Publication Date: September 23, 2014
Thomas Dunne Books
Hardcover; 496p
ISBN-10: 1250047536
Genre: Historical/Fantasy/Fairy-Tale Retellings
The amazing power and truth of the Rapunzel fairy tale comes alive
for the first time in this breathtaking tale of desire, black magic and
the redemptive power of love
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.
Award-winning author Kate Forsyth braids together the stories of
Margherita, Selena, and Charlotte-Rose, the woman who penned Rapunzel as
we now know it, to create what is a sumptuous historical novel, an
enchanting fairy tale retelling, and a loving tribute to the imagination
of one remarkable woman.
My Review:
My review is going to be short and sweet.
I will start off by saying that this book was deelightful. It had pretty much everything you could want in a fairy tale "re-telling" and then some! The writing is superb. The characters are awesome and beautifully written, and well..it just kept me happy throughout.
This story was far more than I expected. This book is simply magical! I swear to all that is holy and good that if you enjoy re-tellings this is the NEXT one you should read!
Buy the Book
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.
For more information please visit Kate Forsyth’s
website and
blog.
About Stephanie Feldman