Kate Forsyth

A story of desire, black magic and love interweaves the true-life story of French novelist Charlotte-Rose de la Force, who was banished from the court of Versailles by Louis XIV after a series of scandalous love affairs, with the Rapunzel fairy tale.

A Novel

Bitter Greens

A Library Journal Best Book of 2014: Historical Fiction 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.

Janice Hopper

Bitter Greens weaves together two interlocking stories - one is the Rapunzel fairy tale, and the other is the story of a lady in waiting in the court of Louis XIV in 17th century France. The lady in waiting, Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force (known as Dunamis, from the Greek word for strength or power, a play on her family name) is a tall, rather plain woman who has to navigate the treacherous waters of court politics in the reign of the Sun King. 

The other story, the Rapunzel tale, is told to Charlotte-Rose by another character. It would be a bit of a spoiler to tell who she is, but it does make for a somewhat satisfying (though also somewhat implausible, I thought) ending to the story.

I heard about this book on the Galactic Suburbia podcast. The ladies on those podcasts enjoy stories about women and womanly lives a bit more than I do, but this is a good, well-written story. I've always liked the Rapunzel story. The retelling in this book really brings it to life, and maybe makes you think about some things in the story that hadn't occurred to you before.

Recommended.

Of all the Grimm fairytales, 'Rapunzel' is one of the most mysterious and enduring. It is the story of a young girl who is sold by her parents to a witch for a handful of bitter green herbs. At the age of twelve, Rapunzel is confined by the witch in a tower without stairs or a door. Years later, a prince rides past and hears Rapunzel singing. He is haunted by her voice and returns often to hear her sing. At last he sees the witch climb up her long braid of hair, and knows the secret of gaining access to the tower. He climbs up, and seduces Rapunzel. When the witch discovers Rapunzel is pregnant, she shears off all Rapunzel's hair and casts her out to wander alone in the wilderness. Then she lowers down the severed braid to the prince, who unwittingly climbs up. The witch taunts him and causes him to fall from the top of the tower. He falls into thorns and brambles, and is blinded. Although he cannot see, he searches for Rapunzel, and one day hears her singing in the wilderness. Rapunzel has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. When Rapunzel sees the prince she flings her arms around him and weeps. Two of her tears fall into his eyes and heal him. Able to see once more, the prince takes Rapunzel and the twins back home, and they all live happily ever after. The story of Rapunzel has always fascinated Kate Forsyth, probably because it is full of so many unanswered questions. Why does the witch lock Rapunzel up in the tower? What happens to the witch? What does Rapunzel eat while in the tower? It is also a poignant love story. Rapunzel begins as a passive child-like victim, but by the end of the story she is strong and powerful, bringing up two children on her own. She has become a magical agent of healing and redemption. The tale we know best was published by the Grimm Brothers in 1812, but is based upon an earlier Italian story - "Petrosinella" in Giambattista Basile's Pentamerone (1636). It is, however, the Grimm version which has the characteristic dark touches. (Rapunzel's pregnancy, the birth in the wilderness, and the blinding of the prince). Bitter Greens is a story told in two strands. Firstly, there is the story of Dortchen Wild who grew up across the road from the Grimm brothers in the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel, in what is now Germany. Dortchen Wild and her family were the primary sources of the Grimm brother's collected fairy tales, which were first published in 1812. Dortchen first met the Grimm brothers when she was twelve, when Hesse-Kassel was invaded by Napolean's Grand Army, and ruled by Napolean's young brother, Jerome Bonaparte. Dortchen's father was very strict, and kept Dortchen at home to care for him until his death. Only then was she able to marry Wilhelm, the younger of the Grimm brothers, and she and Wilhelm and the elder brother Jacob lived together happily for the rest of their lives. It is a very tender yet dramatic love story, filled with war, grief, thwarted desire and, ultimately, joy. The second strand of the story is set in and around Venice in Italy in the late 16th century, and tells the story of Rapunzel from the point of view of Salvatore, a young, impoverished musician - "the prince" - and Aurealia, a courtesan of Venice - "the enchantress". It is a story of betrayal, loneliness, seduction and ultimately redemption, and will be rich with details of life in 16th century Venice, including courtesans, the castrati, and the early history of opera.

Flavia

this is my first novel that I read in English. I loved it. It is not a historical novel, not a fantasy. It's a incredible travel thought the history and fairy tales. I want to be a writer like Kate Forsyth.

Charlotte-Rose de la Force, exiled from the court of the Sun King Louis XIV, has always been a great teller of tales. Selena Leonelli, once the exquisite muse of the great Venetian artist Titian, is terrified of time. Margherita, trapped in a doorless tower and burdened by tangles of her red-gold hair, must find a way to escape. Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling tale of desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love.

Bitter Greens A Novel

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