John Galsworthy - The Forsyte Saga: Volumes 1,2 &3

THE FORSYTE SAGA by JOHN GALSWORTHY

Volume 1: The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let Paperback £8.44

Volume 2: The White Monkey, The Silver Spoon and Swan Song Paperback £8.44

Volume 3: Maid in Waiting, Flowering Wilderness and Over the River Paperback £9.74

All prices are from Amazon.co.uk but you could always buy second-hand from there, where I have had only one problem in 8 years.

These books are GREAT, enchanting and keep you wanting more. The first two volumes were written between 1906 and 1921 and the third (which deals with cousins and in-laws of the original Forsyte family) between 1922 and about 1933 - because of this you may think that they are dated and not enjoyable but you could not be more in error - the stories are vibrant, intriguing and tell the lives and loves of a well-off Victorian, Edwardian and later, family - all of their in-fighting, jealousies, passion, greed, you name it, it's there just as much as any racey novel of today; maybe, not in so many words but it is so well written that you get the gist just the same.

The scope of these stories is immense, with a huge cast of characters living, breathing, fighting and loving and dates from the 1880's right up to the early 1930's.

GALSWORTHY'S psychological insight is superb and his knack of making you know the characters intriguing foibles is marvellous.

There is a geneaological table at the front of each volume BUT don't read this first as it might spoil the stories in that you find out too soon who marries who and when!

I first read these books in about 1962 and was reminded of them again when the BBC serialised the first two volumes in the late 60's or early 70's. This was an excellent adaptation, with Nyree Dawn Porter as Irene and Eric Porter as Soames Forsyte, her sometime husband. The modern adaptation, made by ITV is not a patch on this, unfortunately.

I have all three volumes, purchased in the 1980's and would never part with them as they can be read and re-read with no loss of enjoyment because the stories are so complex and intriguing that you forget a lot of what happened in your previous read.

THESE BOOKS ARE VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ANYONE WHO LOVES AN EXCELLENT PAGE-TURNING , UNPUTDOWNABLE READ!