Finding Grace

Loretta Rothschild is a British author. Originally from London, Rothschild is married to Nat Rothschild, “the 5th Baron Rothschild and scion of the British branch of the banking dynasty” (Kim, Leena. “Another Rothschild Has Written a Book—But There’s a Plot Twist.” Town & Country, 9 Jul. 2025). When Rothschild’s debut novel, Finding Grace, was published, readers and critics alike were curious to know if the main character and first-person narrator Honor Wharton was based on Rothschild herself. In interviews, Rothschild claims there are no parallels between her narrative and her own experience, her characters and herself. The novel, she claims, is “‘definitely based on an imaginary world I have created’” and “the main thing she has in common with Honor, for instance, is that they’re both terrible cooks” (Kim). At the same time, Tom Wharton’s character does have a background in finance—creating a parallel to Nat—and is able to quit his job to be a stay-at-home single father after Honor’s death—implying he is a man of substantial means, much like Rothschild’s husband. Such plot points imply that Rothschild has found inspiration from her own marital arrangement for her novel.