Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

This is an adult book and contains mature themes and sexual situations.

Blurb from Goodreads
The amazing power and truth of the Rapunzel fairy tale comes alive for the first time in this breathtaking tale of desire, black magic and the redemptive power of love
French novelist Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...

After Margherita’s father steals parsley from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.

Award-winning author Kate Forsyth braids together the stories of Margherita, Selena, and Charlotte-Rose, the woman who penned Rapunzel as we now know it, to create what is a sumptuous historical novel, an enchanting fairy tale retelling, and a loving tribute to the imagination of one remarkable woman.
 
4.5 stars
Three tales woven as expertly as I have ever seen and one of them true as well. I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted to follow most. I think I enjoyed the story of Margherita the most though. I am a sucker for a good fairy tale retelling. The amount of research that must have went into this book is astounding. There were so many elements at play - Venice, the Sun King, Huguenots, Rapunzel, Titian. This is the way I like history - told in stories - much like Charlotte-Rose herself. I could have done without all of the sex in the book. I am used to YA books with their less informative sex or none at all. And yes, I realize this was a grown up book, but my preference would have been for less sex.

Charlotte-Rose must have been a fascinating woman especially considering the hardships she must have suffered due to her gender. I know women still are not treated equally in the workplace, but we have made progress. Some of the scenes were hard to read imagining what it must have been like to be a woman in the Sun King's court. A pretty face would attract the wrong and unwanted attention of a king who showed no regard for the plight of the women he used. Every woman who ever bore a child must have hoped fervently for a son. I could not imagine wishing a girl child into that kind of oppression.

This was beautifully written and the three cords of stories woven together were as well done as the witch's job on Margherita's hair. I waited for so long for this book to become available in the US. I am glad to know that it was worth the wait.