Here we go, another academic revisionist reviling of history’s events because the period in question doesn’t conform with today’s woke culture. You know, the cruelly treated and horribly abused women/minorities/non-English populations suffering unspeakable deprivation and torture at the hands of the white male patriarchy running-dog-lackeys of the capitalist imperialist class. In this case, Livingstone is outraged by the neglect and abuse the Rothschild women suffered at the hands of their eeevil husbands. Okay, fine, so I settled in to find out just how horrible things were for the Rothschild women. And, about four or five pages into the text, was going, “What the deuce?” because Livingstone completely disproves her own outrage.

The Rothschild women were wonderful, great people in their own right, very much appreciated by most of their male contemporaries and well known to the public, beginning with the matriarch of the Rothschild dynasty, Gutle Schnapper, who teamed up with her husband, Mayer Rothschild, to overcome the unbelievably horrific anti-semitism of 18th Century Frankfurt. That seems the better story than which side of the marriage bed should get the most credit for building the empire. Gutle had much to do with that, as did succeeding generations of Rothschild women and Livingstone does an outstanding job explaining how they did so. The women, that is. There’s not much mention of the men’s efforts so you really can’t compare.

And I’m not really sure you should. When I think of Rothschilds, I think of the family name, not the husbands or the wives or the kids or the family dog. Seems a combined effort, then, and who should get credit for what is an argument generally made between siblings.

By Victorian times, Rothschild women were ruling society, the papers following their every move. They were friends of prime ministers, hosting parties considered more important than those of royalty. They hung out with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and were heavily involved in politics and in building vast country estates with, I guess, some support from their husbands.

So what’s the complaint?

There really isn’t one. Livingstone keeps coming back to the original stipulation that Mayer invoked preventing any Rothschild women from direct involvement with the banking business. Which, in 18th Century Europe, with its murderous kings and rapacious ministers, was probably a good idea, unless the women could hold their own with sword and musket. Which some of them could, and a lot of the women got involved with the bank despite the prohibition. Rules are made to be broken, doncha know, especially the unwritten one that Rothschilds keep it in the family and so ended up marrying cousins, which, unfortunately, displays its results in later generations.

But you can’t publish an academic treatment these days unless you couch it in neo-Marxist analytical class warfare terms, so we have to raise the specter of wife abuse or this isn’t going to get past the slush pile. Which I’m glad this did, because it is an excellent book.

Livingstone had an engaging writing style that kept me coming back despite my frustrations at not being able to keep all the women and the relationships straight. Also, at a certain point it became the story of the "woes" of really rich women which does not interest me.

I did enjoy this book, but it seemed so long to me. The chapters seemed to go on forever. There were a lot of names in the book, and I would have to stop and go back, to see who belonged to who.

There is a lot of history in the book. It spans from the mid 1800's to the beginning of the 2000's. What maybe amazed me most is that even back in the 1800's the Jews were viewed as less than human. For some reason, I always thought that it was just a Hitler thing, but now know differently.

Even though the Rothschild's were very rich and successful, the women had to crave out there own lives. They were considered not very business apt. Even into the 1970's, the money went to the men, when the father died. Plus, what the mother had went to the sons. In spite of this, some of the women made a way of their own.

Published October 25, 2022

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#netgalley
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📚 Happy Reading 🙂📚

Thanks to the publisher , St. Martin's Press, for giving me the chance to review THE WOMEN OF ROTHSCHILD
by Natalie Livingstone.

Highly recommend this for fans of biographies and world history..

This non fiction novel gives rich details about the beginnings of the Rothschild dynasty and how they built their fortune.

Natalie Livingstone's THE WOMEN OF ROTHSCHILD tackles the difficult task of spotlighting the women of an enormously influential (and rich) family--a family where the women were supposed to withdraw once they'd made impressive and consequential marriages.

Studded with rich historical tidbits and vivid portraits of a place and time, this is a meticulously crafted and fascinating portrait of generations of powerful women at a time when women were not supposed to be powerful. A compelling read.

Many thanks to St Martins and to Netgalley for the pleasure of the read.

The Women of Rothschild is a mesmerizing story about a Jewish family and their importance in history largely impacted by the daughters. In a time when women weren't given much responsibility other than having and raising children, the daughters were expected to help keep the books of the family business. As more children are born and raised in this family, they will make marriages in order to better the family's standing. After all the women have contributed to the business they are essentially cut out when Mayer Amschel Rothschild dies his will is implicit, the women are to get nothing, and they are to have no further dealings with the family business. This was a shock since they had been involved but it was a very common practice for men to handle the business in the family.

In spite of this the women were hugely influential hostesses and diplomats for the family as well as becoming involved with politics, advising prime ministers, social reform, and trading on the stock exchange. The women did not let Mayor's will stop them from continuing to being an important part to the family dynasty.

