Review: Bitter Greens

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mordieu! This is one heck of a story!

Imagine my surprise when I got to the Afterward and discovered Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force was a real person, and much of this account is inspired by her real life. I find it so incredibly fascinating, and now I'm dying to know as much about her as possible! What an added bonus to an extraordinary tale! I've also been fascinated by 16th/17th century French history since I fell in love with The Three Musketeers so this just hit me right in my happy place. (That came out weird, but you know what I mean. Right?)

Bitter Greens begins with Charlotte's exile to a convent, and I confess: I thought this was going to be a tale of her hardships within and her attempts to escape, alternating with another woman in a similar position. Took me ages to work out this was a kind of re-telling of Rapunzel. It ended up blowing me away with how involved and convoluted it all was, and I freaking LOVED IT.

So we're really given four different stories: first, Charlotte's present situation, at the convent. Second, her musings on her past, which span a good thirty years or so. This is cut with one of the sisters at the convent telling her the story of Margherita/Petrosinella, set around one hundred years earlier, and the fourth story is the past of the witch who imprisoned Margherita. It jumps about quite a bit, and just as you're starting to get into one story, it changes again. It was slightly frustrating at times but I still really enjoyed it. Gave this long novel a great variety and kept things rather enthralling.

So the story of Margherita/Petrosinella is the Rapunzel retelling, and it's pretty true to the Grimm classic. I liked that it was hard and brutal, and didn't pull any punches. This whole novel is full of absolutely despicable behaviour that had me feeling a full range of emotions from delight, to misery, to shock and disgust. Never a dull moment in this one, folks.

The story of the witch, Selena, humanises it a lot, as she's given her own turbulent past and you begin to feel pity for this woman who treats Margherita so cruelly. I loved that. Villains are always so much more interesting when they're coloured in shades of grey. I enjoyed her story immensely.

Charlotte's past really made my heart ache. She's not a particularly likable protagonist, but her story draws you in and you can't help but feel for her. Her experiences were written boldly and vividly, with some scenes so graphic I felt them myself. I love writing like this that absorbs me so much I begin to feel what I assume the characters must. Charlotte's story is utterly compelling.

There's some serious scandal and so many, very real, characters that help create the scenes. There are situations that, despite being set in 17th Century France, are incredibly relatable to the present day. One of my favourite quotes from the book is this:

'As I knew full well, gossip had a way of taking a glance and turning it into a caress.'

Even today, gossip is a weapon of mass destruction, so this theme really struck a chord with me. The theme of love and belonging was quite powerful, too, and I think, again, it shows that some things are timeless and universal. In the words of one of my favourite bands, Anberlin: don't we all want to be loved?

This was such an epic novel, and there are many parts that will make you feel uncomfortable if you're a little squeamish. Endure it, though, and you'll be rewarded with a layered tale that feels incredibly real. There is plenty of action, with well-rounded characters and fascinating themes. I'm not a big fan of romance, but I was hooked on all of Charlotte's affairs with love, and it caught me by surprise.

Considering I DNF'd the last Kate Forsyth book I attempted to read (Dragonclaw), this was such an unexpected delight. I loved every minute of it. Highly recommend for those interested in historical fiction, fairytales, mythology, romance, witchcraft and multi-layered characters. Also, it's just a really great novel.

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