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The Forsyte Saga (The Man of Property; In Chancery; To Let) (1922)

de John Galsworthy

Séries: The Forsyte Chronicles (1-3)

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9101423,169 (3.98)5
Chronicles the lives of a middle-class family whose values are constantly at war with its passions and love affairs.
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One's eyes are what one is, one's mouth is what one becomes."

The Forsyte saga is a trilogy dealing with money, class and morality, and is set over a period of roughly 40 years spanning the end of the Victorian and the early Edwardian ages. As the title suggests the book centres around the Forsyte family, in particular two brothers Jolyon and James, and their respective sons, 'young' Jolyon and Soames.

Soames Forsyte (son of James), is a wealthy solicitor, materialistic and likes to collect paintings, he is “a man of property.”However, throughout he struggles with the concept that he can not “own” other people. His wife, Irene, is a beautiful woman, but she is also an enigma, aloof and distant. After being asked on numerous occasions for her hand in marriage she finally relents but soon after the union comes to regret her decision. When Soames decides to have a house built on the outskirts of London in the hope that removing her from the city will make her more amenable towards him, Irene falls in love instead with the architect. However, this only brings her yet more grief. Now whilst I felt a certain sympathy with Irene and her plight, come the end of the book I still found myself struggling to really like her. Meanwhile Soames is undoubtedly the villain of the piece.

In contrast “young” Jolyon, is an impoverished artist who has been long estranged from the rest of the Forsyte clan. His attitude to possession is the complete opposite to Soames’, he appreciates beauty and people, and is not interested in materialistic possessions. He was also the most realistic of the characters as far as I'm concerned.

At various points throughout the story we also learn a little about each one of the remainder of the family. Galsworthy is certainly very skilled at describing his characters,big and small. I particularly I liked the description of the family’s patriarch towards the beginning of the book. The elder generation are portrayed as being upright and steadfast, having had their own way over a number of years they are convinced that they are always in the right and that others should conform with their ways. They have gone into professions like solicitors, bankers and publishers so are users rather than builders. In contrast the younger elements of the family, although generally still wealthy and imbued with the Forsyte genes, are less certain as to their place in society.

"Memory heaps dead leaves on corpse-like deeds, from under which they do vaguely offend the sense."

On the whole I found that the story lacked drama and intrigue whilst some of the writing I found pompous and overblown. To me it read something akin to a soap opera and as such something to be endured rather than enjoyed. But liker soap operas I can see why some people might enjoy it and why it is on the 1001 list but unfortunately it wasn't really for me and as such would struggle to recommend it to any other reader. ( )
  PilgrimJess | Aug 9, 2020 |
On a very quick, superficial level, this saga can be described as depicting the morals, values and opinions of three generations of a large, upper-middle class family as it leaves the Victorian era behind and enters the Edwardian era. I did struggle at first to try and keep the various family members straight in my head – too many Jolyons in the family! While this is very much a family drama story, Galsworthy captures in minute detail English society of the time period, providing a fascinating examination of the changes to a more liberal minded society. Not surprisingly, some family members adapt more easily to this changing tide than others, making that conflict a strong part of the story. As for the characters, there is a resolute stiffness (dare I say, obstinacy) to Soames, which contrasts with the more genial nature of his cousin Young Jolyon. As for Irene, even as a victim, there is a detached coldness about her. This is probably more in keeping with the English literature style of the time than any mannerism Galsworthy wishes to attribute to her character. Fleur and Jon, the next generation to continue the family drama that surrounds them, are very much products of the more open Edwardian society, leading them to rankle against the family drama of their parents.

Some parts of the saga appealed to me more than others. I like how Galsworthy has chosen titles that communicate deeper meaning of the stories, and some of the shifts in narration (in particular, the two interludes) was refreshing. While I found some parts to be a bit long-winded, there is no mistaking that Galsworthy has achieved a tour de force with this saga. That being said, I don't know if I will explore the further books that continue the Forsyte family drama. At least, not right away. ( )
  lkernagh | Mar 18, 2018 |
The Forsyte Saga is a three volume novel spanning three generations of an upper middle class family in England between 1886 and 1920. The novel explores issues of class, marriage, gender, and social mobility. The main character, Soames Forsyte is referred to as a man of property. He is a lawyer and a collector of art who strives to own everything around him, including his wife Irene Heron. His actions toward Irene culminate in a failed marriage and impact the rest of his life and the lives of his child. The first book, The Man of Property covers their marriage, the second their divorce, and the final volume covers the story of the new generation of Forsytes.

After a slow start (it took me a month to read the first 50 pages then I read the rest in one week), I ultimately enjoyed this book. The beginning was very slow (for me) and there were so many characters that I found it easy to get lost. I family tree would have been really helpful. However, once the plot really started to move, I was engaged and sped through the rest. I found it very interesting to follow the various generations of the Forsyte family and see how changes in their social environment impacted the family. The descriptions were very rich and the author did a wonderful job painting what seemed to be a very real and genuine glimpse of life in an upper middle class family in England in the late 1800s.

I also found it fascinating to see the changing position of women in this book, and I found it to be a fairly strong feminist book considering the time it was published. Granted, Galsworthy never quite gets inside the heads of his female characters. They are significantly less developed than the male characters but he grants them greater power than I had expected for the time in which the book was written.

Overall, an interesting and engaging read.
( )
1 vote JenPrim | Jan 15, 2016 |
The Good: The Forsyte Saga is wonderfully written and contains beautifully fleshed out characters. This story is a true epic in every sense. Spanning over 35 years in the lives of the Forsyte family, this Saga is akin to a long-running and better written soap opera. For those who are interested in society set in the late 1800 / early 1900 era, this may well be the perfect book.

The Bad: The time period was a bit of a downer for me. The book was beautiful and entertaining as it was written, but my problem with the book is more my personal preference than anything else. ( )
  TequilaReader | Mar 10, 2014 |
I love all the characters mr. Galsworthy has created. Even though this epos was set in the Victorian eara, we (or at least, I) can relate to each and everyone of them, yes, even to stuffy Soames and his father.
This is a book I just *have* to read at least once a year! ( )
1 vote shireling | Feb 12, 2011 |
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