Book Review - 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

2020 EDIT: Nostalgia can be a bummer.

Rereading 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' as an adult, I think maybe it is one of those books that is strictly for children. It is cute, yes, but not much else.

There is no real plot; the pacing is slow; the descriptions of weddings, gowns, dresses, towns, the weather, and other meagre details get tedious quickly; the characters are barely two-dimensional; the main character Willa is annoying and an idiot (but she's a bookworm so that should automatically be a redeeming quality - not); a few characters are given harrowing tragic backstories that do not go with the frothy and saccharine aesthetic at all; the humour (kiddie humour, I mean, that thinks it's cleverer than it is) is forced; the books recommended by Willa are generic mainstream classics; and speaking of her as a narrator, she is very patronising (like she thinks none of her readers would know what a labyrinth is, so she describes it like she thinks she's a hero. Gag me), and presumptuous, coddling, repetitive, and twee; and did I mention that she's twelve?

Yeah, Willa is twelve. So why is she obsessed with having breasts? She believes she's too small and underdeveloped, and is flat as a board (her words), compared to her friends. This feature is prominent when the girls are at the beach wearing their bikinis. Willa calls having breasts and running around "bobbing", and one time she stuffs tissue paper down the front of her swimsuit for a boy's attention (then she stupidly jumps into a pool and the paper floats away around her, humiliating her. I don't feel sorry for her because seriously, what did she expect would happen? It's not the only time she's thick when it comes to the same prepubescent boy, either).

YOU'RE TWELVE! AND SO ARE YOUR FRIENDS!

And I swear if I have to read about the twelve-year-old boy's dimples one more time...

I'm not a fan of preteen romance. I mean, they're too young, and you know it's not going to last, so what's the point of getting invested in it?

But romance is EVERYWHERE in 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter'. I know I should have expected it from the title alone, but EVERYONE is paired up in this book. Nearly every adult is married, or is about to receive a wedding, even Willa's widowed grandmother. All women and girls are especially burdened with the expectation of a heterosexual whirlwind romance (as long as they're pretty, of course) - chocolates, flowers, jewellery, notes of poetry every day, and hugely expensive travels and gestures, you name it - and a perfect, fluffy fairy tale wedding fit for a princess. It's nauseating. And not good for already insecure young girls to read about.

In fact, romance is such a focal point that, in one page, where Willa talks about Anne Frank, she remarks that Anne was lucky in one aspect - she got to spend all her time with a boy she liked in the attic. Wow. I mean...wow. Willa, you thick, callous, insensitive, thoughtless prat. To you, Anne Frank, a teenage holocaust victim who spent most of her tragically short life living in fear of capture and death, was lucky compared to you because of a possible romance with a boy. Yeah, I'm sure THAT was Anne's number one priority back then! It's a small detail, but I feel I have to mention it.

I'm sure there are a lot of girls who are just entering puberty who are like Willa, but I don't have to like reading it. And I know that not all of them are THIS thickheaded and selfish!

Also, Willa flips between calling her mother "Mother" and "Stella" constantly, including on the same page. She even calls her "the wedding planner" on a few occasions. Willa's grandmother encourages her to call her mother "Stella". It is awkward and distracting.

So I'm not a fan, as it turns out. 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' is one of my childhood reads that hasn't aged well. To me it's shallow, dumb, and not so sweet as it clearly thinks it is.

Final Score: 2/5





'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' is so sweet and cute. It's all different kinds of cordial.

Beaches, weddings, friends, future stepfathers, actors, labyrinths, shops - a great read for children on holidays. It's also a nice mother-and-daughter story.

And I love the cover art. Perfect fitting dress for the book.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'The Bear' by Raymond Briggs

I listened to 'The Bear' on audio tape a lot when I was little, and I remember it well today, even more so than Raymond Briggs' other works for children. A warm (despite the cold content) and touching little story that contains the familiar Briggs themes of care, responsibility, and letting go: from the point of view of Tilly, a little girl protagonist.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Owl Babies' by Martin Waddell (Writer), Patrick Benson (Illustrator)

"I want my mummy!"

I remember this story from when I was very little. So adorable, and owls are one of my favourite animals.

'Owl Babies' wonderfully captures and conveys a child's anxieties when mum is not around, and it has a dark edge in that respect. It teaches children the importance of parents, and the love and trust that they have and that should be reciprocated by their cared-for offspring (and by everyone, for that matter).

Great reading for Mother's Day.

