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A review by bookapotamus
House of Gold by Natasha Solomons
3.0
I really wanted to love this one! I really did. But unfortunately this was a bit of a struggle for me and took a loooong time to get through. I love historical fiction. I love war stories. But this one just fell really flat for me.
Greta Goldbaum is a bright spot in the story and I devoured every chapter about her. She's smart and feisty and goes by the beat of her own drum. despite being part of the Goldbaum empire - one of the wealthiest families in the world. All the men are bankers and the Goldbaum women, marry the Goldbaum men just to produce heirs, and more Goldbaum bankers. I already dislike them. Yes, I know - it's how it was in the early 1900's. Everyone married their cousins to keep the bloodline going and everyone who had money was full of themselves and thought they were better than everyone else. This is especially evident in this LONG family saga. Which made it particularly hard for me to like anyone but Greta.
Greta is sent from Vienna to England, to marry her distant cousin Albert. She is NOT happy about the arrangement and struggles in her new life. But them her mother-in-law introduces her to gardening and a new love blooms, and may just help her get to know Albert a little better. But war is looming and there is a whole cast of characters to keep track of - including multiple cousins and family members. We follow them all though loves, and loss and war.
There's a lot of political and government conversations that go on as far as, who the family will align with, who they will loan money to and the reasons behind these decisions - which BORED THE HELL OUT OF ME. Half of the story - the strategies and wealth and political/government decisions - just to much. Too confusing. Too many character and countries and opinions and numbers and who gets along with who, and I think my head just exploded.
I loved Greta. I loved her story, and the gardens and the talk about plants. I hated just about everyone else, and there were SO MANY story lines and plots to follow. A bit too much for me. This book felt like work.
Greta Goldbaum is a bright spot in the story and I devoured every chapter about her. She's smart and feisty and goes by the beat of her own drum. despite being part of the Goldbaum empire - one of the wealthiest families in the world. All the men are bankers and the Goldbaum women, marry the Goldbaum men just to produce heirs, and more Goldbaum bankers. I already dislike them. Yes, I know - it's how it was in the early 1900's. Everyone married their cousins to keep the bloodline going and everyone who had money was full of themselves and thought they were better than everyone else. This is especially evident in this LONG family saga. Which made it particularly hard for me to like anyone but Greta.
Greta is sent from Vienna to England, to marry her distant cousin Albert. She is NOT happy about the arrangement and struggles in her new life. But them her mother-in-law introduces her to gardening and a new love blooms, and may just help her get to know Albert a little better. But war is looming and there is a whole cast of characters to keep track of - including multiple cousins and family members. We follow them all though loves, and loss and war.
There's a lot of political and government conversations that go on as far as, who the family will align with, who they will loan money to and the reasons behind these decisions - which BORED THE HELL OUT OF ME. Half of the story - the strategies and wealth and political/government decisions - just to much. Too confusing. Too many character and countries and opinions and numbers and who gets along with who, and I think my head just exploded.
I loved Greta. I loved her story, and the gardens and the talk about plants. I hated just about everyone else, and there were SO MANY story lines and plots to follow. A bit too much for me. This book felt like work.