Book Description
The Forsyte Saga is John Galsworthy's monumental chronicle of the lives of the moneyed Forsytes, a family whose values are constantly at war with its passions. The story of Soames Forsyte's marriage to the beautiful and rebellious Irene, and its effects upon the whole Forsyte clan, The Forsyte Saga is a brilliant social satire of the acquisitive sensibilities of a comfort-bound class in its final glory. Galsworthy spares none of his characters, revealing their weaknesses and shortcomings as clearly as he does the tenacity and perseverance that define the strongest members of the Forsyte family.

This edition contains the three original novels -- The Man of Property, In Chancery, and To Let -- and their connecting interludes, Indian Summer of a Forsyte and Awakening. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Galsworthy masterpiece
Everyone's heard of "The Forsyte Saga," the BBC family epic of the late Victorian Age. Fewer have read the Galsworthy book, and that's a shame, because it's fascinating on so many levels.

On the surface it's the story of Soames Forsyte, the quintessential icon of the growth of the upper middle classes and the decline of the nobility during the Victorian era. Descended from a farmer in Dorset in the not-too-distant past, Soames is a lawyer and a man of property. He buys wisely, sells more wisely, and husbands his wealth and that of the family.He is in control of everything that affects him, except one thing--his wife. Desiring to possess the sensitive, beautiful, genteel but poor Irene, and with the help of a callous mother, Soames pressures Irene into becoming his wife. From this single mistake, the one time Soames let passion rule, his life and the lives of his family and their descendants are changed in unpredictable and frightening ways. Galsworthy's theme is the constant tussle in life between property and art, love and possession, freedom and convention. In the fine tradition of family sagas, these themes play themselves out over and over with each generation.

On another level, this is the story of an age, the story of the British Empire at its peak. Galsworthy packs his book with allusions to the great crises of the time, the Boer War and WWI, the rise of Labour, the death of the Queen, the spread of "democracy." The Forsyte homes are meticulously detailed, from the French reproduction furniture to the dusty sofas to the heavy drapes, to the fireplace grate, to the electric lights in the old chandeliers. Soames collects art, and Galsworthy showers us with the opinions of a British gentleman of the great and not so great art of the day. The Oxford edition is carefully footnoted, which can be distracting but for this novel, it adds a fascinating level of detail.

The saga was written over a period of many years, and on yet another level I found the the changes in Galsworthy's style from the rather clipped, detailed recitations of events and commentary typical of the 19th century to the more expressive style of the 20th. Especially in the first volume of the three, family relationships are painstakingly laid out, the rounds of dinners and family gatherings carefully chronicled. By the third volume, To Let, Galsworthy reveals the love of the countryside and the pain of repressed emotions that the family members a generation ago would have hidden. The writing is very beautiful--as in this sentence: "Fleur raised her eyelids--the restless glint of those clear whites remained on Holly's vision as might the flutter of a caged bird's wings."

The Oxford edition has an indispensable family tree and an interesting forward, as well as the extensive endnotes. Except for the family tree, these can be safely ignored if you like--the plot carries the reader swiftly along. It took me a good six weeks to plow through The Forsyte Saga, but it was worth it.

Forsyte Saga DVD's
I could not be more pleased with this item.I have had hours of enjoyment watching these DVD's.I thank the sender for sending me this most enjoyable item.

E.A.'s reveiw
I bought this book for my book club and I have had a very hard time reading it.The characters are too life-like in my opinion for me to have any sympathy towards them.I have read other novels from the Victorian Period that I have liked, but this one seems overly wordy and dull in my opinion.I gave two stars instead of one for the mini novel Indian Summer of a Forsyte, the best part of the series, which saved this from a one star reveiw.It was touching and beautiful to read.If only the rest of the books followed such a formula.

The Best Book I have read in years
I was bored one night and picked up this book that had been on the shelf for probably 20 years. Oh my goodness -- if you love Jane Austen and England, you will love this book. I could not put it down. The characters -- although numerous and many with the same Christian names! -- are kept distinct and are extremely vividly drawn. One realizes how the social sanctions of the day kept people in their place -- just the discussion of what divorce did to a family alone is worth its weight in understanding how social mores have changed. I thought I would be bored stiff and came away 4 days later after finishing this book wanting to start the next one, 700 pages and all. Enjoy!

Read them all!!!
First book marvelous, then all the rest too.Very, very detailed.And the interlude about Joblen's death so, so rich in the beauty of life and nature.A fine appreciation of life.And one cannot help pitying Soames.What Galsworthy has done here is dissect the nature of a man, and a not very likeable one at that, Soames.But if you read through to the very end, you may come to at least have understanding and compassion for this being, who is caught in his own nature.He cannot help being what he is.This trilogy is one of the best reads of my life.The newer Masterpiece Theatre version captures it very well.I have not seen the older one. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Galsworthy's Victorian epic
Everyone's heard of "The Forsyte Saga," the BBC family epic of the late Victorian Age. Fewer have read the Galsworthy book, and that's a shame, because it's fascinating on so many levels.

