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samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
I love the attention to detail and history in Kate Forsyth’s novels. It’s like reading history come to life. With the addition of a fairy tale (in this case, Sleeping Beauty), her stories really sparkle. I love how she combines the fairy tale with an unlikely setting – who would have thought that the Pre-Raphaelite painters could have this story within their lives? It’s masterful and intricate.
Now I must admit that I’m not terribly big on paintings and drawings (in fact, the last time I went to an art gallery it was for a book launch) so I wasn’t familiar with most of the real life characters. Lizzie Siddal and Dante Gabriel Rossetti I had read about in other fiction, but I’d never heard of the other painters in ‘the Firm’ and their wives. I ended up being quite fascinated with what they looked like because they all painted pictures of each other (plus Lizzie and Janey were originally artists’ models). I tried to keep away from Googling their lives because I wanted to be surprised by the story. Boy, was I! The six main characters are all so entwined with friendships and romantic relationships, hidden or open. The plot follows their lives from jubilant youth to old age. Initially, it focuses on Lizzie Siddal, a young girl who dreams of being an artist. She acts as an artists’ model in her spare time to try and fund a painting course. It’s there that she meets Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who will be her great love and also her downfall. Lizzie is the most complex character in the book and one of the most interesting. She has a weakness for laudanum, is hurt by criticism and has a burning love for Gabriel. He doesn’t quite feel the same way, being more of a ladies’ man than the love of one lady. Lizzie and Gabriel have an odd relationship, portrayed as desperate, argumentative and passionate. Lizzie hangs on his every word, but Gabriel is more casual. It can only be a recipe for disaster…
While Gabriel is the initial one of the group the women all swoon over, it’s Ned Morris who provided the money initially for the Pre-Raphaelites to fund their quest for love and beauty. Topsy, as he’s known, is more stable and less volatile than Gabriel. He’s caring, particularly to their young model Janey in Oxford. He knows Janey will never love him the way she longs after Gabriel, but he tells himself he’s happy to marry her anyway. Janey is glad of a release from poverty and misery, and determined to make Topsy proud by educating herself.
Ned Burne-Jones makes up the third artist of the trio. He’s shy, quiet and riddled with doubt. He loves to paint, but procrastinates at every possible step to keep the people he loves close. His wife Georgie has loved him since she was a child and first told her the story of Briar Rose. Will Ned keep their own Sleeping Beauty, daughter Margot, asleep? Or will he let her be awakened by her Prince?
It’s a testament to Kate Forsyth’s strength as a writer that I can remember all these details of character traits and places after finishing the book. Her work is so intricate and carefully researched that it shines through on every page. I didn’t feel the Briar Rose story stuck out in the narrative; it only became clear to me as Margot was sitting as the model for her father’s Briar Rose paintings. That’s probably a good thing – I was so swept up in the relationships between the characters! I did get a bit sick of Lizzie and Gabriel’s tumultuous relationship but I felt the portrayal of Lizzie was very sensitively done as she battles anorexia/bulimia. I really felt for Lizzie and I wanted to give Gabriel a good smack for being so callous! It’s easy to see from my ramblings how much the characters come to life at Kate Forsyth’s hand. Please don’t miss this book if you’re a lover of historical fiction or just wanting some history through a wonderful story.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Now I must admit that I’m not terribly big on paintings and drawings (in fact, the last time I went to an art gallery it was for a book launch) so I wasn’t familiar with most of the real life characters. Lizzie Siddal and Dante Gabriel Rossetti I had read about in other fiction, but I’d never heard of the other painters in ‘the Firm’ and their wives. I ended up being quite fascinated with what they looked like because they all painted pictures of each other (plus Lizzie and Janey were originally artists’ models). I tried to keep away from Googling their lives because I wanted to be surprised by the story. Boy, was I! The six main characters are all so entwined with friendships and romantic relationships, hidden or open. The plot follows their lives from jubilant youth to old age. Initially, it focuses on Lizzie Siddal, a young girl who dreams of being an artist. She acts as an artists’ model in her spare time to try and fund a painting course. It’s there that she meets Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who will be her great love and also her downfall. Lizzie is the most complex character in the book and one of the most interesting. She has a weakness for laudanum, is hurt by criticism and has a burning love for Gabriel. He doesn’t quite feel the same way, being more of a ladies’ man than the love of one lady. Lizzie and Gabriel have an odd relationship, portrayed as desperate, argumentative and passionate. Lizzie hangs on his every word, but Gabriel is more casual. It can only be a recipe for disaster…
While Gabriel is the initial one of the group the women all swoon over, it’s Ned Morris who provided the money initially for the Pre-Raphaelites to fund their quest for love and beauty. Topsy, as he’s known, is more stable and less volatile than Gabriel. He’s caring, particularly to their young model Janey in Oxford. He knows Janey will never love him the way she longs after Gabriel, but he tells himself he’s happy to marry her anyway. Janey is glad of a release from poverty and misery, and determined to make Topsy proud by educating herself.
