House of Gold by Natasha Solomons

 

Greta had been a handful since birth with her governesses explaining that if she had been anything but a Goldbaum, she would be out on the street.

The Goldbaums always married distant cousins to keep the name, their power, and their wealth secure.

Greta was to marry her second cousin from London whom she never met, but she was fine with it because she was hoping this would take her away from her daunting mother and all her rules about proper behavior.

As I was reading, it seemed as if I were living in a fairy tale.  Every whim and want was satisfied for Greta and her family. The description of the mansions was unbelievable, and I laughed when one of the servants confessed she needed a map to navigate the home.

The writing style and the detail Ms. Solomons uses draws you into the story even though some of it is filled with politics and business dealings.  She adds enough family drama and interest of the era to keep you reading, but it did get tedious at times.

The characters were definitely depicted as true to this era and class, and they grew on you as you read.  Some you grew to like and others you grew to wonder why they acted as they did.

If you enjoy reading about aristocrats, politics, European history in the late 1800's/early1900's, war, and the non-public side of the wealthy, HOUSE OF GOLD will be of interest.

The book was well written, but was a bit long.  The characters - especially Greta - made the book.  She was a feisty, strong woman.  4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.