Final Score: 5/5

Book Review - 'The Complete Tales' by Beatrix Potter

2021 EDIT: A reread; and these are still charming and beautifully illustrated little fairy tales, that feature cute, sentient talking animals in sweet and funny situations.

The animals often have dangerous adventures, too. A few of Miss Potter's tales are even nightmarish! 'Jemima Puddle-duck' is very sad, and I don't even want to think about the implications of the last page of 'The Flopsy Bunnies'. 'Pigling Bland' is very open-ended. They're not as innocent as I remember!

I'd also forgotten that Miss Potter would occasionally insert herself into some of these tales.

My favourites include 'Peter Rabbit', 'Benjamin Bunny', 'Two Bad Mice', 'Mrs Tiggy-Winkle', and 'Mrs Tittlemouse'.

Beatrix Potter's works are a very old family treasure of mine, and I intend to keep them. Childhood classics.

Final Score: 4/5





Original Review:



Lovely little tales from my early childhood. I still own eleven of them, in fact. That's saying something, because I don't keep a lot of the books I have on my shelves, especially if they are from my younger reading days. Beatrix Potter's Tales fill me with such sweet nostalgia, I can't give them away. They may have even shaped my love of animals.

All of them are favourites of mine; charming and funny, and timeless classics to read to children.

I bless the undoubted passion and talents that Beatrix Potter had.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'No Exit' by Jean-Paul Sartre

"Hell is other people!" - a line that sticks with you forever.

An ingenious version of hell, where you are stuck in the same room for all eternity with people you can't stand. Nothing to do, nothing to express your frustration and fear through. Except talking. Endless talking.

You can't hurt because you and everyone else have already been hurt in life. You can't kill because you and everyone else are already dead.

Is this the plan of the Devil?

'No Exit' - the ultimate claustrophobic story/play. Great characters, great suspense, great imagination.

Final Score: 5/5

Book Review - 'Clair de Lune' by Cassandra Golds

2020 EDIT: A reread from this year that is so far the only one that's even better on the second visit.

No, more than better: 'Clair de Lune' is a near perfect original children's fairy tale. I can't gush enough how enchanting, creative, delightful, sweet, charming, sorrowful, and bittersweet this book is; short yet brimming and swelling with magic.

The power and potential it holds is winsome, sirenic.

A twelve-year-old ballerina without a voice; a dead ballerina mother shrouded in mystery; a secretive and heartbroken grandmother; a mouse with a dream of teaching other mice to dance, and of writing and performing his own mouse ballet; a kindhearted monk who lives on the other side of a magical portal - to a seaside monastery; lessons in speaking but most importantly, listening; an ever changing tower home; a lost bird with a red crested plumage and heart who is Clair de Lune's voice; a devious cat; a fortune teller; dancing and the hard work, toil and sacrifice that comes with it; a lesson on how love is the most important thing there is.

Seriously, why has 'Clair de Lune' not been made into an animated movie yet?! It was written exactly for it!

There is a daring tragedy near the end, which I appreciate. There is healing and hope - a promise of freedom and adventure on the horizon - to the happily ever after, as well. The fairy tale is so intricately and cleverly structured!

The only problem is that the ending is a little rushed, with not every story thread resolved; thus the singular reason for 'Clair de Lune' not turning out a favourite, a perfect bright star, for me. Furthermore, Clair de Lune - young, active, determined, wishful, thoughtful, sensitive, caring, and heartfelt - doesn't really have any female friends.

But I can't let that deter me from pronouncing 'Clair de Lune' a criminally underrated masterpiece. There are not many original fairy tales and children's books like it. It needs to be considered a classic. To everyone who may read this review, read this book. Tell everyone you know to read it. Recommend it to as many people as possible. Make more and more and more people aware of its existence. An animated tour de force may still be possible!

Additionally: Clair de Lune's mother, the famous La Lune, had died of a broken heart onstage when Clair de Lune was a baby. La Lune was seventeen and very petite and thin. Heartbreak, and a borderline, impossibly difficult ballet dance for humans, are what took her life. Yet no one wonders how she survived childbirth? This detail is never mentioned. Keep in mind also that this is set in the 19th century, back when that mortality rate was high, when the all-male doctors didn't give a £"&%*! about pregnant women, and midwives were still stigmatized after the witch hunting era. I just thought I'd put that out there.

Final Score: 4.5/5





Original Review:



A book I once picked up in my school library - a book no one seems to know exists.

A charming, original fairy tale. 'Clair de Lune' is a ballet story that is both magical and tragic - tragical, as it were. Sweet and seemingly simple, but subtle and intricate in its storytelling. It becomes unexpectedly sad as well towards the dramatic climax.