Ned Burne-Jones makes up the third artist of the trio. He’s shy, quiet and riddled with doubt. He loves to paint, but procrastinates at every possible step to keep the people he loves close. His wife Georgie has loved him since she was a child and first told her the story of Briar Rose. Will Ned keep their own Sleeping Beauty, daughter Margot, asleep? Or will he let her be awakened by her Prince?
It’s a testament to Kate Forsyth’s strength as a writer that I can remember all these details of character traits and places after finishing the book. Her work is so intricate and carefully researched that it shines through on every page. I didn’t feel the Briar Rose story stuck out in the narrative; it only became clear to me as Margot was sitting as the model for her father’s Briar Rose paintings. That’s probably a good thing – I was so swept up in the relationships between the characters! I did get a bit sick of Lizzie and Gabriel’s tumultuous relationship but I felt the portrayal of Lizzie was very sensitively done as she battles anorexia/bulimia. I really felt for Lizzie and I wanted to give Gabriel a good smack for being so callous! It’s easy to see from my ramblings how much the characters come to life at Kate Forsyth’s hand. Please don’t miss this book if you’re a lover of historical fiction or just wanting some history through a wonderful story.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
amerasuu's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely riveting book, couldn't put it down. Kate Forsyth has such a way with words. It was so nice to read the women's side of the story of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, easily my favourite art period.
seashellbeagle's review against another edition
1.0
So awful I gave up at page 60. Like a Mill's and Boon romance novel.
novel_nomad's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully crafted historical fiction that ensnares the reader with vivacious characters and wonderful writing, slowly drawing you into the tangled, tumultuous lives of the Pre-Raphaelite women.
As part of Kate Forsyth’s fairytale retelling series, this was a little difficult to discern the relation to the tale of the Briar Rose (aka. Sleeping Beauty). It was not until I was deep into the sadness of Part Three that I realised it was mimicking the story perfectly, the initial golden years for all the women faded into addiction, deception and misery - the cursed years that covered the enchanted court in thorny briars. Not all the women and men of the Pre-Raphaelites escaped the curse, but hope for the lifting of the curse was found in children, in particular Margo Burne-Jones who was depicted as the sleeping princess in her father’s famous quartet.
The writing is luxurious, with imagery and emotions as rich as the artists it depicts. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a fascination with late Victorian art, the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood and giving voice to the women to supported and inspired them.
As part of Kate Forsyth’s fairytale retelling series, this was a little difficult to discern the relation to the tale of the Briar Rose (aka. Sleeping Beauty). It was not until I was deep into the sadness of Part Three that I realised it was mimicking the story perfectly, the initial golden years for all the women faded into addiction, deception and misery - the cursed years that covered the enchanted court in thorny briars. Not all the women and men of the Pre-Raphaelites escaped the curse, but hope for the lifting of the curse was found in children, in particular Margo Burne-Jones who was depicted as the sleeping princess in her father’s famous quartet.
The writing is luxurious, with imagery and emotions as rich as the artists it depicts. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a fascination with late Victorian art, the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood and giving voice to the women to supported and inspired them.
beautifulpaxielreads's review
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism and Pregnancy
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Death of parent
kimswhims's review
4.0
A fabulous immersive story of the women in the preRaphelite Brotherhood. Kate Forsyth knows her subjects well and makes you feel like you're a fly on the wall in their lives. Very hard to know what is the fictional part of their lives and what has been drawn from history, it feels seamless. The women's stories are told in the wonderful setting of Victorian England and all the changes that were taking place at the time but restrained by Victorian Era values. Sleeping Beauty is a theme followed throughout.
