RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewThe rise and fall of the Sassoon family, who, at their height, traded in opium, tea, silk and jewels, is charted in delectable detail in The Sassoons ... Think Succession with yarmulkes. Brothers turn against one another, heirs are anointed and replaced, and devotion to the family business — even after a vicious split — and name, \'an intangible but priceless asset,\' is paramount. But what could be salacious catnip for a Kitty Kelley is treated here with evenhanded seriousness. The author’s work is methodical, deeply researched and presented with considered care for both the mundane and the marvelous ... As engaging as Sassoon renders the intricacies of business and religion — two things his subjects almost never take lightly — the book is at its best when the family’s supercharged ambitions take center stage ... In the interests of structure, the author highlights a handful of family members in each generation. This is generally effective, but there are supporting characters...on whom I could have read a full book ... Rags-to-riches stories may all be the same, but it’s the way in which a fortune is lost that’s truly compelling. Sassoon’s detailed account of the decentralization of family power and the proliferation of descendants interested in spending but not making money is well paced and supremely satisfying ... Joseph Sassoon’s book isn’t just a marvelous yarn, it’s an Ottoman Our Crowd that gives his family its due.
