House of Gold

By: Natasha Solomons

Narrated by: Marisa Calin

Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The International Best Seller

From The New York Times best-selling author of The House at Tyneford, an epic family saga about a headstrong Austrian heiress who will be forced to choose between the family she's made and the family that made her at the outbreak of World War I.

The start of a marriage. The end of a dynasty.

It's 1911, and Greta Goldbaum is forced to move from glittering Vienna to damp England to wed Albert, a distant cousin. The Goldbaum family are one of the wealthiest in the world, with palaces across Europe, but as Jews and perpetual outsiders, they know that strength lies in family. At first defiant and lonely, slowly Greta softens toward Albert, and as the wild paths and untamed beauty of Greta's new English garden begin to take shape, so, too, does their love begin to blossom. But World War I looms, and even the influential Goldbaums cannot alter its course. For the first time in 200 years, the family will find itself on opposing sides, and Greta will have to choose: the family she's created, or the one she left behind.

©2018 Natasha Solomons (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Sweeping....Filled with rich period detail, vivid characterization, and heartfelt emotion, this meticulously researched novel is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.” (Library Journal, starred review)

"Engrossing...In Solomons’s skillful hands, the plot winds around Europe and blossoms into a poignant portrait of characters stuck in an unavoidable paroxysm of global change." (Publishers Weekly)

“Sweeping and intimate....A poignant, beautifully written story of love and duty.” (Booklist)

“An achingly detailed yet sweeping narrative....A rewarding look into the fragility of power and the complexities of Jewish identity in the early 20th century. An absorbing saga.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Much Better Than I Anticipated

An interesting amalgam of wealth, privilege, nations, and the power of World War to destroy it all. Superb character development. Well worth reading. Entertaining and instructive.

great filled with suspense

It is a superb read. And I was so sad when it ended.

Thank you for this novel for bringing us an account so accurately portrayed

What happened to Karl?!?

I liked this book for the most part. The family drama, arranged marriage struggles, the anti-Semitic attitudes of many people during the war, the banking and gardening, all interesting and described in great detail! I loved all of that! (Spoilers) There were however some loose threads that seem to have been prominently displayed at first but then simply vanished without conclusion. The first pregnancy? So much effort to get there and then…nothing, it’s skipped altogether. Why describe Henri’s capture in detail but only casually mention his escape via telegram and never speak of him again? And why go through the trouble to trace Karl’s history and build up the friendship with Otto only to abandon him in the middle of nowhere with no resolution? There are other loose threads but these were the most frustrating. I especially liked the element of war making Otto and Karl friends despite their massively different lives, the humanity of that deserved to be resolved. Otto would have hated that Karl was abandoned. And Greta deserved to learn about Otto from someone who was present and cared about him too. When I was young my dad told me that if I didn’t like the ending of a book or movie I should rewrite it in my head…so in my head: Karl made it away from the guards and went to find Greta, like Otto told him to. He was able to give her the closure she deserved and in Otto’s honor she allowed Karl to remain there with her and Albert. Boom, closure achieved.

emotional, engaging, historical fiction

I listened rather than read this book. The narrator was a bit of a woman with childlike voice that could be cringe in the beginning. I became too caught up in the story to notice it after a while. War tears families apart and although the wealthy may be better financed to endure some war time situations, they aren't necessarily suited to the hard grind reality of living with little comfort. I think the author did ac great job of telling a story about a large family that lived in a variety of places across the world and showed a slice of how each location dealt with war depending on where you were and who you were.

Fantastic book

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this was a good listen and makes me hope for the sequel soon!

great read

really enjoyed this book. lots of historical facts added to the pleasure for me. I particularly liked the fact that it was about a Jewish family. very relevant for me at this time.

Good Story. Some Petty Misgivings.

This is the fourth book by Natasha Solomons I have listened to on Audible. So far this is my least favorite.
The story did not feel as uninhibited as the others, and seems to follow the Rothschild family story that it felt off-kilter.
There may have been to many characters as none of them felt as “alive” and developed as Ms Solomons older works.
I realize this review seems very negative; so I want to state clearly that Natasha Solomons is so gifted that where she may not have shown as brightly as in “The House at Tyneford”, this is a better read than many other author’s best work.
Finally, I have heard this narrator read other Solomons books, but the highly nasal sound of Greta’s voice made her a less sympathetic character. A production issue rather than a fault in writing. I wish I had read the book rather than listened.

No accent, please!

awful accents of narrator made it hard to listen to, but I loved the story. Better to have used no accents during narration!!!

Meh

Storyline Meh, not that great. Then the ending was too unrealistic and not well written conclusion. Narrator was good with accents/ only positive about this program.

Quiet reading

Kinda dull couple climax scenes with war. happy ending not as good as other war books