The Wild Girl - Kate Forsyth - Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour

Today I am delighted to be taking part in the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour for The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth.

'One day people will recognise how wonderful the stories are...'

I was very excited indeed about reading The Wild Girl, as I read a novel by Kate Forsyth earlier this year, Bitter Greens, which was a lovely book, so increasing my anticipation about this new book. It lived up to my high expectations - it's a super read, which again offers up an intriguing combination of fairytales and historical elements. Also, as with Bitter Greens, I think the cover of this one is a simply gorgeous design! 

The story tells of the true love that grew between Dortchen Wild and Wilhelm Grimm, against the background of society at the time, with poverty, illness and Napoleonic wars. Dortchen was a muse but also told Wilhelm many stories, being therefore also a source of some of the renowned, magical fairytales told by Jakob and Wilhelm, the Brothers Grimm, stories which we of course still know and love to this day.

Dortchen has one brother, and she is one of six sisters, she is termed the 'wild' one. We are introduced to her when she is twelve years old, she meets Wilhelm Grimm for the first time, and immediately falls in love. Her strict father denounces Dortchen's wild spirit and he disapproves of the Grimm family next door, so Dortchen often has to be secretive to maintain her friendship with Lotte Grimm and her brothers, and as the tale unfolds she has to overcome many struggles and very dark times in her life. Kate Forsyth depicts the difficulties of life as the place they all live in, Cassel, part of the Holy Roman Empire, is invaded by the French. I felt the novel covered the history enough to enlighten those who, like myself, may have known very little about the battles of this period, without ever being too heavy. Ultimately we wonder, will Dortchen ever find her happiness?

This book really was a joy to read; the author uses language beautifully and so effectively to tell her story. The narrative is a delicious concoction combining historical detail, storytelling, fairytales and a compelling romance. It is also dark at times. It was a delight to discover the background to Grimm's tales and to escape into the pages of this book; the way the characters' world is recreated and vividly imagined drew me in, took me back in time and kept me turning the pages. It was fascinating to discover the story of this amazing unsung woman behind the famous men, and I'm so glad that Kate Forsyth has written about her here. 

It's evident that a great deal of research preceeded the creation of this novel, and that a huge amount of passion went into the writing of it. The author brings so much detail and life to her storytelling. She admits in the book's acknowledgements that 'the story worked its way into my dreams'. I've read two books by this author to date, and both have been superb '5 star' reads for me. 

Thank you very much to Amy from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for inviting me to be part of this tour.

Published by Allison & Busby

Thanks very much to the publisher and the tour host for kindly providing a copy of this novel to read and review.

Do visit the other stops on the tour, there's a list here, and read the wonderful reviews and interviews.

You can read my review of Kate Forsyth's novel Bitter Greens here.

About the Author

Kate Forsyth

Kate Forsyth is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 books for adults and children, translated into 13 languages. She was recently named in the Top 25 of Australia's Favourite Novelists. Since The Witches of Eileanan was named a Best First Novel by Locus Magazine, Kate has won or been nominated for many 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 Gypsy Crown series of children's historical novels. Kate’s latest novel, Bitter Greens, interweaves a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale with the scandalous life story of the woman who first told the tale, the 17th century French writer Charlotte-Rose de la Force. It has been called ‘the best fairy tale retelling since Angela Carter’ and ‘an imaginative weaving of magic, fairy tale and history’. A direct descendant of Charlotte Waring, the author of the first book for children ever published in Australia, Kate is currently studying a doctorate in fairy tales at the University of Technology in Sydney, where she lives by the sea, with her husband, three children, and many thousands of books.

Please visit Kate Forsyth's WEBSITE and BLOG for more information. You can also find her on FACEBOOK and follow her on TWITTER.

The Horologicon - Mark Forsyth

In The Horologican, meaning ‘book of hours’, author Mark Forsyth presents us with a collection of weird and wonderful words from within the depths of the English language, ordered by the hours in the day, so that we can grasp them at the time of day that we can most appropriately use them.

It’s a really entertaining read for anyone even remotely fascinated by language. Starting at 6am and taking us through until midnight, the author has compiled an amazing collection of words that perfectly fit so many of the situations we encounter everyday.

When you buddle your oxter in the morning, or have to scrouge on the bus, and then fudgel at work, you’ll know exactly the right terminology to employ next time. I think everyone will read and find their favourites amongst these wonderful words.

This is a lovely volume to dip in and out of; indeed, that is what the author advises, to treat it as a work of reference and do not try and read it in one go! I found the author’s style of writing very engaging and informative, and I think this is a book I will return to again and again, both to learn and be informed by it, and for it to raise a smile.