I enjoyed this wistful and mysterious gem. I think it can be an enjoyable treat for young aspiring dancers too.

If only this was more well-known. It would make a good children's fantasy tale in another medium, such as animation.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe

Another short story I read for my uni course. Very creepy, very strange, very deranged, very enjoyable.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Brokeback Mountain' by Annie Proulx

I read this for my script adaptation uni course, after watching the film. They are alike in many faithful respects. The main difference is that the pacing and plot elements are much more drawn-out in the movie.

Beautifully-written, heart-wrenching. It is a love story that needed to be told. A bit wordy for a novella, but very good nonetheless.

Small story, big heart.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Hazel, Not a Nut' by Gillian Lobel

2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



2020 EDIT: Read the whole thing in one day. Oh how long it has been since I read 'Hazel, Not a Nut' in school! Got my own copy now and not a library one.

Admittedly it is very preachy and simplistic about the subject of bullying - an issue with no easy answers, and less easy solutions. How naïve and overly hopeful we all were in 2003. But in a way it was what I needed in school. I like the characters, and the framing: a few chapters are written in diary form, and there are fewer pages of texting between the school bullies. Though near the end the book has the main character, the bullied Hazel, go on a diet and lose a bit of weight - rather easily in fact - and THAT is part of her newfound happiness and improved health (barf!). However, it isn't the whole story, and it has nothing to do with the climax. A point is made that Hazel's weight is a genetics thing, and she won't ever be skinny, per say. Hazel's friendships and family bonding are what make her the most happy. Support is key.

'Hazel, Not a Nut' has an obvious agenda, but a good heart overall. A quick, light and straightforward read for any young person looking for a sweet and satisfying breather - and for hope - at school, like myself at that age. They - we - are not alone. We never were.

Fixing a mistake from my original review: Hazel's last name is Mooney, not Murray.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



A book I once found in my school library by chance.

A sweet, realistic and touching story about a girl unfortunately named Hazel Anne Murray (HAM) who is bullied. Not a lot of children's books about bullying deal with the subject as complexly as this. It explores how it can be prevented, and how the bullies themselves are often as miserable as their victims. Sometimes they pick on others weaker than they are because it makes them feel better in control of their own lives.

'Hazel, Not a Nut' is helpful fiction for kids who feel they are alone with their problems. But by talking about them, help is always at hand, even where they'd least expect it. It's also a tale about friendship, and why we should all make life worth getting through for everyone.

Needs more recognition I'd say.

Final Score: 5/5

Book Review - 'The BFG' by Roald Dahl

Another Roald Dahl book I remember picking up at my school library. And that I now own and keep on my bookshelf.

Such a fun, colourful, imaginative and sweet story! with a dark edge to it. It is by Roald Dahl so I expected nothing less. 'The BFG' is intelligent too; Mr Dahl respected his audience of children. It even makes farting seem charming! What fun explosions!

Young, bespectacled, sweet, inquisitive and resilient Sophie is an orphan girl the reader can connect to in a world - a country - of giants. One giant has big ears and a big heart (the title character himself), and the other nine are much bigger, and are hideous (of course, they are the baddies) and they eat people. Giants call human beings, "human beans". Their use of the English language is far more hilarious and creative than that.

The BFG - Big Friendly Giant - wants to capture and give happy dreams to children, not gobble them up.

To keep myself from giving away spoilers, I'll end this review short. 'The BFG' - another great and magical one-day read by an author whose reputation is well deserved amongst the works of children's literature.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas, Robin Buss (Translator)

2021 RE-REEDIT: Well I tried. It ultimately lost me on the political and royalist talk. It isn't as excruciatingly dull, excessive and filler-y as it is in 'War and Peace', but still. Maybe it is no longer for me. Or maybe I just don't know how to read classics anymore. Maybe I don't know how to read anymore.

However, I will retain my four star rating, mainly because of nostalgia, and I do appreciate it for the classic that it is, that everyone should read at least once.

Farewell, 'The Count of Monte Cristo', a block-sized Penguin Classics book from my youth.



2021 REEDIT: Actually, no. I will not abandon 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. I have too many fond booklover memories of it. I will reread it, give it a proper chance, someday. I owe my younger, fresher, more innocent self that much.



