Bitter Greens in Aussie Readers

Feb 08, 2014 Kathryn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-list-2014, fiction, australian-authors

I finished this last night and found it to be an enjoyable read. Fantasy is not a genre I am familiar with, nor one that I generally enjoy, with some exceptions. But this was the story of 3 women told over a 200-year period - one a noblewoman banished from the court of the Sun King, another a young girl locked in a tall tower by a wicked witch 100 years previously (a re-telling of the Rapunzel story), and the other the story of the wicked witch herself and her childhood.

If nothing else, this boo ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2018 Lisa - (Aussie Girl) rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, folk-fantasy, nbrc-cutthroat-island-2018, read-in-2018

Absolutely beautiful writing as Kate Forsyth skillfully weaves the true life story of French writer Charlotte Rose de la Force with that of her tale "Petronsinella" later adapted by the Brothers Grimm into Rapunzel. Such a feast for the imagination as Forsyth brings to life the decadent Court of the Sun King, the beauty of the Italian lakes and the world of renaissance Venice juxtaposed with the magical story of the girl in the tower. Additionally a common theme of Kate Forsyths that of the powe ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Kira rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, aussie-author

Kate Forsyth manages to capture the feeling of female disempowerment and empowerment at the same time, in an era when to be female was to have little true power. Bitter Greens is three stories in one; those of Charlotte-Rose, Selena, and Margherita. Each of these three characters are strong but have flaws. I believe that's why it they are so relatable and why I kept turning the page.

Even though Margherita's story is essentially a retelling of Rapunzel, it is written in a way that makes it feel l ...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Marg rated it really liked it

4.5/5

Bring on The Wild Girl!

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When I first heard about Kate Forsyth's book Bitter Greens just before it was released here in Australia last year I was instantly intrigued! A retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale mixed in with life at the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV and Renaissance Venice - yes please! Of course, combining these three different elements could either work spectacularly or end up in a jumbled mess. Fortunately, Kate Forsyth' ...more

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