Bitter Greens Paperback – 19 May 2015

This is a clever page turner, kind of easy, kind of straight forward. Absorbing, almost effortless - until you realise that there's a lot more going on, including neat and clever games with plot - a story being told within the central story which is also yet another story. Yet Kate Forsyth manages this without confusion or artifice, and the reader can easily hold the braided threads togetherBitter Greens is both a historical novel, a romance, and a fantasy, a fairy story - and at the centre of it all, are 3 strong female characters, fighting the powerlessness of a woman's lot, in their differing ways.The central character is a real character, who lived in Versailles, the King's Court, during the reign of the autocratic Louis X1Vth, the Sun King, to whom she was related, This was the time when the Catholic ruling elite were moving towards the eventual stifling of `dissenting' Protestant religion. Louis XIVth's reign saw the degree of religious toleration brought in by his grandfather, Henri of Navarre being rapidly eroded. He was far from a tolerant king, and in 1685 revoked the freedom of worship act, The Edict of Nantes, which had been passed in Henri of Navarre's reign. Huguenot's were forced to `convert', and to try to leave the country in order to avoid this, was punishable in some cases, by death.Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force, the main character, (whose childhood nickname in the book is Bon-Bon) was a relatively plain, highly intelligent woman, one of Louis' cousins, who became a well-regarded writer. She had several lovers, but did not marry (scandalously) till she was middle-aged. Her family were Huguenot, and she `converted' to Catholicism, around the time when such conversions were enforced. She was exiled by Louis to a convent (a fate imposed on many women who displeased men, and particularly, a fate meted out to Huguenot women) So, `Bitter Greens' is her first person narrated story, mainly taking place at the end of the seventeenth century, in that convent, as she looks back on her life. However, Charlotte-Rose is the writer who is known as the author of the fairy-tale initial known as Persinette - (a kind of variant on Parsley,which features in the story) `Persinette' later was retold by the Brothers Grimm as `Rapunzel' - or, to give it a similarly herbal flavour, a variant on `rampion'Rapunzel is of course the story of the powerlessness of a young girl, who falls foul of a powerful witch, and is imprisoned in a tower (or convent, in Charlotte-Rose's case, after she fell foul of a powerful despotic monarch) It is also a deeply erotic story, though the eroticism is covert in the children's version. Rapunzel is rescued by (who else) a prince who climbs her outrageously snaky, ever-growing, shimmering ladder of hair.However, an earlier version of the story exists, from the pen of an Italian writer, Giambattista Basile, published some 60 years earlier, as Forsyth relates, but scholars have puzzled how (or if) Charlotte-Rose might have read it as the story was written in Neapolitan, and was not translated out of Neapolitan till many years after Charlotte-Rose's death. As she never went to Italy, and did not speak Neapolitan, it is something of a mystery. One which Forsyth wonderfully disentangles, explores, invents, surmises.So, the second story is that of `Marguerite' a fairy story told by a wise nun, who is the convent's infirmarian and herbalist, Soeur Seraphina. Marguerite, (another plant, name `Daisy') of course, is the girl who becomes `Persinette' and she too, like Charlotte-Rose, will transcend the powerlessness imposed on her by the witch.Where do malevolent witches come from, however - in this story, we get to understand, and see a further story about the powerlessness and lack of choices available to women.It is a marvellous tale within a tale within a tale - and, moreover, Forsyth upends the `victim' status of her imprisoned female, - though there are some attractive princes, even princes may be imprisoned by those more powerful than they - kings, fathers opposed to rebellious sons.Interspersed are also various poems by other writers on the `Rapunzel' theme.Hopefully, the fact that I've unpicked some of the rich substance to the story will not put potential readers off - this is a wonderfully told tale, with 3 extremely interesting major characters, one of whom (Charlotte-Rose) is wonderfully witty, sardonic, amused - and a remarkably sensual woman as well as a highly intelligent one. So the book has its degree of raunch as well!There is a wealth of historical, literary, artistic information, in here, but Forsyth wears her obviously careful research lightly, seamlessly, gracefully. You learn without `being lectured'Highly recommended, and I shall certainly investigate her second book for adults, which again mixes history and fairy story as it is about one of the Brothers Grimm.

This was a vibrantly written book with so many interesting characters and such in depth emotional writing. It was a great book which made me excited to come and read it.However, at least 40 counts of rape in this novel and gang rape at one particular point so avoid this book if that would bother you.Sometimes this book could be a little melodramatic and the ending was weak, but I did like that this book was based on a real french woman.It was nice to read about France and Italy in history for once, and the Rapunzel re-telling was done really well and made a lot of sense.

This book held me spellbound! It is a tale of witchcraft, betrayal and love. It has three main characters, all of whom are women in and around the seventeenth century, who have been trapped in the live they lead due solely to their gender. One is a real person, Charlotte-Rose de la Force, a lady in waiting who is banished to a convent by the king of her court. There she meets a nun who tells her a strange tale of a girl trapped in a tower and the witch who emprisoned her there.This story was so well written and absorbing that I devoured it in chunks whenever I could, whilst eating dinner, waiting at the bus stop; I just couldn't put it down! It is very humbling to read about how powerless women were in those days and the limited life choices they had available to them. It brought to life the period well and the characters were very layered and intriguing. I am now going to seek out more work by this author!

