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mariamag001's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
janefc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
rosepoldark's review against another edition
4.5
Great book, the story is very captivating and the themes are interresting. However, i would like the stories to be more elaborated ex. Holly and Val, i would have loved to have a 150-200 page book of their story.
elenajohansen's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another reviewer helpfully pointed out the large gap between the publication of the first book (1906) and this one (1920) which meant a war had happened, and immediately explained to me the slight but noticeable change in tone; this work has less satire and more melancholy, though it's not without its share of happiness and hope, signified by the blithely child-focused ending.
Could I have predicted a single thing about where Soames and Irene and the rest of the family would end up after the end of the first book? No, at least not beyond their marriage never being rejuvenated, which it wasn't. Everything that happened felt both surprising and natural--at times I would be tempted to call this fascinating in the same way soap operas are, even if you don't enjoy them, which I generally don't. But the (American, 1980s and '90s) soap operas I'm familiar with relied on unexpected and unsupported plot twists long before those came into fashion in cinema, and In Chancery doesn't rely on twists of that nature. Instead, small things like chance meetings are grown organically into large shifts in perspective and fortune.
I called the first book "sensitive" in its portrayal of a loveless marriage, and I stand by that, though I stopped short of calling it "feminist" or "modern" in its attitudes; clearly Galsworthy was highly aware of wives being the husband's property and did not agree with it, as it's the central conflict of the novel. Here, though, I feel like ground was lost, because Irene is less of a person in this book and more of an object. Even if the divorce freed her from Soames, her part of the tale was relayed entirely through Jolyon's perspective and is saturated with his reverence for her. First she is Soames' wife, even if an estranged one, then she is a creature to pity for her shabby, lonely state, and finally when she is "free" she immediately remarries and gains happiness in the form of a child. Trading a loveless marriage for a comfortable one, even if it's not precisely a love match, is certainly a step up by anyone's standards, but framing it all from the men's perspectives pares Irene's true agency down to her final, adamant refusal of Soames. We don't see her truly consent to the second marriage, and it's assumed that she wanted a child but we're never shown that beforehand.
So that's my modern assessment of and complaints about a 103-year-old book about an upper-middle-class British family. I still greatly enjoyed it anyway, even more than the first book, because it felt more focused, despite the same slow, reflective pace. We spent proportionately more time with a smaller cast of characters, enabling more development and greater emotional investment.
Could I have predicted a single thing about where Soames and Irene and the rest of the family would end up after the end of the first book? No, at least not beyond their marriage never being rejuvenated, which it wasn't. Everything that happened felt both surprising and natural--at times I would be tempted to call this fascinating in the same way soap operas are, even if you don't enjoy them, which I generally don't. But the (American, 1980s and '90s) soap operas I'm familiar with relied on unexpected and unsupported plot twists long before those came into fashion in cinema, and In Chancery doesn't rely on twists of that nature. Instead, small things like chance meetings are grown organically into large shifts in perspective and fortune.
I called the first book "sensitive" in its portrayal of a loveless marriage, and I stand by that, though I stopped short of calling it "feminist" or "modern" in its attitudes; clearly Galsworthy was highly aware of wives being the husband's property and did not agree with it, as it's the central conflict of the novel. Here, though, I feel like ground was lost, because Irene is less of a person in this book and more of an object. Even if the divorce freed her from Soames, her part of the tale was relayed entirely through Jolyon's perspective and is saturated with his reverence for her. First she is Soames' wife, even if an estranged one, then she is a creature to pity for her shabby, lonely state, and finally when she is "free" she immediately remarries and gains happiness in the form of a child. Trading a loveless marriage for a comfortable one, even if it's not precisely a love match, is certainly a step up by anyone's standards, but framing it all from the men's perspectives pares Irene's true agency down to her final, adamant refusal of Soames. We don't see her truly consent to the second marriage, and it's assumed that she wanted a child but we're never shown that beforehand.
So that's my modern assessment of and complaints about a 103-year-old book about an upper-middle-class British family. I still greatly enjoyed it anyway, even more than the first book, because it felt more focused, despite the same slow, reflective pace. We spent proportionately more time with a smaller cast of characters, enabling more development and greater emotional investment.
braxwall's review against another edition
4.0
Galsworthy håller stilen. Problemen hopar sig för Soames Forsyte. En positiv skillnad mot föregående bok är att dialogen är rappare och flyter bättre, vilket bidrar till att göra det ett sant nöje att läsa.
lotusmeristem555's review against another edition
5.0
The third installment of the Forsyte Saga. Beautifully written, with rich and complex characters. Lovely.
Also, Irene has got somw weird voodoo because no male can not fell automatically in love with her.. which is weird.
It's really interesting to read the turn of the centuries from the 19th and the 20th via the lives and deaths of characters. Very nice.
Also, Irene has got somw weird voodoo because no male can not fell automatically in love with her.. which is weird.
It's really interesting to read the turn of the centuries from the 19th and the 20th via the lives and deaths of characters. Very nice.
clockless's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
schopflin's review against another edition
4.0
Some of this is pretty grim reading - it's quite hard to be in the mind of Soames Forsyte - but all of it is beautifully written and compelling.
backpackingbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I quite enjoyed the introduction to The Forsyte Chronicles with Man Of Property and looked forward to continuing the story. Where book one felt more of an introduction to a complicated family tree with the drama primarily in the latter half of the novel, In Chancery was a much more even split of death, drama, tension, and dilemmas. I definitely preferred book two as Galsworthy was able to dive straight into the story, covering the transition in both era and generations. Time has passed since book one and much has changed, with the second-generation Forsytes making way for the third and fourth. Galsworthy's writing style is definitely blunt (i.e. don't get attached to any characters...) but once you get over the 'death drops' (let's just say he rarely drags it out) and slight frustration at lack of context/explanation, it is very easy to devour large sections in one sitting. A novel with as many characters as the Forsyte family boasts can often be hard to follow, with too many arcs, emotions, and events to truly do each character justice, however, Galsworthy does a great job of focusing on primary characters and using other members of the family as secondary mentions without diving too far into their daily lives. Though Soames, Irene, and Jolyon remain main characters in the second volume, secondary characters from volume one now share more of the limelight, such as Jolly and Val. This is a great way to not overwhelm the reader by trying to squeeze too many character arcs into one volume, and instead, makes the reader patiently wait to find out more in upcoming sequels.
I am by no means a regular series reader but I know I'll be reading every Forsyte book available as I can't get enough of the Forsyte drama. Though I am not particularly attached to any one character, I love the dynamics between the young and old, the exploration of social shifts, and the change in attitude as the younger generations grow up with new ideals and dreams.
Rating breakdown
I am by no means a regular series reader but I know I'll be reading every Forsyte book available as I can't get enough of the Forsyte drama. Though I am not particularly attached to any one character, I love the dynamics between the young and old, the exploration of social shifts, and the change in attitude as the younger generations grow up with new ideals and dreams.
Rating breakdown
- Plot/narrative - 4.4
- Writing style/readability - 4.4
- Characters - 4.3
- Diverse themes - 4.3
- Ending - 4.4
Overall - 4.4