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3.0 out of 5 stars
Consorting with iconoclasm, Sep 7 2008
Most people think of John Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga" as ending after its third book, with the dissolving of Fleur and Jon's romance.
But the story doesn't actually stop there -- the focus just shifts to another generation, in the rebellious bloom of the Roaring 20s. And while "The White Monkey" dallies too long with interior decor and the internal feuds of London's chic young set, it takes some important steps for the increasingly passionless Fleur Forsyte, and rekindling the problems of her past.
Fleur and her husband Michael are about to celebrate their second anniversary. Their home is a picture of modern multicultural chic, and Fleur is determined to find "nice things, and interesting people; I like seeing everything that's new and worth while, or seems so at the moment."
But Fleur's increasingly passionless outlook causes some problems when a friend of her husband's, the cynical and artistic Wilfred, confesses that he's in love with her. Meanwhile her husband Michael becomes involved in various people's troubles, including a young man desperate to take his young wife to Australia, and unaware of the unconventional means she's using to get money for their journey.
As the older Forsytes continue to die off -- resulting in Soames giving Fleur a bizarre picture of a white monkey -- Michael's world begins to fall apart. He first learns of Wilfred's love for Fleur -- and then for the past love affair between Fleur and Jon, which relegated him to a mere consolation prize. The Mont marriage seems to be in trouble, but may be saved by an unexpected -- and long-awaited -- twist for them.
While the first "Forsyte Saga" trilogy was steeped in the flavour of the dying Victorian age, the second trilogy opens with a distinctly twentieth-century bang -- especially since Fleur is now away from the elder Forsytes and their unchanging ways. There are still hints of the older generation's culture -- usually from Soames, his distant French wife Annette or Old Mont -- but that's not what dominates "The White Monkey."
Galsworthy's writing is still possessed of dignity, mild humor, and an undercurrent of social commentary -- in this case, a subplot about the impoverished Bicket and his sickly wife. But he also links into the trendy, fast-paced life of the Bright Young Things of the time, and the rapid and unexpected shifts in art, literature, architecture, social mores -- as well as the lingering burns from the first World War. As he chronicles these, he also takes some well-deserved jabs at them ("look at the way they all write books of reminiscence about each other!").
If there's a problem, it's that Galsworthy dallies too long with the decor of the Monts' house and social meanderings -- it feels too lightweight and plotless. Fortunately it gets back on track when Michael discovers Fleur's past -- and possible present -- romances. And the story is filled with a strange kind of poetry ("seven men in black coats filed in, and with little bows took their seats behind the quills") that gives importance to even small gestures and expressions.
Fleur is a very different creature than the one whose fiery first love was quashed so suddenly -- she seems passionless, drifting, and only interested in acquiring social and artistic prominence. Even the men who worship her don't seem to touch her as much as her dog, and she can't seem to feel anything stronger than a mild fondness for them.
That's a shame because Michael is an adorable, faithful little guy who tries to do the best thing for everybody, while Wilfred is a rather stereotypical Angry Young Artist. And Bicket and his wife Vic offer a marital struggle to parallel Michael and Fleur's -- a nude modeling job done out of pure love and hope for the future, but fosters distrust between the hardworking young man and his sickly wife.
The ongoing tale of the Forsytes wrenches its focus from the elder generation to the younger, and while the "The White Monkey" lacks passion and drive in the first half, it regains its footing later on.
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