This book is wonderfully told with rich history and many details previously unknown. The beginnings of the marriage of Mayor and Gutle is so interesting of how they began their family in Frankfort which grew to many countries in Europe to the US. It is an extraordinary story of women for their contribution that have been overlooked in history.

The Rothschild family grew to prominence through banking during the early 1800s in Germany. The children of Gutle and Mayer Rothschild then expanded both the business and social reach of the family by settling across Europe. As wealthy and respected Jews living among Christian societies, the men in particular were highly influential. However, this book looks at several generations of Rothschild women, especially those of the English branch of the family, and highlights their contributions to society from childrearing to society functions to political movements and social reform to literary efforts to scientific research.


A few of the Rothschild women particularly stood out to me. There was Hannah, who with her husband Nathan established the English branch of the family during the Regency period. Hannah Mayer went against her family’s wishes and married a Christian. Evelina died tragically young in childbirth. Constance was a writer and a leader for women’s political rights and social reform. Nica loved flying and earned her pilot’s license, was recruited into the Free French during WWII, then took off to New York to immerse herself in the jazz scene there. Miriam was a biologist, writer, horticulturist, helped organize assistance for Jewish refugees during WWII, and also raised six children. Not gonna lie, Miriam is totally my favorite.

The Women of Rothschild by Natalie Livingstone is a very well-researched book.
There are numerous source citations throughout.

This is the story of the "other" side of the Rothschild family.
The most interesting thing to me is that the patriarch of the family declared that none of the women could be bank officer or hold stock. Yet the author shows how they managed their households and made a big impact despite that caveat.

I do wish the story had been told in a more conversational (dare I say fictionalized) style.
Reading this book was more akin to reading a history book for me.
The book is full of interesting history and factoids, and if this is your cup of tea, you will love it.

Thanks very much to NetGalley for an ARC, my opinions are my own.

The Introduction to The Women of Rothschild gives an extensive background to the historical story of the Rothschilds with a unique focus on the women of the family. Livingstone begins with the so called "founding father", Mayer Amschel Rothschild but the initial focal point is Gutle, his wife. The growth and social prominence of the multiple generations of the family is chronicled from the Frankfurt ghetto to London to Paris and beyond, as well as their ascent into British society - titles, royal licenses, etc. Livingstone paints a rich picture of life behind the curtains, and how fascinating she tells the tale, Don't miss this book - you won't regret it!

I had never heard of the Rothschild family so I was in for a wonderful surprise with this family story. The way these women fought for their own and raised children to do the same is incredible! I loved learning about the different family branches of this huge family tree. There were so many people to keep track of but they were all fascinating individually and collectively. I don’t know how much this would interest a well informed reader as that was not my position. I will say that this book focuses on the women with mentions of the men in their lives. I think that this family will stick with me for a while and I am happy to know about them now.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

It’s kind of wild to be reading this book right now, with all the k*nye w*st b.s. going on and all the antisemitic hate happening in our country. It’s just truly mind-blowing to see history repeating itself and see social issues maintain their problematicness for SO long. I will never understand the hatred and I am *here* for amplifying the women of the Rothschild lineage.
Starting in a Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt and following several groups of prominent women in the family, the Jewish identity was always at the forefront, especially when it came to “marrying out” of the faith.
This book is in 4 parts, focusing on 4 eras of Rothschild women, the underlying topic being how these women shaped the family and its legacy while simultaneously being forced into the background. I particularly liked the 3rd section with Constance and the political endeavors of the womens’ partners best, but every section is very interesting and well-researched.
This book is very analytical and historically-accurate. It’s incredible the information Livingstone was able to convey in a palatable, story-telling manor from reading old diaries with missing pages and blacked-out sections. Any book that’s this meticulous should be applauded and this subject matter is specifically unique and interesting.
It’s a great “nightstand read.” Pick this one up, put it down, flip around through the notations and savor the information.

The name Rothschild conjures ideas of wealth, power and influence. There have been plenty of books about them but they have focused on the men. But that has neglected the contribution and efforts of the women in the family. This work focuses on the women, particularly the women in the English branch.

This is a well-researched and very readable work. It is gives a much fuller picture of how the Rothschild family grew to power, stayed there and achieved so much by adding the women to the picture. They did much behind the scenes and in the trenches, particularly the early days, but were not credited with it. They also did much in on the social side, arts and sciences which helped to keep the Rothschilds in a position of influence and to facilitate social relationships.

This isn't a dry history by any means. There are plenty of scandals and other famous people that readers will be interested in.

It is a bit long but it covers centuries and highlights the achievement of Rothchild women into this century.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.