March 20, 2012
Kate Forsyth’s love of language, history and storytelling is evident in Bitter Greens, a magnificent reworking of the fairytale Rapunzel. This is a story of strong women who have suffered for their beliefs. Charlotte-Rose is a spirited writer who is banished from the court of Louis XIV and sent to live in a convent, where Soeur Seraphina tells her the story of Margherita, a beautiful young woman living in Venice some centuries earlier. Margherita’s story is both new and comfortingly familiar. Taken from her family and imprisoned in a remote tower, she is forced to let down her hair each month so that her captor might climb up. Margherita is the central figure in this book, connecting the story of her abductor Selena Leonelli—a frightened young woman turned courtesan and witch—with that of Charlotte-Rose and Soeur Seraphina. The language in Bitter Greens is decadent and fits perfectly with the passionate characters and lush settings. This is much more than a historical romance—it is a story that celebrates women throughout the ages who have refused to be bound by the trappings of their era. Forsyth has an extraordinary imagination and has created something deliciously new out of an old favourite.
Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne-based writer and reviewer