Author: Kate Forsyth
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 496
Published: September 23rd 2014
by Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 9781250047533
Source: Arranged Tour
Description: French novelist
Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of
Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love
affairs. At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur
Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years
earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens... After
Margherita’s father steals parsley from the walled garden of the
courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut
off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl.
Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first
painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death.
She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty
and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition. Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.
I Give This ...
I wanted to love this. It had all the cards, but for some reason I could just not connect with it. I have no idea why.
Maybe it's the time period. It's always amazing to me how books about certain characters come in groups. I had never heard of Athénaïs de Montespan, and yet this is the second book I've read this year that contains her as an important figure. While I find the story of the Sun King and his court to be interesting, the people themselves are a little hard to relate to. So much of this story is told from the Charlotte's point of view, and she seems so vain at times. The part of the story that I thought I would enjoy the most I ended up dragging through.
I actually really enjoyed the story of Margherita. The way the author set up the traditional fairy tale of Rapunzel was fascinating. I've never actually read the original version having always thought it was by the Brother's Grimm. I need to seek out this tale. I liked the witch and her part in the story and her own reformation in the end.
So, in the end, I wasn't sure how I felt about this book. It was dreadfully slow in parts. But, others were quite enjoyable. I didn't find it as awesome as others seem to.
About the Author
Kate Forsyth wrote her first novel at the age of seven, and is now
the internationally bestselling & award-winning author of thirty
books, ranging from picture books to poetry to novels for both adults
and children. She was recently voted one of Australia’s Favourite 20
Novelists, and has been called ‘one of the finest writers of this
generation. She is also an accredited master storyteller with the
Australian Guild of Storytellers, and has told stories to both children
and adults all over the world.
Her most recent book for adults is a historical novel called ‘The
Wild Girl’, which tells the true, untold love story of Wilhelm Grimm and
Dortchen Wild, the young woman who told him many of the world’s most
famous fairy tales. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, ‘The Wild Girl’ is a
story of love, war, heartbreak, and the redemptive power of
storytelling, and was named the Most Memorable Love Story of 2013.
She is probably most famous for ‘Bitter Greens’, a retelling of the
Rapunzel fairy tale interwoven with the dramatic life story of the woman
who first told the tale, the 17th century French writer, Charlotte-Rose
de la Force. ‘Bitter Greens’ has been called ‘the best fairy tale
retelling since Angela Carter’, and has been nominated for a Norma K.
Hemming Award, the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Fiction, and a Ditmar
Award.
Her most recent book for children is ‘Grumpy Grandpa’, a charming picture book that shows people are not always what they seem.
Since ‘The Witches of Eileanan’ was named a Best First Novel of 1998
by Locus Magazine, Kate has won or been nominated for numerous awards,
including a CYBIL Award in the US. She’s also the only author to win
five Aurealis awards in a single year, for her Chain of Charms series –
beginning with ‘The Gypsy Crown’ – which tells of the adventures of two
Romany children in the time of the English Civil War. Book 5 of the
series, ‘The Lightning Bolt’, was also a CBCA Notable Book.
Kate’s books have been published in 14 countries around the world,
including the UK, the US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Spain, Italy,
Poland and Slovenia. She is currently undertaking a doctorate in
fairytale retellings at the University of Technology, having already
completed a BA in Literature and a MA in Creative Writing.
Kate is a direct descendant of Charlotte Waring, the author of the
first book for children ever published in Australia, ‘A Mother’s
Offering to her Children’. She lives by the sea in Sydney, Australia,
with her husband, three children, and many thousands of books.
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