2021 EDIT: In the need to cull some books from my shelf, I feel I must now be rid of 'The Count of Monte Cristo', sadly. My decision is based on which books I know I could never reread, and this once top favourite from when I was very young, patient, inexperienced and impressionable is over 1200 pages long. I've narrowed my tastes somewhat and have become more critical since then. But I will treasure those fresh, innocent days - days like summer break - always. Oh, has it really been over ten years since I read 'The Count of Monte Cristo'? There's not a lot of it I remember; like all the hundreds of characters. And thousands and thousands of dialogue exchanges. It looks like it can be engaging if you have the time for it. It's a good, long classic.

Farewell, count.

Final Score: 4/5





Original Review:



A short review for a book so thick with human suffering, pain, love, madness, memorable characters, dramatic twists and turns, and travels to all walks of life? A review which cannot even begin to describe this masterpiece which, in less capable hands, could easily have been just a long-winded revenge tale with little substance and not enough imaginative story threads to carry its abundance of themes, with clarity?

Okay.

There is a lot to learn from 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. A lot to take from it. I read it in a week and a half and what a week and a half it's been.

It is an epic that is at once a tragedy and a story about never giving up hope. I got teary-eyed near the end and, to use a cliched expression, I was gripped to the edge of my seat throughout.

It is the longest book I've ever read, and one of the best. It could change lives for the better, it is that great.

Highly recommended.

Final Score: 5/5

Book Review - 'The Tail of Emily Windsnap' by Liz Kessler

Spoilers ahead.

2021 EDIT: 'The Tail of Emily Windsnap' really is a book strictly for children. Only I didn't think that any book, whatever its target audience, could get away with millions of plot holes, and astounding character stupidity.

I could go on all day about how the mermaids, and how they work, in this book make no sense, even for a fantasy. But I'll start by saying: the mermaids in this world are exactly like humans, except they have fishtails. Pardon the pun, but there's no depth to them. There's hardly any otherworldly quality and wonder to them - for me, at least. They're generic and cartoony, at best.

There's no mention whatsoever about how the mer-people's breathing works. Emily can breathe underwater when she's a mermaid, no problem (and no gills), and she can suck in, hold and release her breath out of anxiety underwater. How? Mermaids speak and write in English, and they can talk underwater, because of course they can. Yes, I said that they write, and on paper, on scrolls, using ink, all deep under the sea. No explanation at all is given on how their paper can last there, perfectly fine and sustained. No magic is mentioned in the book. Where do they even get the paper? Where does their light come from?

It's Spongebob logic, I guess.

Do the mer-people use other fish simultaneously as food and slaves, too? Also, mer-people can stuff things inside the scales of their tails like pockets. Emily does the same as a mermaid. Where do the items go when she turns back into a human? Is it magic? Does she get giant lumps in her legs? Apparently not; that detail is never addressed.

Maybe the reason for why I've noticed these plot holes easily is because I'm an adult reading a children's story, but I know I'm not nitpicking. These holes are very obvious, and should have been spotted in the editing process.

I can't take any book that has the word 'splishometer' in it seriously, either.

The characters, as I'd already stated, are unbelievable idiots; extremely gullible and dangerously naïve; especially Emily, though she is twelve. But my certainty of this fact comes from the treatment of the most hateable character in the whole book, Mr Beeston. Basically, he is the villain, or he is treated as such, and rightfully so. Until literally the last five pages; then suddenly he is a good guy that Emily trusts and respects. This is in spite of the fact that everything bad that has happened in the story is all Mr Beeston's fault, and he is absolutely unrepentant and despicable. Or he was until his mermaid society changed its ways in two seconds because a twelve-year-old girl said it should (I'll get back to that). So he's nice now! And I want to scream at the book: He has been drugging a woman for over a decade! He threatened and physically harmed a twelve-year-old! He betrayed his best friend, condoned his imprisonment, and manipulated and gaslighted his wife for twelve years! He lied, abused and betrayed everyone and very nearly got them killed! He testified against them in that stupid court! He is never sorry!

But no. Mr Beeston is off the hook (no pun intended) at the very, very end, receiving no punishment whatsoever. Out of the blue. For no reason.

What shark sh**.

I was quite young when I first read 'The Tail of Emily Windsnap', so I could have been more forgiving of its flaws back then. But I do not remember that sudden, out-of-nowhere and out-of-place courtroom scene at the end of the book.

I'll be blunt: it is the shortest, stupidest, most arbitrary, insulting and easily swayed courtroom scene that I have ever read about or seen in anything, ever. I could have sworn it was added in the story at the last minute, when the author had thought she wouldn't be able to write a sequel, or she was forced into writing the scene by an editor.

