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 I've never quite come across a book like Bitter Greens and I highly doubt I will find something quite as magical and heartbreaking in the near future. Forsyth has developed this novel with the sharpest attention to detail and there's just so much going on at any time because Bitter Greens in a story-within-a-story-within-a-story (Inception, right?). I've read countless fairytale retellings in the past and this is by far one of the best retellings I've ever come across. Forsyth takes all the brutality and magic of the classical Grimm fairy tales and combines it with all of the magnificence and intricateness that is usually found in historical fiction making Bitter Greens an absolute must-read. 
 This is the story of Charlotte Rose who wrote the modern Rapunzel story while she was locked away in a monastery. Readers will also be reading Margherita's story which is the root of the classic story that we all know, but this time around we also get to read how the witch came to be the malicious villain she is. This a lot to take in a novel, but Forsyth never makes any of the stories feel overwhelming and she balances each one equally, giving each POV the respect that it deserves. In novels where there's multiple perspectives, it's easy to get lost along the way or to prefer one story over another, but each story is just magnificent in its own way and lends itself perfectly to the other two. 
 It's easy to get lost in Bitter Greens with its sweeping historical setting, the beautifully written prose and magic that thrums in each page. I truly wonder how long it took Forsyth to write this book because each and every element is so precisely and fully executed; nothing in Bitter Greens is less than spectacular. It's clear that Forsyth truly spent a great deal of effort on BG and poured her heart into this novel. This is one of those books that immediately after finishing I wanted to delve into studies about the subject matter and be able to have lunch with the author and pick her brain on the workings of this novel. 
 The historical aspect of this novel was extremely well-researched and because this novel has such a large scope, I learned tons of information about subjects I never thought would interest me. Reading Bitter Greens was like an 'aha moment', I've read and studied about France, the Edict Of Nantes and so on, but it never felt tangible. Forsyth took history that I knew and brought it to life, now they weren't just some dead people that I had drilled into my mind, they became flesh and blood. Bitter Greens shows the magic behind history and the past, bringing the reign of the Sun King to light to modern audiences in a radiating way. 
 Everybody knows the Grimm Brothers and many people know Charles Perrault, but few know who Charlotte Rose de Caumont is, despite the fact that she created the modern Rapunzel that we all love so dearly. Bitter Greens isn't just a novel, it's a way to make sure that the story of this amazing women and her life doesn't just get swallowed up by the past and be left in the dust. By reading Bitter Greens, readers are keeping the memory of a grand storyteller alive and honoring her life with each and every turn of the page. Bitter Greens is an ode to fairy-tales, the written word and the power of story-telling; this is a novel that makes you appreciate the beauty that lies in each and every story. 
 Readers expecting a sweet fairy-tale in which the Prince and Princess live happily ever after and ride into the sunset upon a mule will surely be disappointed. Bitter Greens is a brutal book that makes even the most harsh Grimm tales look like child's play, this is not a story for the fainthearted and will fill even the most composed of readers with an immense amount of feelings. Forsyth shows an enlightening depiction of the role of women in France hundreds of years ago and it's not pretty, but it is bitter and realistic. Just because Bitter Greens is a fairy-tale, doesn't mean that it takes the sorrow and suffering that was like a plague during this time. 
 Bitter Greens is one of the best historical fiction novels and retellings I've ever read; few books are as magnificent and magical as Bitter Greens. I can't stop raving about this novel and I'll be pushing this novel on countless individuals in the near future. Read Bitter Greens, devour it and savor every single word and sentence and you'll never see Rapunzel the same way ever again. Bitter Greens is a beautiful novel that is filled with even more twists and turns than Rapunzel's hair and is just simply gorgeous; become entangled in the lives of Charlotte, Margherita and Selena and be swept into a magical ride unlike any other.