The Baroness: The Search for Nica, the Rebellious Rothschild and Jazz's Secret Muse

Good for background and basic story. How did her many kids feel about their mom who abandoned them? Seemingly she preferred life in the fast lane in New York City to the life of an aristocratic mother with endless wealth and access to jet setting power brokers with whom the Rothschilds associated.So many questions still remain in my mind about her status as a New Jersey cat lady. Hoarding cats immediately calls into question her state of mind. And that in turn opens a whole level of suspicion about her mental health as it relates to her deep dive into the jazz world. After all, she could have conceivably continued her life as British aristocrat --- perhaps with a wing of her estate filled with jazz LPs and giving occasional invitation only soirees with live performances by Thelonious Monk and others. Instead she went "slumming".This book is a good foundation. Also, Hannah Rothschild's documentary for the BBC is on YouTube. Outstanding! It pairs wonderfully with this book.

My interest in music is extremely eclectic and my interest in Thelonius Monk has happened slowly over the last decade. I am ambiguous about labelling Monk a genius but acknowledge his importance in the evolution of music (jazz if you must apply a label)So the main reason for buying the book was to learn more about Monk and the music that he composed, played and also influenced in the period of the 1940's and 1950's.What I experienced in the reading was much more than an insight into Monk and that period.The majority of the book focuses on the period from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century.The succinct history of the Rothschild Empire is mixed with the landscape of Europe, United Kingdom, America and other countries impacted by in particular the great wars.Overlaying this is the evolution of Jazz music set in context of the era and the geography.It is not limited to but flows from Louis Armstrong through Duke Ellington onto Monk, Miles and Bird.Yet whilst it is an excellent historical summary on many levels it also is an emotionally engaging read.I connected with Nica and her family and the musicians - the connections with Nica and the musicicains was more often than not uncomfortable.The connection however was raw and real.I came away with an ambivalent feeling about Nica - suspended with feelings of admiration,empathy and frustration but still wanting to know more.Highly recommended

Hannah Rothschild perhaps, at times, feels impaired by her own Rothschild legacy, but, she is an amazing talent! -A friend of mine was in London and purchased a more recent book by Ms Rothschild, "The Improbability of Love". Had I seen this paperback at my local Barnes & Nobles I would not picked it up because the cover makes it appear to be a trashy modern romance. But that little paperback was simply delightful embracing the art world through one historical painting, and capturing the contemporary London scene. I was so enthused that I searched for other books by this author (whom I'd never heard of). Thus I found "The Search for Nica". After reading it, I am totally in awe of Ms Rothschild's talent! I'm sure it was cathartic for Ms Rothschild to trace her own family history through her great-aunt's life, but, she did it beautifully and in a balanced way. I'm grateful that she took the enormous time to do the interviews and documents research, and I am deeply grateful that she allowed the book to go to print. It allows us to understand the richness and tragedy of one person's life. -- Thank you Ms Rothschild. Please write more; you have a wonderful gift.

One of the Rothschilds has written a very sensitive and loving, though quite objective, biography of another member of her famous family. It must not be easy to write about someone in your [extended] family when you are a member of the same one.Nevertheless, Hannah Rothschild has created a story with wide reach into the political and social worlds of the early 20th Century, as well as the idiosyncrasies of some of the Rothschilds.Pannonica really became "Nica" when jazz tunes were written for her; and she must have reveled in that, since Nica seems to have been a much happier person than Pannonica. The fearlessness, and even recklessness, with which Nica immersed herself into what was really a totally different culture to the one she grew up in, is wonderfully told; a subtle but powerful testament to the draw of timeless musical art. She might have been "the rebellious Rothschild", but she was also an important patron of an original art form.If you enjoy the book, you should also seek out "Straight, No Chaser", the Monk documentary where she appears, all too briefly.In the end, Nica was as quirky a character as the writer of the music she loved so much - Thelonious Sphere Monk.

A geat read. I'm half way through it. I'm ususally not a reader, but I will finish this book.

If you are a jazz fan and enjoy the bop era, do not miss this. Even if you are not, this is more than a jazz story. It is Nica's story. And, it is more than that. It is the story of Hannah's search for her fascinating black sheep of a great aunt. I have a policy of not spending much time with stories of wealth or power, but when someone steps out like Nica did, it is well worth learning about. In the process I learned a bit about the humanity of members of a wealthy and powerful family. We can only hope that more such people step out and learn about the humanity of the rest of us. But i digress. This book is great fun to read - a detective story, a jazz story, and a family story. told by an excellent writer and documentary producer. I bought it in print to be sure I could see the pictures well. They are all black and white of course, and all interesting, but the 2 page spread of Nica at the wheel of her Bentley convertible out front of the Five Spot, with Monk standing at the passenger door is priceless.

This is an account of the Baroness Pannonica Koenigswarter and her devotion to Thelonious Monk's music. Written by a relative of Pannonica's, it is, on the one hand it is a story of wealth, beauty, inspired music, and loving-kindness (and cats), and on the other side it is a tale of sexism, stifling social conventions, structural racism, drugs, and mental illness.Reading this is to explore a kind of human conspiracy against happiness. In their different ways the Rothschild renegade and the black bebop musicians stood up for what they wanted and stood out from the crowd and they suffered constantly for it. Numbing their own pain with drugs, alcohol and cats seems to have been the only way to stay 'out there' and it was not a solution that had long-term viability.The author does well to plug away at the ambiguities in the story - such as, was her great-aunt an enabler for the substance abuse (Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk) or was she heroically providing care and human kindness to those whose pain she understood? In many ways it reminded me of Geoff Dyer's excellent 'But Beautiful'. Both books do exhort the reader to listen to the music, which is at the heart of the matter and something the written word struggles to convey. But liking the music I do enjoy interesting well-written coverage of it, like this one.

The Baroness is a delight to read. Hannah Rothschild recaps quite a bit of the Rothschild family history, quite an amazing tale of success against the odds to say the least, so that 'the Baroness' own life story is set into context. Nica was a true eccentric but also a courageous character. For a rich woman in that day and age to go and live amongst black jazz musicians must have taken some guts. She was the opposite of a heiress in search of thrills but a loyal and genuine kind hearted woman who tried to put her fortune to good use by helping countless poor musicians and also hundreds more stray cats! Her story is the story of one great passion, Theolonius Monk. Having heard his music one day, still married and captive of her gilded cage, she had to meet the man. The actual meeting took place much later but sealed her fate: she became the one fidel and true friend of Monk till his death. I found her story very moving, highly colourful and fascinating. Well written, consistently riveting, it is a book I could not recommend enough to all.

Hannah Rothschild not only writes a compelling account of the life of her great aunt the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter and the ghettos of Nazi occupied Europe, from which her family, the Rothschilds emerged , but also of the Jazz world of New York and in particular pianist Thelonious Monk's friendship with Nica, as the Baroness became known .

This is really a great book to read. Anyone interested in Rothschild dynasty this is a must read which gives an in depth history into the family and its origins. I LOVE this book with photos, family tree and very insightful information. The author is a descendent of the Rothschild who did an awful lot of research. Highly recommend it. Have bought two more copies for my sister and friend

A fascinating account of life in a very wealthy family where the children appeared to enjoy a much less favourable lifestyle than most children in far more modest homes. Nica's abrupt departure from a very comfortable lifestyle and from her children to follow a Jazz Pianist appeared hardly credible to begin with but her story was told with great aplomb and it was difficult to put the book down.