And that eighteen-page plot point resolves itself in two pages - two pages of Emily, who has committed major crimes in the eyes of mer-people law, and whose existence is an abomination according to mer-people society, pretty much saying to the court, with a tyrannical king as the judge, "But love, though". And it works! Everything is fine, everyone gets their happily ever after, and no one hates humans and human/mermaid hybrids anymore! Man, if only real courts could finish quickly and with ignorant little kids saying "Can't we all just get along?". And if only real arrogant, cruel and narcissistic tyrants and dictators could be swayed by kids talking about love! It's just that easy!

I'm not really a fan of 'The Tail of Emily Windsnap' anymore, is what I'm trying to articulate.

On the positive side, it is cute in places, and I like mermaids. I even like Emily sometimes, when she isn't a dingbat.

I've said my piece, for now.

Final Score: 2/5

P.S. What happened to stupid Millie the "psychic" at the end? What is her fate upon the verdict at the mer-people's court? She just up and disappears from the narrative.





I remember reading this at school, and I really enjoyed it.

It's a simple tale (tail?) about love and devotion, friendship and self-discovery. I like swimming, so I connected to the main character Emily and how she wants to swim. But she isn't allowed to by her frankly confused mother.

Yes, a lot of the characters are stupid and too trusting, the twists are obvious, and some parts are contrived. Places are described too prettily, especially the undersea setting. But this is a children's story that's fun and joyful nonetheless.

Emily herself at least never gives up on her dreams and is determined to do anything she feels is right, even if it'll lead her on dangerous paths.

And as I get older and find that 'The Tail of Emily Windsnap' isn't as original as I once thought it to be, I still look back with fond memories of reading it. Good nostalgia.

A nice and heartfelt mermaid book without being artificial like junk food.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Bitter Greens' by Kate Forsyth

2020 EDIT: 'Bitter Greens' is a rich, lovely, moving and important historical fiction book; about women, witchcraft, and a possible origin of the fairy tale 'Rapunzel'. Its use of symbolism throughout its written pages is excellent. Although it is very long and can be long-winded, and some scenes are very grotesque, graphic, horrific and traumatizing (it is not for the faint of heart, nor for people prone to triggers regarding rape and gang rape), plus the word "whore" in the derogatory sense is used too much, I still recommend it.

But be warned, 'Bitter Greens' isn't exactly inclusive - it's not intersectional - in its feminism, and any LBGTQ and POC rep it has isn't positive, even for historical fiction, though that isn't an excuse.

It's no longer a favourite of mine, but it's good.

Final Score: 4/5





Original Review:



Three women. Three lives. Three stories that explore 'Rapunzel'. Three stories about the different types of liberation of the female sex and their pivotal part in fairy tales; both in context and in the writing process.

Three stories braided together like a long, flowing strand of hair. At first it may read as appearing a bit tangled. But as you keep going - and brushing out the puzzle of herbs and magic in all that silky length of narrative - you realize Kate Forsyth structured this masterful novel with a grace and subtlety that is so rarely seen in modern literature.

'Bitter Greens' - part history lesson, part epic fantasy, part social commentary, all imaginative fervour. The prose is excellent, and the characters more so.

Charlotte-Rose de la Force - How come I haven't heard of you before reading this? The way Kate Forsyth has written you, you certainly seemed like a force to be reckoned with. Brave, creative, flawed, witty and funny as hell for a woman of her time, it is almost a tragedy that there are not many women like her nowadays. So much emphasis is put on looks that other attributes such as intelligence and practicality have been twisted to look ironically medieval in women, and therefore unimportant. Really it is beauty that's outdated and overrated - Charlotte-Rose is described as someone who's never been beautiful. But what a life she had! Dressing up as a dancing bear to rescue her captive fiance in a castle tower? My kind of girl!

Selena Leonelli - I won't say much about her, as she is the most mysterious of the three female protagonists. When her backstory is told to Charlotte-Rose in a convent, it may seem out of place and overly-long at first. But in the end I began to understand just how significant she is in between the lives of the other two women. In 16th century Italy she lost her horrifically-abused courtesan mother in a plague, and that starts off her journey. It shapes her character and motivations throughout the novel...

Margherita - What a poor unfortunate soul! An adorable redhead loved by her parents - who are also three-dimensional characters, which is a relief. Then at seven-years-old she is stolen away by a beautiful but evil centurion sorceress who wants to bathe in the girl's virgin blood to keep herself young. Burdened by the hair magically attached to her head - the hair of the sorceress's previous young redheaded victims - Margherita repeatedly tries to escape her prison, which is far away from civilization. But maybe all she can do is wait, and hope and dream of life outside her tower walls. And cling to the fading belief that her parents love her. The sorceress - called La Strega - is all the young girl has to call "Mama". She must escape, or eventually die unloved...

