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The Women of Rothschild
- The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty
- Narrated by: Francesca Waters
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
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The Women of Rothschild
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Summary
Absorbing and compulsive, The Women of Rothschild gives voice to the complicated, privileged and gifted women whose vision and tenacity shaped history.
The story of the family who rose from the Frankfurt ghetto to become synonymous with wealth and power has been much mythologised. Yet half the Rothschilds, the women, remain virtually unknown.
Natalie Livingstone follows the extraordinary lives of the English branch of the Rothschild women from the dawn of the 19th century to the early years of the 21st.
As Jews in a Christian society and women in a deeply patriarchal family, they were outsiders. Determined to challenge and subvert expectations, they supported each other, building on the legacies of their mothers and aunts. They became influential hostesses and talented diplomats, choreographing electoral campaigns, advising prime ministers, advocating for social reform and trading on the stock exchange. Misfits and conformists, conservatives and idealists, they mixed with Rossini and Mendelssohn, Disraeli, Gladstone and Chaim Weizmann, amphetamine-dealers, temperance campaigners, Queen Victoria and Albert Einstein. They broke code, played a pioneering role in the environmental movement, scandalised the world of women's tennis by introducing the overarm serve and drag-raced with Miles Davies in Manhattan.
Critic reviews
"For far too long, the significant contribution made by Rothschild women to our family's extraordinary history and success has gone largely unacknowledged." (Hannah Rothschild, author of The Improbability of Love)
"Indomitable matriarchs, ground-breaking scientists, political activists, witty and gorgeous socialites, tasteful philanthropists, hardened survivors: these pages are populated by outsized personalities who will live with you long after you have read the final page." (Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny)
"Captivating, intimate, dazzling epic and revelatory." (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem)
What listeners say about The Women of Rothschild
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aly J
- 21-01-23
The Women of Rothschild
Fascinating story of the lives of the Rothschild Family. Having lived near Mentmore raised curiosity.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazonian
- 13-12-22
Fascinating read
Beautifully researched book on the hidden work, love, support, strength, personality and brilliance of the women who led meaningful lives and brought up the children of the renowned Rothschild men. Could have been longer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eva Gkenakou
- 28-11-21
Fascinating!
I found this book fascinating! Very well written, it describes the family tree of the Rothschild family, focusing on the women and through their stories telling the story of Europe as it unraveled over the centuries. Loved it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss A. M. Pinks
- 16-12-21
Loved the book and the wealth of information
I am so impressed with the amount of history, information, research and beautiful story telling of this book. I really cherished the characters and the beautiful letters that were apart of this. It took the listener back to the points each member of the family lived perfectly. Fantastic and greatly narrated too.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fiona
- 20-03-22
Loved all of it!
I’ve read about the Rothschild family before but Livingstone makes the women so much more interesting! It is a superbly researched piece of work and thoroughly absorbing. For one, the narrator’s voice was a perfect match for the content. Please note, Audible, as this is not always the case. Excellent experience all round!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-02-22
Interesting history but did not enjoy the narrati'
Enjoyed learning about the Rothschild Dynasty. However, could not get used to the narrator's sudden upward lilt at the beginning of sentences. It spoilt the listening experience for me.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- lynne5
- 30-12-21
good read
Interesting book, never boring, interesting content, well written, but I did not like the narrator.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ginger
- 29-11-21
Very interesting
As a historian I was conversant with the history of the period, however it was fascinating to see it through the eyes of the Rothchild women. Also interesting was their pan European existence.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mpd
- 13-12-21
Very interesting and informative read
Really enjoyed this family history focusing on the Rothschild women. Easy to listen to. Will re-listen at some stage. Spans so many of the women’s lives over an extended period
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- ATG
- 18-10-23
Low-achieving women hyped up due to their wealth
The best part of the book is the humble beginning of the Rothschild family. The rest is basically the author's attempt at hyping up wealthy women who achieved so little in life, unless you call being married to or born into wealth an achievement. If the later is the case, this book is for you.
The book is a collection of mini stories, zooming in on the most interesting and palatable parts of a few selected female members of the super-rich Rothschilds. Any meagor achievement is enlarged as a triumph, any character flaw is shrugged off as the expected behaviour of the upper class, any bad decisions or abuses are all pinned on men of the family or an outsider. No reference is given to how Rothschilds' wealth created opportunities for these women but any achievement is drawn as the woman's sole triumph over all adversities! No reference is made to compare any of the women to their contemporaries which makes the stories isolated and characters exaggerated. There is also a fair amount of white-washing, especially about the family's role in zionism. So overall, I wish I listen to something with more substance and truth
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