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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.
Author photo © David Solomons
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 Song Collector’ subtly tiptoes under your skin, the first few sentences call to you, draw you in, envelop you… and then it doesn't let you go until the very last page. Fox recollects meeting the love of his life just after the Second World War, while in the present, grieving the death of his wife, his grandson helps him reconnect with music and the world around him. There is a beguiling sense of honesty to the story, it feels as though Fox is seeking peace and reconciliation not only with others, but also with himself. Natasha Solomons has a wonderful ability to connect to thoughts and feelings and bring them to life, make them feel totally and completely real. There aren't any cunning tricks, hidden mysteries or unpredictable events lurking to hijack you, just a beautifully written, special and moving story waiting to be heard. One of our Books of the Year 2015.
One of our Books of the Year 2015. July 2015 Book of the Month. ‘The Song Collector’ subtly tiptoes under your skin, the first few sentences call to you, draw you in, envelop you… and then it doesn't let you go until the very last page. Fox recollects meeting the love of his life just after the Second World War, while in the present, grieving the death of his wife, his grandson helps him reconnect with music and the world around him. There is a beguiling sense of honesty to the story, it feels as though Fox is seeking peace and reconciliation not only with others, but also with himself. Natasha Solomons has a wonderful ability to connect to thoughts and feelings and bring them to life, make them feel totally and completely real. There aren't any cunning tricks, hidden mysteries or unpredictable events lurking to hijack you, just a beautifully written, special and moving story waiting to be heard. ~ Liz Robinson
July 2014 Book of the Month. A lovely, unpredictable read where you really do not see what’s coming next. There is a lot going on, lots of strong, diverse characters, lots of humour, lots of life. I loved it. It takes time to unfold to find its direction but when Juliet uses her savings designed for a new fridge on a portrait instead and slowly enters the vibrant post war art world, we know where we are going. She ends up running a gallery and making a name for herself. Mesmerising, charming and full of warmth, it is about a Jewish woman, deserted by her husband, so left socially dead, rising to make something of her life. Wonderful stuff.
Shortlisted for the Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2010. If you enjoyed The Brief History of Tractors in Ukrainian then this is for you. It too concerns immigrants striving to become British, only here it is a German Jewish family who arrived in 1937. It is a bittersweet tale laced with humour, of a man following his dream which includes becoming British enough to be accepted by a pukka golf club and being floored by bigots and prejudice. His answer, build one! A perfect gem, slow to start but suddenly impossible to put down, the sort of book you must tell your friends about.
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.
'Such is the power and wealth of the Goldbaums that on dull days, it's said, they hire the sun just for themselves.' The Goldbaums' influence reaches across Europe. They are the confidants and bankers of governments and emperors. Little happens without their say-so and even less without their knowledge. But Greta Goldbaum has no say at all in who she'll marry. While power lies in wealth, strength lies in family. Greta's union with cousin Albert will strengthen the bond between the Austrian and the English branches of the dynasty. It is sensible and strategic. Greta is neither. Defiant and unhappy, she is desperate to find a place that belongs to her, free from duty and responsibility. But just as she begins to taste an unexpected happiness, the Great War is looming and even the Goldbaums can't alter its course. For the first time in two hundred years, the family will find themselves on opposing sides. The House of Goldbaum, along with Europe herself, is about to break apart.
Was, wenn die Frau deines Lebens einem anderen gehort? Und dieser andere dein Bruder ist?Grafschaft Dorset, 1946: Der 18-jhrige Fox lebt mit seinen Brdern und seinem Vater auf Hartgrove Hall. Als sein Bruder Jack ihm seine neueste Flamme vorstellt, die bekannte Sngerin Edie, verliebt Fox sich auf den ersten Blick. Doch wenngleich Edie seine Gefhle zu erwidern scheint, wird sie zweifellos Jack heiraten. Hartgrove Hall im Jahr 2000: Fox, mittlerweile ber 70-jhrig, blickt auf eine erfolgreiche Komponistenkarriere zurck und lebt allein auf dem groen Gut. Seine geliebte Frau ist krzlich verstorben, und Fox ist voller Trauer. Er mchte eine letzte Symphonie fr sie schreiben, doch in seinem Kopf herrscht Stille. Eine Stille, die er nur brechen kann, wenn er noch einmal zurckblickt. Auf ein Leben, in dem Schmerz und Glck so unertrglich nahe beieinanderlagen.
‘The Song Collector’ subtly tiptoes under your skin, the first few sentences call to you, draw you in, envelop you… and then it doesn't let you go until the very last page. Fox recollects meeting the love of his life just after the Second World War, while in the present, grieving the death of his wife, his grandson helps him reconnect with music and the world around him. There is a beguiling sense of honesty to the story, it feels as though Fox is seeking peace and reconciliation not only with others, but also with himself. Natasha Solomons has a wonderful ability to connect to thoughts and feelings and bring them to life, make them feel totally and completely real. There aren't any cunning tricks, hidden mysteries or unpredictable events lurking to hijack you, just a beautifully written, special and moving story waiting to be heard. One of our Books of the Year 2015.