Each of these women have known love - be it romantic, lustful, parental, platonic or of any other affectionate feeling towards a person, place, object or skill. And each deal with love in different ways - in giving and receiving it. I'll not spoil the plot seeds of 'Bitter Greens' any further - to do so wouldn't be good for someone reading my review who hasn't read it yet.

'Bitter Greens' also deconstructs 'Rapunzel' in aspects concerning:

Womanhood (mainly Motherhood) - What is a female's worth to society? Her brains? Beauty? Ability to love a man? Whether or not she is a virgin? Whether or not she will plop out babies at an age when it is convenient for her to care for them and her husband, and when her looks start to naturally fade? Charlotte-Rose's love story is a tragic one, but she remains strong due to her brains, common sense and fabulous humour. She is an older woman to root for, and she proves that beauty and motherhood are not the be-all-and-end-alls of being born with a vagina. Margherita's story seems to be the weakest in this aspect, but she still remains proactive in her ability to never give up hope in the face of adversity. She is also appreciated for her talents, such as singing.

Class - Beauty is a curse in this book. As is wealth. Charlotte-Rose lived the high life, but at the cost of her mother being taken away from her and her sister Marie. She is judged harshly by others, despite her old heritage. Her belief that being in a first class family is a step for her to achieve social success leads her to making grave mistakes. Selena, who started life as a "whore's brat", wanted eternal beauty and power, and she (almost) lost her soul because of it (though this is predominately due to her fear of time, since it brings death, but her obsession with youthful perfection is clearly the most poisonous to her character). Margherita, like Selena, never knew fame or fortune in her girlhood. But her capacity to love and care without losing her sense of self, and her wish for freedom, are admirable; and they separate her from Selena.

Freedom - Rapunzel and her tower are great symbols in the stories of Charlotte-Rose (forced to give up everything her family stands for in order to survive in the cruel reign of a cruel king), Selena (cursed to never leave her place of suffering by a witch) and Margherita (obvious). Imprisonment can mean many different things to different women - emotionally, mentally or physically. They are oppressed and made vulnerable all the same. But how do they fight back? Their determination to succeed in their objectives - and how they deal with their respective situations - are what mark them as individual and flawed characters.

Female models - Who do these characters look up to as a feminine influence? Charlotte-Rose lost her mother at a young age. So did Selena. Margherita was stolen from her loving mother and forced to look to La Strega as Mama. However, Charlotte-Rose still had her sister, and friends at court. They were not all positive influences in her development, but they helped to shape her into the tough and resilient unladylike lady I'd come to know and love her for. Selena deliberately sought out witches after her mother died, in the sole purpose of revenge. She lost herself in believing she's already in Hell, and so she no longer cares (or does she?) about other people. Little Margherita becomes indecisive over whether her mother intentionally gave her away to La Strega or not, but she never trusts her captor. Not in all the years that she is imprisoned. Margherita will not forget who she is...

Each girl is so interesting that I actually found myself wondering what I would do in each of their predicaments; if I would make the same decisions they're making. This is a mark of a remarkably-written book that can transport the reader out of their reality.

Sex, sexual affairs, sexual politics, passion, pleasure, hate, fear - all the senses explored in this delightful study of 'Rapunzel'. All the stories told are socially relevant today, especially concerning feminism and women's and men's rights. Females have potential to do so much. They are certainly not to be underestimated, oppressed or ridiculed.

For bibliophiles who are more into classics than contemporary-written novels, 'Bitter Greens' notably contains similarities to the plots of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. It is also very immersive, atmospherically stunning and daring for a historical novel (indeed, I wouldn't even regard 'Bitter Greens' as YA, it's that graphic and intense). It has a theme of fairy tales of the macabre Grimm kind; which Kate Forsyth never under-uses.

Some parts disgusted me, while others left me breathless in their descriptions of romance and sex. There were things in it that I found to be sweet, but then scared me, and then made me think, "How clever and imaginative. How could I possibly write this well?"

'Bitter Greens':

Beautiful
Innovative
Terrifying
Tremendous
Exciting
Relishing

Gracious
Romantic
Exceptional
Ever-complexing
Never-ending
Scandalous

It has a bit of everything. And is on the whole an enjoyable novel.

Final Score: 5/5