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saskiajva's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The book is INCREDIBLY dark for the vast majority, and the switching perspectives may not be for everyone. Lots of French history which was very cool!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual content
mysimas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? No
3.0
A very readable account of the lives of three women and the hardships they had to face, mostly due to their sex.
I wasn’t a fan of the romance aspect (didn’t like any of the love interests or even how the romances were written) and sometimes struggled to suspend disbelief, especially when it came to the discussion of women’s position in the world — the way they spoke about it felt very modern and not at all like something from the 15-17th century. Also none of the women seemed to suffer from internalized misogyny which was on one hand awesome but also kind of strange, given the setting.
I loved two of the lead characters. Margherita and Charlotte Rose were both brave and resourceful. Very easy to root for. The third one was the antagonist and also had the least space in the book, so while I felt for her and understood her drive, I didn’t really warm up to her.
The book contained some unexpectedly detailed depictions of violence and also a particularly nasty rape scene, which took me a bit off guard. The story was also sometimes too predictable and also often pointed things out way too explicitly, which took away some of the charm.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it made me feel the strength women are capable of and I enjoyed the predominantly female cast and how the lives of the three leads often paralleled each other. Much of the book was depressing though, and the pay off or the plot were not, to me, wonderful enough to want a reread.
I wasn’t a fan of the romance aspect (didn’t like any of the love interests or even how the romances were written) and sometimes struggled to suspend disbelief, especially when it came to the discussion of women’s position in the world — the way they spoke about it felt very modern and not at all like something from the 15-17th century. Also none of the women seemed to suffer from internalized misogyny which was on one hand awesome but also kind of strange, given the setting.
I loved two of the lead characters. Margherita and Charlotte Rose were both brave and resourceful. Very easy to root for. The third one was the antagonist and also had the least space in the book, so while I felt for her and understood her drive, I didn’t really warm up to her.
The book contained some unexpectedly detailed depictions of violence and also a particularly nasty rape scene, which took me a bit off guard. The story was also sometimes too predictable and also often pointed things out way too explicitly, which took away some of the charm.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it made me feel the strength women are capable of and I enjoyed the predominantly female cast and how the lives of the three leads often paralleled each other. Much of the book was depressing though, and the pay off or the plot were not, to me, wonderful enough to want a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Miscarriage
mercurialbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.5
I feel tricked.
I picked up this book having been told it was a re-telling of Rapunzel. Yes there is a re-telling of Rapunzel within its pages, however the majority of this tale is set in 17th Century Versailles. A story of Charlotte-Rose at the French courts of the Sun-King.
I feel if I had gone in with this expectation I probably would have enjoyed the book a lot more, as I was waiting for the fairy tale chapters for a lot of it. Charlotte-Rose was the French author of one surviving version of Rapunzel and this novel is mainly about her real-life escapades. Forsyth has tied in an adapted version of the Rapunzel tale and how Charlotte-Rose discovered the story in order to write and publish it.
This means the majority of the book is about a rich woman (aspiring author) who keeps making terrible life choices and expects to be treated well by society. I say this because she is born into a time where a woman could only be one of three things, a nun, a wife or a prostitute. Charlotte-Rose expected more. If she were born today, you'd not bat an eye at her decisions, well, maybe at the dancing bearskin; but at the time, sleeping around with rich men was never going to allow her to succeed in life. I had no pity for her, she had dug her own hole and jumped in willingly, then stamped her feet when no-one could (or would) help her out.
The flip side to this however, and the only reason I didn't DNF the book, was that part-way through we get introduced to the backstory of the witch in Rapunzel. And boy does she have a great villain origin story to tell. I wanted to squeeze her tight and protect her so badly during her childhood years. It spreads light on the decisions she makes as she grows older and trades 'Bitter Greens' for a beautiful red-headed child, it is done so well that I came quite close to forgiving her entirely for her evil motives. What's another little girl going missing on the streets of Venice right?
The witch section saved the book for me, and I even learnt to enjoy the later Charlotte-Rose sections. If only to see what silly decisions she would make next for love, in a court and society where love was never on the cards.
I picked up this book having been told it was a re-telling of Rapunzel. Yes there is a re-telling of Rapunzel within its pages, however the majority of this tale is set in 17th Century Versailles. A story of Charlotte-Rose at the French courts of the Sun-King.
I feel if I had gone in with this expectation I probably would have enjoyed the book a lot more, as I was waiting for the fairy tale chapters for a lot of it. Charlotte-Rose was the French author of one surviving version of Rapunzel and this novel is mainly about her real-life escapades. Forsyth has tied in an adapted version of the Rapunzel tale and how Charlotte-Rose discovered the story in order to write and publish it.
This means the majority of the book is about a rich woman (aspiring author) who keeps making terrible life choices and expects to be treated well by society. I say this because she is born into a time where a woman could only be one of three things, a nun, a wife or a prostitute. Charlotte-Rose expected more. If she were born today, you'd not bat an eye at her decisions, well, maybe
The flip side to this however, and the only reason I didn't DNF the book, was that part-way through we get introduced to the backstory of the witch in Rapunzel. And boy does she have a great villain origin story to tell.
The witch section saved the book for me, and I even learnt to enjoy the later Charlotte-Rose sections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Miscarriage
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