I've been meaning to read her work for sometime and this seemed like a great place to start. There is a PreRaphelite Exhibition at The National Gallery of Australia at the moment, their work is exceptional, and Kate Forsyth is giving a talk in March 2019. Looking forward to it immensely and also looking forward to reading more of Kate Forsyth's novels.
I've been meaning to read her work for sometime and this seemed like a great place to start. There is a PreRaphelite Exhibition at The National Gallery of Australia at the moment, their work is exceptional, and Kate Forsyth is giving a talk in March 2019. Looking forward to it immensely and also looking forward to reading more of Kate Forsyth's novels.
babyleo's review
5.0
Once again Forsyth has written a beautiful book that is filled with beauty, history, and heartache. I had been looking forward to reading this book and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The lives of the Pre-Raphaelites is tragic and inspiring, and to be swept up into their world was a vivid adventure.
Forsyth brings their stories to life with such detail and expression, and I marvelled at how these characters are more than character, they are people from history who contributed to the world and who brought their art and passion to the public.
The narration shifts between all of the character offering up a rounded perspective of their experiences and characters. The passion of Rossetti and the tragedy of Lizzie, as well as the brilliant and fascinating men and women who surrounded them is fascinating to read about. The story moves slowly but not dully, the exploration of character and the creation of art is fulfilling. With multiple characters to explore Forsyth balances their introductions and their voices very well, each having depth and complications that make you understand who they are and who they were.
Forsyth covers numerous decades over the lives of these artists and their families. Even in the short space of reading this book I felt nostalgic, as these great figures entered their older age and they themselves were reminiscing about their youth. I recalled the chapters when they were young and carefree. I felt like I had gone on this journey with these artists and I empathised with them and pitied them.
I also loved that I could see the finished product of a piece I’d only read about, or see the models that Forsyth describes in her story. It is a benefit of historical fiction and with a wonderful historical fairytale as beautiful as this it was a delight to relive it in a new way.
A longer version of this review was published on my blog Lost in a Good Book
Forsyth brings their stories to life with such detail and expression, and I marvelled at how these characters are more than character, they are people from history who contributed to the world and who brought their art and passion to the public.
The narration shifts between all of the character offering up a rounded perspective of their experiences and characters. The passion of Rossetti and the tragedy of Lizzie, as well as the brilliant and fascinating men and women who surrounded them is fascinating to read about. The story moves slowly but not dully, the exploration of character and the creation of art is fulfilling. With multiple characters to explore Forsyth balances their introductions and their voices very well, each having depth and complications that make you understand who they are and who they were.
Forsyth covers numerous decades over the lives of these artists and their families. Even in the short space of reading this book I felt nostalgic, as these great figures entered their older age and they themselves were reminiscing about their youth. I recalled the chapters when they were young and carefree. I felt like I had gone on this journey with these artists and I empathised with them and pitied them.
I also loved that I could see the finished product of a piece I’d only read about, or see the models that Forsyth describes in her story. It is a benefit of historical fiction and with a wonderful historical fairytale as beautiful as this it was a delight to relive it in a new way.
A longer version of this review was published on my blog Lost in a Good Book
bristoni74's review
2.0
Whilst I can't fault the author's writing and research, this historical novel just seemed rather bland. I read it till the end because it was our book club selection for October, otherwise I would have happily put it down to read other books. Maybe its also because I expected a re imagining of Sleeping Beauty when instead its about a group of artists who aren't the most likeable. I found Margot's chapters the hardest to continue to push on reading through (yet another POV) yet they were the chapters most focused on the Sleeping Beauty tale as her father uses her as a model to paint Briar Rose. I was disappointed because Bitter Greens is one of my favourite novels ever! 2/5
mandi_m's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! Full of pre-Raphaelite history, art, fairytales, literary and mythic imagery and forbidden romances. Forsyth is a writer I always enjoy and this is a wonderful addition to her work.