Customer Reviews

Charlotte and Lionel: A Rothschild Love Story

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The remarkable Rothschild family continues into its third and fourth generations in this wonderful memoir, centering on Lionel Rothschild, heir to the London branch of the family, and his wife Charlotte. They must have been remarkable individuals, gifted with a strange, almost eerie magnetism, energy, charm and determination. Despite many difficulties they continued the meteoric rise of their predecessors in finance, and in politics as well.

The book is based on exhaustive research, letters, news articles of the time, and other material to sketch out the remarkable achievements and personal sufferings of this incredible family. Some of it can be tedious--lengthy accounts of dinner parties, weddings, parliamentary debates and the like. Much of it is charming and touching. The book touches on other branches of the family along with the turbulent events in Europe (and America) during the nineteenth century.

If you're interested in learning more about this incredible family, this might be a good place to start. I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

I had just finished reading the author's masterly biography on Prince Albert when I decided to embark on another of his biographical voyages, for Stanley Weintraub's biographies are absolute monuments of what true historical biographies should be.

I then asked myself, "Should I delve into the minute day to day happenings of Benjamin Disraeli next? or perhaps Queen Victoria herself?"

Having long been keenly interested in the Rothschild saga, I chose to purchase "Charlotte and Lionel" to better understand the extraordinary ascent of this banking family in the world arena.

I am sad to say that this book was extremely dull, did not offer as much information as we are accustomed to from the author, and can all in all be termed "a very light read".

It portray's the family in a constant rosy-harmonious manner, with all family members being near-perfect angels (give or take a few boys more interested in hunting then banking and a renegade sister marrying outside the faith).

It seems to me that we never really understand who these people are, for we are painted a constant bucolic scene which never ceases.

We cant help but believe that the author is profoundly in love or admirative of this family, and will have us accept his version of the facts regardless, omitting much valued information as to what was negative and unfavorable about these people whose lives we are wishing to fully comprehend. Surely human perfection cannot exist? does not every hero have some type of foible or eccentricity? Does he/she in this book have not one vice?

The vices of the Victorian era are numerous, especially for the elite: gambling, gluttony, greed, alcohol, opium, prostitution, to name a few.

A matching antagonistic portrayal of the Rothschild members would have made this a much more complete biography, and less of a one-sided constant glorification and eulogy of a (I am sure) very applaudible and remarkable family.