I read through the first two of these books very quickly but had to take a break before finishing the third one. The story takes place in England from the 1890s through 1920 and follows an entire extended family although it really focuses primarily on two members: Soames Forsyte and his first cousin, Jolyon Forsyte. Soames is The Man of Property in the first book and both the other titles (In Chancery and To Let) point to him as well. It describes a family of upper middle class who look to money and property as well as propriety as their guiding lights. There is a great deal of under the covers competition among the original set of brothers as well as among cousins. Most of the characters are clearly drawn and believable. Soames Forsyte is tragic and comic and, though it is hard to like him, it isn't hard to feel sorry for him throughout. Jolyon the younger--Soames' cousin does not fully enter into the picture until the second book but his father's character, Jolyon the elder, lays the groundwork for the development of the son's. I really liked the books and cared very much what happened to most of the characters. Galsworthy presented an excellent picture of a tightly-knit family cirlce backgrounded but not overshadowed by the world at large (the Boer War, WWI, "progress". It is indeed a saga and can be exhausting but it is well worth the read.
The story takes place in England from the 1890s through 1920 and follows an entire extended family although it really focuses primarily on two members: Soames Forsyte and his first cousin, Jolyon Forsyte. Soames is The Man of Property in the first book and both the other titles (In Chancery and To Let) point to him as well.
It describes a family of upper middle class who look to money and property as well as propriety as their guiding lights. There is a great deal of under the covers competition among the original set of brothers as well as among cousins. Most of the characters are clearly drawn and believable. Soames Forsyte is tragic and comic and, though it is hard to like him, it isn't hard to feel sorry for him throughout.
Jolyon the younger--Soames' cousin does not fully enter into the picture until the second book but his father's character, Jolyon the elder, lays the groundwork for the development of the son's.
I really liked the books and cared very much what happened to most of the characters. Galsworthy presented an excellent picture of a tightly-knit family cirlce backgrounded but not overshadowed by the world at large (the Boer War, WWI, "progress". It is indeed a saga and can be exhausting but it is well worth the read.