It is January 1697 when 47-year-old French novelist, Charlotte-Rose de la Force, finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Due to gossip and scandalous rumors about her, King Louis XIV has banished her from Palais de Versailles and forced her to take to the Benedictine abbey of Gercy-en-Brie or risk losing her pension. ("Perhaps my tongue - and my quill - had grown a little too sharp.") We first meet her as she travels to the convent in a carriage, accompanied by her maid. 
 'I knew a girl once who was kept locked away for years, all by herself. It's a wonder she didn't go mad.'I leant forward, eager for a story as always. 
 'But why? Who locked her up?' 
 'Her parents had sold her to a sorceress for a handful of bitter greens.' Soeur Seraphina ran one hand through the tiny black seeds in the bag. 'Parsley, wintercress and rapunzel. When she was twelve, the sorceress shut the girl up in a high tower built far away in a forest, in a room without a door or stair. The tower had only one narrow window, with its shutters locked tight so she could not see the sky ...' 
 It is here, in the convent, that she hears the story she will later on retell. A story that will bring her even more fame than her scandalous short novels. A story Soeur Seraphina tells her to make her realize her situation really isn't all that bad - her "imprisonment" not all that horrible and unbearable. A story that will later on be known as the tale of Rapunzel. 
 "I was Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force. My grandfather had been the Marshal of France, my cousin was a duke, my mother second cousin to the King himself. If I must enter a nunnery - quite against my own wishes - it would be in my finest clothes, with my head held high and no traces of tears on my face." 
 Mademoiselle de la Force is a delight to read about. There is nothing I appreciate more than heroines that are sassy, witty, flippant and completely unapologetic. Especially if they're not just some imaginary characters, but real historical figures. And famous writers at that! I enjoyed getting to know Charlotte and had plenty of fun reading about her scandalous life. Perhaps even too much fun. And to think that this untamed soul actually existed? That she roamed the Versailles, stirring trouble wherever she showed up? That is just absolutely fantastic! 
 Bitter Greens is historically accurate, at least to my knowledge (I did some "research" prior to starting the book). It is also beautifully written, with prose that is both evocative and descriptive. It's not a short novel - at 496 pages long it's really quite an exercise in arms length, but one that is completely worthwhile and very rewarding. And really, the pages just fly by, for it is also a real page-turner that reads more like a very entertaining fairy tale rather than a hard-to-digest historical fiction. 
 The story of Margherita, who later on becomes known as Rapunzel, is absolutely fascinating - even more interesting than the story of Charlotte herself. When it comes to fairy tales, Rapunzel is definitely my favorite one, and this retelling is the best one I've read by far. It really is well done, filled with fabulous details and well drawn characters. It's heartfelt, dark, disturbing at times, yet absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing from beginning to the end. I have learned so many things about the origins of de la Force's retelling (as well as the author herself), I feel like Rapunzel has become more of a real person than just a character from a fairy tale. 
 This is a magnificent book - full of substance, beautiful writing, period-appropriate language, unexpected wittiness and deliciously dark atmosphere. It's so wonderfully told, so engaging, clever and fascinating, it is a real page-turner. Completely unputdownable, but demanding to be savored and read slowly over a glass of wine. I will definitely be seeking out other books by Kate Forsyth, for she is a very talented writer.