On the surface it's the story of Soames Forsyte, the quintessential icon of the growth of the upper middle classes and the decline of the nobility during the Victorian era. Descended from a farmer in Dorset in the not-too-distant past, Soames is a lawyer and a man of property. He buys wisely, sells more wisely, and husbands his wealth and that of the family.He is in control of everything that affects him, except one thing--his wife. Desiring to possess the sensitive, beautiful, genteel but poor Irene, and with the help of a callous mother, Soames pressures Irene into becoming his wife. From this single mistake, the one time Soames let passion rule, his life and the lives of his family and their descendants are changed in unpredictable and frightening ways. Galsworthy's theme is the constant tussle in life between property and art, love and possession, freedom and convention. In the fine tradition of family sagas, these themes play themselves out over and over with each generation.

On another level, this is the story of an age, the story of the British Empire at its peak. Galsworthy packs his book with allusions to the great crises of the time, the Boer War and WWI, the rise of Labour, the death of the Queen, the spread of "democracy." The Forsyte homes are meticulously detailed, from the French reproduction furniture to the dusty sofas to the heavy drapes, to the fireplace grate, to the electric lights in the old chandeliers. Soames collects art, and Galsworthy showers us with the opinions of a British gentleman of the great and not so great art of the day.

The saga was written over a period of many years, and on yet another level I found the the changes in Galsworthy's style from the rather clipped, detailed recitations of events and commentary typical of the 19th century to the more expressive style of the 20th. Especially in the first volume of the three, family relationships are painstakingly laid out, the rounds of dinners and family gatherings carefully chronicled. By the third volume, To Let, Galsworthy reveals the love of the countryside and the pain of repressed emotions that the family members a generation ago would have hidden. The writing is very beautiful--as in this sentence: "Fleur raised her eyelids--the restless glint of those clear whites remained on Holly's vision as might the flutter of a caged bird's wings."
It took me a good six weeks to plow through The Forsyte Saga, but it was worth it.

Sprawling "Saga"
Family secrets, dirty little problems, and a dash of adultery, scandal and forbidden love. Soap opera? Well, sort of -- it's Nobel Prize Winner John Galsworthy's sprawling family epic "The Forsyte Saga." While it has a distinctly soapy flavor, "Saga" retains its dignity and look at turn-of-the-century mores and society.

The Forsyte family is determinedly regal and hard-nosed, almost to the point of a fault. One staid family member, Soames Forsyte, becomes obsessed with the beautiful but poor Irene, and finally gets her to marry him -- on condition that if their marriage doesn't work, she walks. Well, their marriage doesn't work. Soames is frustrated that Irene shuts him out of her life and her bed -- even more so when he learns that she is in love with sexy, arty architect Bosinney, who is building them a new house.

Soames rapes Irene and ruins Bosinney. His marriage falls into ruins, and Bosinney is killed in a car accident. So Irene leaves permanently, living in an apartment by herself. Then Soames announces that he wants to marry a pretty French girl, Annette, and Irene weds Soames' cousin. But the problems of the older generation get inherited by the younger one -- Soames's daughter falls madly in love with Irene's son, but their parents' secret pasts doom their love.

Three novels ("A Man of Property," "In Chancery," and "To Let"), connected with two short stories ("Indian Summer of a Forsyte" and "Awakening") -- it's a pretty big story, sprawling over three generations and four decades. It's a bit soapy, with all the scandal and family weirdness, but the dignified writing keeps it from seeming sordid.

It's a credit to Galsworthy that he can communicate so much without ever getting into his characters' heads. He displays emotion in undemonstrative people like Irene through little mannerisms and twitches. At the same time, he can give us heartrending looks into aging patriarch Old Jolyon's lonely mind. His writing is very nineteenth century, dignified and with plenty of furniture/clothing details. It's pretty dense, but all right once you get used to it.

Galsworthy was a solid supporter of women's rights, and you can see in Irene and Soames' relationship -- Soames, who sees his wife as another piece of property, and the determined Irene who only wants her own happiness, but can't afford to live on her own. Their respective kids Jon and Fleur are nice but kind of boring beside their darker, more intense parents.

For a look at the social shifts that helped define the twentieth century, take a look at the "Forsyte Saga." Or if you just want to soak in a tale of family woe, love, hate and dark secrets, "Saga" still works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Could Not Put It Down
Yes, it is lengthy, and yes, it suspends reality on the subject of Irene's ability to cause the Forsyte men to fall in love with her; nevertheless, I am hooked, and will be so sorry when these last fifty pages are read!
If you want to read a generational story that does not include lots of steamy or bloody scenes, but rather mentions them in passing, this is the one for you.True, once or twice I have wished there had been more discussion: people's reactions to trysyts, to deaths, to surprises... but taken as a whole, the book really does strike the note that time swallows, or at least blurs, so much familial pain.

