Wednesday 13 March 2013

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth


Bitter Greens is part historical fiction, part fairytale.  The story opens with Charlotte-Rose de la Force, who has just been banished from the Court at Versailles after a series of scandals and rumours.  She arrives at a convent, where she is stripped of her fine clothes and set to work.  After a while, Charlotte-Rose is befriended by an older nun, Souer Seraphina, who tells her the story of a young pregnant girl who once visited a witch.  During her pregnancy she became desperate for the taste of the bitter herb Rapunzel, leading her husband, a Venetian mask-maker, to steal some from the home of Selena Leonelli.  The child, Margherita, grew up only to be stolen away by Selena and imprisoned in a tower.  Told in first person, the story switches between the three women (Charlotte-Rose, Margherita and Selena) and places the Rapunzel fairytale firmly in a time and place.

I loved Bitter Greens! I was expecting to enjoy it (I like both fairytales and historical fiction), but I was so impressed with the way Forsyth knitted the two genres together.  The fairytale/magical elements were seamlessly woven into the historical plot so subtly that they seemed almost ordinary.  Forsyth put a spin on some of the famous elements of the fairy tale so that they fit in with the historical story she wanted to tell.  For example, when Margherita is imprisoned, she has the hair of those who came before her plaited into her own, to make her supernaturally long braid.  The first time Selena climbs up it, Margerita's pain is vividly described and this added just enough to make it seem like a human story, rather than just a fairy tale.  Forsyth isn't constrained by the original story, but instead broadens it to include politics, love, gender issues and the fear of witchcraft.

Another thing I enjoyed was the Venetian setting.  I read a few books set in Venice for the 'Venice in February' challenge last year (The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric being my favourite) and Forsyth managed to portray a charming Venice with a darker side too.  The carnevale is prominent and the dingy romance of the setting suited the magical elements of the story.  All three characters were a product of their time and there were no jarring slips into modern thought or action.

Bitter Greens is a chunky book but well worth reading.  The three perspectives weave in and out of each other and Forsyth goes from making you feel utter sympathy for imprisoned Margherita, to giving you an understand of Selena, in just a few chapters.  I'm still thinking about it a week after finishing it.  Bitter Greens is the first book I've read by Forsyth, but I will definitely be looking out for more.

Source: Review copy via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
First Published: Feb 2013 (in the UK)
Score: 4.5 out of 5

19 comments:

  1. Oooh, sounds like my kind of book! Based on the description, this could really go either way so I's happy it worked out. Adding it to my to-read list!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it would either have been very good or very bad. Luckily it was very good!

      Delete
  2. I hadn't heard of this one before. Going straight onto the must-acquire soon list, sounds fabulous. Thanks for the review

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you would really enjoy it, Teresa. I'd love to know what you think if you do get a copy.

      Delete
  3. This looks good. Thanks for the review. I hope it's available in the U.S. )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it was available in the US before in the UK?

      Delete
  4. I didn't know about this one but it sounds really interesting. I'm not a huge fan of fairy tales, but I do like when they're reintroduced in another format. I'm thinking of a title I read of fairy tales rewritten by well-known authors, but the title completely escapes me at the moment! Ugh. Anyway, I thought it was very clever. This sounds like it has multiple stories and I'm always a fan of those. Will be adding this to the goodreads list! Thanks, Sam!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do like fairy tales but there's so many retellings out there that the idea has to be new to catch my attention. Let me know if you remember the name of the book you are thinking of, it sounds really good!

      Delete
  5. I really, really enjoyed this book too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Everyone seems to love this book which makes it very frustrating that my library doesn't have it. They do have her new one The Wild Girl on order so I'll be watching out for that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've seen this starting to pop up on blogs and it really looks good. I'm going to have to get a copy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hope this publishes in the US soon! I always say there aren't enough retellings of the Rapunzel story, and it's great to see one pop up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Am so glad you enjoyed this too. I thought the Venetian setting was wonderfully done also, and the multiple story threads are what elevate this novel from run of the mill to something really special.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you so much for your lovely review, Sam - I'm so glad you loved it! And thank you so much for all your comments. BITTER GREENS has not been released in the US yet, unfortunately (though I hope I'll have a release date sooner!). However, you can always buy it through Book Depository with a discounted price and free postage. if you do, thank you so much, and I hope you all ADORE it!
    warmest wishes
    Kate

    ReplyDelete
  11. The Venetian setting does sound interesting especially as it sounds like it isn't too romanticized, and allows for a darker side to show through.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This book sounds wonderful. I must add it to my wish list.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You had me at Venetian setting...sounds wonderful, I'll keep my eyes out for it in the library (must stop buying books).

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have seen this cover about the blogs now a few times and find it so enchanting... great to hear the story is just as wonderful! Sounds like a lovely read.

    ReplyDelete