As beautifully written as her book Bitter Greens but not as engaging. The story seems very linear and is somewhat relentlessly depressing. It is an interesting book though, particularly as an insight into the Napoleonic Wars and the social history of it, and I loved all the fairytale references too.

A very enjoyable book. I bought it because I love re-written fairy tales, but, when I came to read it, it was the realistic episodes describing life at the court of Louis IVth that I enjoyed most, although I did like the version of Rapunzel, and the story of the witch - here given the chance to speak for herself. I also liked the way all the themes were brought together at the end.It is a very sensuous book, full of descriptions of magnificent clothes, lavish entertainments, lovely fabrics, and the beautiful people of the French court - along with the horrors of the Bastille prison, and the harsh conditions of the convent where the narrator endures her exile.Throughly recommended.

Bitter greens is a beautifully written historical novel, mixed with the fairy tale Rapunzel. It's a story that is divided between three different characters; the first viewpoint is that of Charlotte Rose who was at the court of King Louis XIV, but then banished to a convent. There she meets a nun who tells her the tale of a young girl called Margherita, who is imprisoned in a tower - the fairy tale we know as Rapunzel. The third story is of the witch, Selena Leonelli, (who imprisons Margherita) who was a famous Venetian courtesan with a troubled past, which led to her becoming terrified of the passing of time and ageing.It's a lovely story with three intriguing tales that intertwine well with one another. There's a bit of jumping back and forth between time and the three women, which I realise doesn't appeal to everyone. A huge number of characters are mentioned throughout the book, which again, is fine if you enjoy multi layered novels which are well researched and full of descriptive writing. I think that this book would appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a bit of a fantasy/fairytale/magical/romance element woven into the story.

I read it on KINDLE and kept thinking about it over and over. I have just bought it in paper as a gift this Christmas. I t is so well written and the author manages the stories so well it makes a fascinating, amazing read. A wonderful twist on an old classic fairy tale. Absolutely one of the best reads of the last years. I highly recommned it.Merry Christmas!

Great read! Great historical novel brining to life a true fairytaleI read her book the Beasts Garden before this one and loved it! Wrapped up in the war with love!Fantastically written! Both books she has clearly done a lot of study to write!Both grippiny stories of love and pain!

"Bitter Greens" by Kate Forsyth details the story of Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force, the French storyteller who is best known for her story Perinette--or Little Parsley which became widespread under the more familiar title, Rapunzel. Forsyth does a fine job of crafting a woman of great emotions and passions who must tread softly as a Huguenot in the Roman Catholic court of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Her story begins rather depressingly as the heroine is remanded to a convent by order of the king and must sacrifice her lovely clothes, her freedom and all her other privileges due to her scandalous behavior. Forsyth's depiction of the convent, its cruelties and hypocritical women is balanced only by Charlotte-Rose's narrative of her former life and her dreams for her future.Some readers may become lost as Charlotte-Rose flips from one part of her life to another in an order not always chronological. Nevertheless Forsyth's magnificent handling of her character proves her mettle as a writer who can not only depict the times and circumstances of 17th century France but can build a character of great nuance and power.As with all good stories, there is a lesson to be learned. While in the convent, Charlotte-Rose learns a bit about humility when she comes in contact with an older sister who entertains her with a version of the Rapunzel story that reveals a great truth. This fairy tale is encrusted with pain, vanity and passion like the original version of Rapunzel that was included in the original collection of the Brothers Grimm and criticized for its inappropriateness for children. The nun's tale is woven within Charlotte-Rose's own story which makes for an entertaining and suspenseful break from the dreary life at the convent.Forsyth's language and narrative is extremely well-done. I listened to the unabridged audio version of this novel and was pleased by the performance by Kate Reading. If you are a fan of Forsyth's you might recognize some of her descriptions and scenarios from other novels, but even if this can become repetitious, it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the tale.Bottom line? Kate Forsyth's "Bitter Greens" is recommended to all those who enjoy a detailed adult version of a popular fairy tale--in this case the beloved story of "Rapunzel." For those who are gentle readers, Forsyth does not pull any punches--her tortures, punishments and sorrows are very much on point. Recommended.Diana Faillace Von Behren"Buzzard's Eye View"

The fairy tale of Rapunzel with a new and elegant twist, wrapped up in the scandalous life of a court lady in France. This is a unique book, a story within a story within a story, a far cry from the horrible sugar-coated Disney versions

I have loved Kate Forsyth's work since I first picked up the Witches of Eileanan series many years ago and I have enjoyed seeing her writing style evolve over time.Her latest novel, Bitter Greens, weaves together the different narrators' stories beautifully with excellent storytelling. I cannot recommend this book enough and sincerely hope that Ms Forsyth will tackle another fairytale retelling in the future.