Read the book.If you are watching the Masterpiece Theatre produciton, the book will matter to you even more.And yes, the book is better!Though the actor who portrays Soames is pretty yum, in real life!

Too much infidelity and family drama
According to the publisher, this book is a satire of monied English family at the turn of 1900's.Monied Soames Forsyte was "offered" a marriage by the beautiful (so much so that all Forsyte men fall for her at varying degree) Irene who had none.Well, Irene as rebellious as beautiful, might I add self centered as much, leaves Soames to be with her lover.Her lover happenes to be her niece's (by marriage)fiancee.He, Bosinney, ends up being killed by an accident so she comes back to Soames for a short period of time.She leaves her married life but she happened to meet up with a charmed uncle(by marriage) who settles a handsome inheritance.Now next is the uncle's son (old Jolyon and the son young Jolyon), who had committed himself an affair with the governess while married with a daughter, falls for Irene and so they become lovers....
How could have this went on -ever!- in anyone's life time, in England or anywhere else. This story demoralizes human society and makes people without sympathy and forgiveness.Least of all, the ending line is very dark, that a person wishing and wishing can never get: beauty and loving.
Did not enjoy the book, frustrated with the dvd/video, I will settle with "The Aristocrats."

It's very interesting book
I want to have this book and I dream to have it ... Read more

Book Description
Having observed that there is no reason whatever for the exemption of Literature, let us now turn to the case of Art. Every picture hung in a gallery, every statue placed on a pedestal, is exposed to the public stare of a mixed company. Why, then, have we no Censorship to protect us from the possibility of encountering works that bring blushes to the cheek of the young person?Download Description
Having observed that there is no reason whatever for the exemption of Literature, let us now turn to the case of Art. Every picture hung in a gallery, every statue placed on a pedestal, is exposed to the public stare of a mixed company. Why, then, have we no Censorship to protect us from the possibility of encountering works that bring blushes to the cheek of the young person? ... Read more

Book Description
John Galsworthy OM (1867-1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is viewed as one of the first writers of the Edwardian era; challenging in his works some of the ideals of society depicted in the preceeding literature of Victorian England. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1932. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga (1906-1921) and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter. From the Four Winds was Galsworthy's first published work in 1897, a collection of short stories. These, and several subsequent works, were published under the pen name John Sinjohn and it would not be until The Island Pharisees (1904) that he would begin publishing under his own name. His first play, The Silver Box (1906) became a success, and he followed it up with The Man of Property (1906), the first in the Forsyte trilogy. Along with other writers of the time such as Shaw his plays addressed the class system and social issues, two of the best known being Strife (1909) and The Skin Game (1920).Download Description
RUTH. I'd have gone home to my people in the country long ago, but they've never got over me marrying Honeywill. I never was waywise, Mr. Cokeson, but I'm proud. I was only a girl, you see, when I married him. I thought the world of him, of course . . . he used to come travelling to our farm. ... Read more

Product Description
Six Short Plays Images from Works of John Galsworthy and Inn of Tranquillity ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

End of the Chapter Novel
Since I thoroughly enjoy the English novelists this is a welcome addition to my collection.I am midway through the book and it is so well written.John Galsworthy is so worth reading. ... Read more

Book Description
The nine novels, which make up The Forsyte Chronicles -- one of the most popular and enduring works of 20th century literature -- chronicle the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle class Forsyte family between 1886 and 1920.

Galsworthy's masterly narrative examines not only their fortunes but also the wider developments within society, particularly the changing position of women. The author has drawn a fascinating and accurately detailed picture of the British propertied class. Often incorrectly called The Forsyte Saga - the nine novel sequence properly known as The Forsyte Chronicles contains three trilogies- of which the first trilogy is The Forsyte Saga (The Man of Property - In Chancery- To Let). The second trilogy- A Modern Comedy (The White Monkey- The Silver Spoon- Swan Song) is followed by the third and concluding trilogy- End of the Chapter (Maid in Waiting- Flowering Wilderness- One More River). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The escapades continue.
Dinny falls in love with a poet who might not be quite heterosexual.Dinny offers herself to him to, sort of, seal the deal and he responds, "Not now."

Of course the Charwells are upset because the poet, who had abandoned Christianity even more than them, converted to the Muslim religion with a gun at his head.They feel, with this action, the poet betrayed the entire British Foreign Service.Sir Mont's cousin is so upset that he has a knock down drag out with the poet.The cousin is 53 years old and supposedly had intentions towards Dinny.The poet is 38.Galsworthy considers both to be `young men'.I believe the cousin is jealous of the poet because the poet had come up with a great cover for his closet life.It reads like two queens bashing it out.We saw this in a Waymon Brothers skit on "In Living Color" so we know queens can be vicious.

Aunt Em has started embroidering.She, rapidly, is becoming the most interesting character in the series.

In the final chapter the General informs Dinny that the family is broke.Being ever so perfect she pops the dad with her money she obtained from hocking her jewelry and horse racing bets. ... Read more