The First Mrs. Rothschild: A Novel

I really felt connected with Gutle by the end of the book. It was difficult to maintain focus at times because of the number of characters and descriptions. I fell in love with Gutle as a teen and felt her pain when she lost the love of her life. This book probably isn’t for everybody but I’m glad that I got to experience it.

This book is not for everyone, the format of reading a woman's diary of her life can be too tedious, but that slow pace is attractive to me. The back and forth of learning Meir's life and business brilliance and Gutle's determined attitude to protect and help all who touch her is a delight. I read it the first time for the story of her marriage of Gutle to Meir and their life together in the Frankfort Germany Ghetto in 1770-1843 was a lovely love story. I will read it again to understand the brilliance of the banking and bold risks that Meir initiated along with his 5 sons. The author teaches her story well. The growth of the people in the story is engrossing, and I appreciate so much more of the changes that Meir and family brought to the life of Jews. Years ago I was in a hospital waiting room when I observed 2 bodyguards at the edges of the room. I was with my mother in law who had a seat, I was eventually able to sit near my mother in law. She instantly introduced me to "Mrs Rothchild" that was also waiting her turn. We 3 chatted like old friends, with no interferance from the body guards. I never knew which Mrs. Rothchild I had just met, but I knew she had traveled from Europe for treatment at the clinic. This was in the 1990's, and I saw so much of Gutle and her life's attitude in this lady, that makes this novel so real in so many ways. It is a powerful story of a small beginning to a compassionate successful end, honoring so many of those who came before us. Sara Aharoni has done a beautiful job, I will be looking for any other of her books that might be translated into English. 5 stars

The First Mrs. Rothschild brings a story of Gutle who married Meir Amschel Rothschild – a German-Jewish banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty.Frankfurt, 1770. Gutle, daughter of a Jewish moneylender from Judengasse, is engaged to Meir Rothschild after her father’s two rejections. The noble title given recently to young Rothschild changes her father’s mind.Meir studied in Hanover and saw how different Jewish ghetto was there. The one in Frankfurt is much more oppressed. This experience gives him a different perspective. He sees that the power is in the money, which carries dignity, and he plans on earning plenty of dignity. He sees it as a powerful thing, breaking the walls of the ghetto and setting Jews free.The atmosphere of the ghetto is very vividly portrayed and its history, and that’s what initially grabbed my attention.Gutle is not a grasping character. She comes across as needy and constantly needing her husband’s reassurance that he loves her. When an opportunity comes for her to learn bookkeeping, she hesitates as her hands are full with household chores. Then, her successful bookkeeping lasts for about a paragraph. And then, it’s back to her chores, children and telling about Meir.Meir is a very interesting character. He is very ambitious and driven, and he caught my attention. However, the style of writing is telling, not showing. For example, Meir “continues to address the heads of Holy Roman Empire with requests to remove the decrees, widen our street, and allow Jews out of the ghetto.” This is exactly what I wanted to be shown, developed in the story, not told in one sentence.The story is set during volatile times, including Napoleonic wars. The historical background, especially of the ghetto history, is very interesting. However, I found Mrs. Rothschild uninspiring. I wished the story was told from the POV of Mr. Rothschild and shown.

Here is a case where I got too much for my money and it was still not a good deal. This book runs almost 500 pages. Now with a book you love, 500 pages is excellent. This was not excellent. The book tells the fictionalized life of Gutle Rothschild and the origin story of the Rothschild banking dynasty in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Is it interesting? Yes. Did I learn about the Rothschilds and daily life in the Jewish Ghetto of Frankfort? Yes. Did I learn more about the life of a woman and wife when deference to men, hard physical work and childbearing consumed her entire adult life? Yes. Ditto about the European history of the period, including Napoleon’s rise and fall. But, the book was never compelling or engaging. There is so much detail and so many unnecessary words. I could feel as if I knew the characters, but I never liked any of them. Meir Rothschild (the first Mr. Rothschild) was brilliant, hardworking, resourceful, ambitious, driven, tenacious, devout, and successful. Gutle’s repeated praise of his honor and his generosity cannot disguise that he and his family were ruthless, duplicitous, manipulative, and a very closed network. They did not hesitate to justify illegal activities if they were going to be profitable. Spoiler alert: the family network was so closed that Gutle rejoices when her youngest son marries one of her granddaughters (his niece). I assume that it is true, but it remains startling and off-putting. You might respect and marvel at the Rothschilds and their achievements despite rampant anti-Semitism, but I could not admire or like them. Despite its significant flaws as a work of fiction, if the history is accurate, I am glad that I read it. Because of the leaden writing, lack of editing, occasional anachronisms, and I cannot give it more than 3 stars. The anti-Semitism as depicted in this book is vile. Nevertheless, I am concerned that the book might have the opposite effect from that which was intended by the author. For those predisposed to religious hatred, it might reinforce their repulsive prejudices.

It took me much longer than usual to read this book because I researched many of the persons and facts. This of course led to further reading. Oh what an incredible life. I feel richer for having read this.

I was really disappointed when I got to the end of this book to find there was no table of refences. Although I knew it was fiction I believed it would have been based on historical fact. I feel sure in part it was, so why are no references provided? I found it interesting to understand the background of the Rothschild family, and I am glad to know something of the tretment of the Jews in the Frankfurt Ghetto as I was unaware of this. I found the book overlong and found myself skimming quite a lot of the detail about the political and economic situation and the role of court bankers. But as an insight to Jewish culture and life in the Judengasse I certainly learned something new.

I would like to say that the time and place opened up by this novel are now truly history.My eyes were certainly opened by the cruel oppression of the Jewish population of Frankfurt. , The portrayal of Meir Rothschild and his hyper capitalist approach to winning liberation through clever manipulation of Europe's financial markets was interesting.The book's narrator. Meir`s wife, was maddeningly passive and remained obsessed by housework, breeding, and cooking throughout. The book was wooden and boring.

Wow, the interpretation and story of the first Mrs Rothschild has left and opened a place in my heart and mind. This inspiring and detailed account of the rise of the Rothschild family has opened my eyes to what seems on the outside that luck was what brought them to fame but it's so much more than that. A must read for all

The reviews for this book made me buy it but i wish i had saved my money. I began to doubt that these people had even read the same book as me. the book is very slow & i would say you really need to be very interested in the jewish history in Germany to really appreciate this novel. I had an open mind but in the end gave up & didnt finish the book not really caring what happened to the characters.

I have been reading this for the past week and I'm not quite half way through. In some ways it's very interesting,for example life in an 18th century ghetto. Yet I feel in other ways it's just a bit boring, and the story drags abit which isn't surprising as the main protagonist hardly leaves her home and then no further than the streetwhere she lives. But I suppose that's part of life in the ghetto. The second half of the novel might be moreinteresting.