Ein Roman in Bildern, die die Lebensstationen einer faszinierenden Frau spiegeln: Juliet hat es schwer, seit ihr Mann sie plotzlich und ohne Abschied verlassen hat. Allein mit ihren beiden Kindern muss sie sich in der stockkonservativen Gemeinde in ihrem Anderssein behaupten und auch noch ihre treuen Eltern trosten, die nachhaltig entsetzt sind uber "e;diese ungluckliche Geschichte"e; mit dem verschwundenen Ehemann. Aber Juliet Montague ist keine Frau, die sich dem Schicksal still fgt. Sie trotzt der Tristesse ihres Alltags mit schner Unterwsche (auch wenn sie nie wieder jemand zu Gesicht bekommen sollte), entdeckt ihre Liebe zur Malerei und bricht auf in die grostdtische Kunstszene, um eine Galerie zu erffnen - inspiriert und begleitet von einer Clique junger, lebensfroher Knstler und dem geheimnisvollen Maler Max, dessen Bilder sie in ihren Bann ziehen. Sie erkmpft sich ihre Freiheit, Schritt fr Schritt, Portrt fr Portrt, und stellt eines Tages mit Entschiedenheit fest: "e;Ich bin keine Frau fr Wasserfarben, lauter sanfte Rosas und weiche Gelbs. Ich brauche l und satte Farben."e;Um ihren Frieden zu finden und endgltig frei zu sein, muss Juliet jedoch ihren Ehemann finden und etwas zurckerobern, das George mitnahm, als er sie verlie.
July 2014 Book of the Month. A lovely, unpredictable read where you really do not see what’s coming next. There is a lot going on, lots of strong, diverse characters, lots of humour, lots of life. I loved it. It takes time to unfold to find its direction but when Juliet uses her savings designed for a new fridge on a portrait instead and slowly enters the vibrant post war art world, we know where we are going. She ends up running a gallery and making a name for herself. Mesmerising, charming and full of warmth, it is about a Jewish woman, deserted by her husband, so left socially dead, rising to make something of her life. Wonderful stuff.
The success of -The House at Tyneford made it clear that readers adore Natasha Solomons. In -The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, Solomons once again returns to an earlier era, this time to tell the story of one woman's incredible life through the many portraits she inspired.London, 1958. It's the eve of the sexual revolution, but in Juliet Montague's conservative Jewish community where only men can divorce women, she -finds herself a living widow, invisible. Ever since her husband disappeared seven years ago, Juliet has been a hardworking single mother of two and unnaturally practical. But on her thirtieth birthday, that's all about to change. A wealthy young artist asks to paint her portrait, and Juliet, moved by the powerful desire to be seen, enters into the burgeoning art world of 1960s London, which will bring her fame, fortune, and a lifelong love affair.
Du kannst mehr als nur ein Leben leben. Im Frhling des Jahres 1938 kommt Elise Landau nach Tyneford House, einem Anwesen an der Sdkste Englands. Die junge Jdin aus wohlhabender Familie erwartet hier eine Anstellung als Hausmdchen. Eltern und Schwester musste sie in Wien zurcklassen. ber England wei Elise nichts - nur, dass es ihr dort nicht gefallen wird. Doch tapfer poliert sie Silber und serviert Drinks, mit der Perlenkette ihrer Mutter unter der Schrze. Einziger Lichtblick: Kit, der Sohn des Hausherrn. Mit ihm erlebt sie ihre erste zarte Liebe - eine Liebe gegen die Konventionen. Dann erreicht der Krieg das beschauliche Dorset und beschwrt Ereignisse herauf, die Tyneford House und seine Bewohner fr immer verndern. Elise erkennt, dass sie keine andere Wahl hat, als ihr altes Leben komplett hinter sich zu lassen ... "e;Eine zutiefst anrhrende und herrlich romantische Elegie auf eine verlorene Welt."e; Saturday Times
An irresistible World War II story of a forbidden upstairs-downstairs romance in a great English country house It's the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau is forced to leave her glittering life of parties and champagne to become a parlor maid in England. She arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay, where servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn. But war is coming, and the world is changing. When Kit, the son of Tyneford's master, returns home, he and Elise strike up an unlikely friendship that will transform Tyneford-and Elise-forever. A page-turning tale of family, love, loss, and the power of the human spirit set against the perennially popular backdrop of World War II England, Natasha Solomons' The House at Tyneford is upmarket romantic fiction at its best.
In the spring of 1938 Elise Landau arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay. A bright young thing from Vienna forced to become a parlour-maid, she knows nothing about England, except that she won't like it. As servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn, Elise wears her mother's pearls beneath her uniform, and causes outrage by dancing with a boy called Kit. But war is coming and the world is changing. And Elise must change with it. At Tyneford she learns that you can be more than one person. And that you can love more than once.
"e;Absolut charmant und sehr witzig."e; Paul Torday, Autor von "e;Lachsfischen im Jemen"e;In dem Moment, als Jack Rosenblum 1937 in Harwich von Bord geht, fasst er einen Entschluss: Als deutscher Jude, der mit seiner Frau aus Berlin fliehen konnte, mchte er so schnell wie mglich ein echter Englnder werden. Und so erstellt er eine Liste: einen leicht verstndlichen Fhrer durch die Sitten und Gebruche Englands. Fnfzehn Jahre spter hat Jack viel erreicht. Nur einen Punkt auf seiner Liste konnte er noch nicht abhaken: Er ist noch nicht Mitglied in einem englischen Golfclub. Und da ihn niemand aufnehmen will, beschliet er, selbst einen Golfplatz zu bauen. Also schleift er seine Frau Sarah in das Herz der englischen Countryside, nach Dorset. Doch hier, im Land der Borstenschweine, Glockenblumen und des Apfelweins, scheint die schwierigste Aufgabe noch vor ihnen zu liegen Eine anrhrende und berraschende Lektre, die glckliche Leser hinterlsst."e; Sadie Jones, Autorin von "e;Der Auenseiter"e;
Shortlisted for the Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2010. If you enjoyed The Brief History of Tractors in Ukrainian then this is for you. It too concerns immigrants striving to become British, only here it is a German Jewish family who arrived in 1937. It is a bittersweet tale laced with humour, of a man following his dream which includes becoming British enough to be accepted by a pukka golf club and being floored by bigots and prejudice. His answer, build one! A perfect gem, slow to start but suddenly impossible to put down, the sort of book you must tell your friends about.