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5.0étoiles sur 5
Ghosts of the past, Jui 26 2008
The first two books of John Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga were concerned primarily with Soames Forsyte, and his obsession with the woman he married but could never own.
And that obsession carries over into the lives of their children, almost twenty years later. The first trilogy of Galsworthy's Forsyte books ends with "To Let," an intricate and painful look at a first love tainted by the loathing and obsession of their parents -- and of the noveau riche Forsytes, who have finally had to bend to the passing of time, but haven't let go of their old grudges.
Soames and his spirited daughter Fleur are at a modern art exhibition when they accidentally brush by Irene and her loving son Jon. Despite their parents' attempts to keep them from meeting -- and learning of their sordid, shameful past -- Fleur and Jon are intriguing by one another, and start ferreting out clues about the other's identity.
The two meet again at the house of mutual relative Val Dartie, and strike up a romance -- soon Soames is furious, and Irene and the dying Jolyon are dismayed at the thought of Jon discovering their past with Soames. An aristocratic suitor for Fleur, mysterious letters and a secret love affair all bloom to the surface, as Fleur and Jon discover that love isn't always enough to overcome the bitterness of the past...
With "To Let," John Galsworthy propelled the Forsytes into an entirely new, post-World War I era, when women had gained their rights, cynicism has replaced any romanticism, and a rapidly changing culture has left the stodgier members of the family (aka Soames) half-living in the last century. Only one member of the eldest generation is left, and the "young" Forsytes are now middle-aged or elderly.
But despite dragging the Forsytes forward into the Jazz Age, with its flappers and modern art, Galsworthy's writing maintains the stately, lush flavor of the late 19th-century. And though he tosses in a few references to this artist or that war, especially in the beginning when Soames is touring June's "lame duck" gallery, the Forsyte family remains apart in a little timeless bubble.
And Galsworthy's writing has not lost its vividness. He paints this dramatic little story with colorful words and vibrant dialogue ("... over the lush grass fell the thick shade from those fruit trees planted by her father five-and-twenty years ago"). He can even spin a description of a person -- such as the still-vibrant June -- that gives a quick flash of their personality.
But at heart, "To Let" is a sort of a realist's version of "Romeo and Juliet," if Juliet's dad and Romeo's mom were exes. All the affairs, nastiness, former marriages and old grudges come to the surface all at once, and begin to rot away the young lovers' involvement. At a certain point, you know things aren't going to turn out well and someone is destined to be hurt -- all because the older Forsytes can't let go of the past.
Galsworthy also does an excellent job giving Fleur and Jon their own personalities. Fleur is passionate, cynical and free-spirited, while Jon is more quiet and introspective, and full of love for his parents. But time has not softened Soames -- he still treats his female relatives as property, and can't cope when one of them defies him. You'd think after two wives who have affairs because he "kills something in them," he would figure out that the problem isn't all them.
"To Let" rounds off a story of obsession and bitterness, by taking the elder generation's problems down to their children. A painful, passionate little story -- and the Forsyte Saga is not over yet.
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