Published by Icon Books

You can find the author on twitter @inkykfool and on his blog here.

Originally reviewed for the amazon vine programme.

Bitter Greens - Kate Forsyth - Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour

Today I am delighted to be taking part in the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour for Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth.

‘Her parents had sold her to a sorceress for a handful of bitter greens…parsley, wintercress and rapunzel.’

This beautiful novel has at its heart three women and three stories which are all combined to create a very special and enchanting tale. It is a gorgeous hardback edition, beautifully finished, making it a joy to look at, hold and read. The story is beautifully written, and it makes for an engrossing historical fiction read. In part it is a retelling of a classic fairytale, Rapunzel. But it is so much more than this too.

Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force, to give her her full title, is appalled to have been banished from the royal court of Louis XIV at Versailles to instead spend her days in a nunnery. She tells us that she 'had always been a great talker and teller of tales', and this time her storytelling has cost her dearly. She has a talent for tales, a great imagination and a way of captivating her audience. She is depicted as a strong and independent woman, but the times she lived in severely restrained her ability to become everything she hoped she could be:

‘I had thought I could bend the world to my will. I had thought I could break free of society’s narrow grooves, forging a life of my own desire. I had thought I was the navigator of my soul’s journey. I had been wrong.’

As is noted in the foreword to the book, she was in fact a real person who wrote one of the earliest versions of the Rapunzel story, under the name ‘Persinette.’

The second strand to the narrative begins the retelling of the tale we know as Rapunzel; the character who is named Margherita here. The story takes us back to the sixteenth century to meet a little seven-year-old girl in Venice upon the day that will change her life. She becomes trapped in a tower with little hope of escape, weighted down by lengths of red-gold hair. Despite, or perhaps because of, the physical constraints she finds herself in, Margherita turns to her imagination to escape the tower:

‘So she lay in her bed, as snug as she could make herself, and imagined herself out in the world, having all kinds of grand adventures: fighting giants; defeating witches; finding treasure; sailing the seven seas; singing at the courts of kings.’

The third woman to feature in this story is Selena Leonelli, who encounters the artist Titian as part of her story and recounts the events of her life that have shaped her dark character, rendering her frightened of the passage of time.

The stories of the three women are captivating and held my interest and attention whilst reading; they were brought vividly to life for me, I wondered about their lives, felt drawn into their adventures, was moved by their plights and the different ways in which they all seemed trapped. Three distinctive women with fascinating journeys through life, often fraught with danger, beset by sadness, but all strong and courageous. I felt frustration at the restricted position life offered them as women living back then. I think I liked Charlotte most of all; such a strong woman for her times and evidently influenced by her mother. It was enjoyable how the story moved about between the three women and the episodes looking back in time added another dimension to the tale and gave insight into the each character's formative years. 

The attention to detail in Kate Forsyth’s writing is excellent and brings the period settings to life vividly, but this never holds up the advancement and intrigue of the narrative, which the author keeps moving satisfyingly and effortlessly throughout.  

I found great pleasure in sitting back and reading this impressive novel and I think it will appeal to many readers who like a combination of accomplished historical fiction with romance plus a fairytale, fantasy element. I enjoyed escaping back in time and getting lost in this layered, imaginative, magical story every time I picked the book up. Bitter Greens is definitely one of the highlights of my reading in 2013 so far.

Thank you very much to Amy from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for inviting me to be part of this tour.

Published by Allison & Busby

Thanks very much to the publisher and the tour host for kindly providing a copy of this novel to read and review.

About the Author

Kate Forsyth is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 books for adults and children, translated into 13 languages. She was recently named in the Top 25 of Australia's Favourite Novelists. Since The Witches of Eileanan was named a Best First Novel by Locus Magazine, Kate has won or been nominated for many 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 Gypsy Crown series of children's historical novels. Kate’s latest novel, Bitter Greens, interweaves a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale with the scandalous life story of the woman who first told the tale, the 17th century French writer Charlotte-Rose de la Force. It has been called ‘the best fairy tale retelling since Angela Carter’ and ‘an imaginative weaving of magic, fairy tale and history’. A direct descendant of Charlotte Waring, the author of the first book for children ever published in Australia, Kate is currently studying a doctorate in fairy tales at the University of Technology in Sydney, where she lives by the sea, with her husband, three children, and many thousands of books.

Please visit Kate Forsyth's WEBSITE and BLOG for more information.  You can also find her on FACEBOOK and follow her on TWITTER.