I’ll let you into a secret, I have a bit of a reading crush on Natasha Solomons as she writes such beautifully observed and engaging books. Each time I am transported, and her previous title ‘The Song Collector’ was one of my books of the year in 2015. I’m more than happy to announce that ‘House of Gold’ is another triumph. Set between 1911 and 1917 this is a story that reads on an epic scale. Europe sits at the forefront as World War One marches forwards, and for one particular family the Goldbaum’s, their whole existence is fractured and forever altered. In such a huge arena we meet Greta who is sent from Austria to England to marry a distant cousin, her thoughts and feelings create a touchable, emotionally rich and moving story. I felt her pain, the ache of loneliness, and her relationship with her husband and brother are exquisitely realised. I just sat and read from start to finish in one wonderful afternoon. ’House of Gold’ is an absolute treasure, it made me feel, it made me think, it made me realise the knife edge on which humanity sits is razor-sharp indeed.
The start of a war. The end of a dynasty. VIENNA, 1911. Greta Goldbaum has always dreamed of being free to choose her own life's path, but the Goldbaum family, one of the wealthiest in the world, has different expectations. United across Europe, Goldbaum men are bankers, while Goldbaum women marry Goldbaum men to produce Goldbaum children. So when Greta is sent to England to marry Albert, a distant cousin she has never met, the two form an instant dislike for one another. Defiant and lonely, Greta longs for a connection and a place to call her own. When Albert's mother gives Greta a garden, things begin to change. But just as she begins to taste an unexpected happiness, the Great War breaks out, threatening to tear everything away. For the first time in two hundred years, the family will find themselves on opposing sides. How will Greta choose between the family she's created and the one she was forced to leave behind?
This has everything - engaging characters, a thrilling story and beautiful scenery -- Katie Fforde One of the best writers of historical fiction working today ... Solomons knows how to draw readers into a particular place and time. And once you're there, you just don't want to leave - Goop
Solomons has a gift for constructing a well-paced narrative filled with surprises - Observer
Delightful and involving ... rich in atmosphere and character - Woman & Home
Natasha Solomons brilliantly sets the scene... A compelling read full of lavish detail, undercut by the realities of war and what it means to be Jewish in an anti-Semitic world - Sunday Express
Author
About Natasha Solomons
Natasha Solomons is the author of the bestselling Mr Rosenblum's List and The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Natasha Lives in Dorset with her son and her husband with whom she also writes screenplays. Her novels have been translated into 17 languages.
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