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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Wild Girl
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Anita S. (Boynton Beach, FL)
Fairy tale
Like most people I never gave much thought about the Grimm brothers and their collection of stories with which we are all familiar. I was surprised to learn that the stories were folk tales from different countries with differences in some of the details. I really liked reading about Dorchen and her relationship to the Grimms and how important she was to the family. A big criticism I have is that in too many chapters in the first half of the book was Dorchen's 'he loves me, he loves me not' about Wilhelm which started to get boring. When the author finally got to the Napoleonic wars as part of the story then the book got more interesting. I always like to read about how ordinary people lived and how these wars impacted their lives.
Another part of the book that bothered me was the relationship between Dorchen and her father which suggested incest and sexual abuse. At first I thought it was a literary device to try to 'beef up' the story. But after I had read the Afterword I learned that many of these folk tales were sort of hidden tales of sexual abuse by parents. I wish I had read that first then I would have understood better. All in all I enjoyed this book.
The author is an expert in her field and she has written a book that I think many people would like. It is not like the run-of-the mill book you get now but is a work of fiction on a fascinating subject with many historical facts. This is the kind of book I like to read.
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Phyllis R. (Rochester Hills, MI)
Grimm Brothers and The Wild Girl
I generally enjoy historical fiction, but "The Wild Girl" was heavy on the history which was set during the Napoleonic Wars with Austrians, Prussians, Russians, and French. This was a time of much political turmoil and extreme poverty for both the Grimm and Wild families.
Henriette Dorothea (Dortchen) Wild lived next door to the Grimm brothers for many years while Wilhelm Grimm was beginning his career of collecting and writing his books of fairy tales and folklore. He first wanted to preserve his folklore for adults and later began to collect, illustrated children's version of "Once upon a time: stories like Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Rumplestiltskin, et. al.
Their long courtship endured physical and sexual abuse by Dortchen's father and then Dortchen's nightmares, but they were finally married in 1824 and "lived happily ever after."
If you are interested in fairy tales and the times they were collected written, and illustrated, I can recommend "The Wild Girl."
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Donna T. (Orlando, FL)
Good historical fiction if a little slow at times.
The Wild Girl is written about Doutchen Wild, the future wife of Wildhelm Grimm (one of the Grimm brother of fairytale fame). Her life was hard and at times very sad, but the book well chronicled the times and political realities of living during the Napolianic period.
Though I sometimes found gaps in the writing flow, I particularly enjoyed seeing how some of the tales were developed and changed over time. I am now going back to read some of the Grimm's tales with a new view.
I think this would make good reading for a book club that was interested in researching the different versions of a couple of stories.
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Sharon R. (Deerfield, IL)
Fairy Tales and the History of the Brothers Grimm
Fairy Tales are a staple in Children's literature. The Wild Girl is the story of a girl, Dortchen Wild and the brothers Grimm who translated and eventually published all our favorites
The Wild Family and the Brothers Grimm live next door to each other in a tiny German kingdom during the turbulent and horrific years of the Napoleonic Wars. Young Dortchen, the fifth daughter, and Wilhelm Grimm become fast friends and eventually lovers despite there difference in ages, Wilhelm being much older. Still, Dortchen tells the best stories and Wilhelm continues to ask her to tell him stories that she has learned, many from her old housekeeper, Maria.
In all fairy and folk takes there are villains, evil, enchantment, and finally, happy endings. Ms. Forsythe does not disappoint. All of the elements are here in this beautiful and well-researched novel which spans nearly twenty years.
Historical fiction lovers will certainly enjoy this powerful story of storytelling and it's roots.
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Barbara Z. (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time ... a Wild girl and a Grimm boy, and an Ogre (Napoleon) shaped the history of early 19th century Europe. The book melded early 19th century German (Hessian) life with historical events and folklore. I found myself looking up the Grimm's, Wild's Napoleon, the kingdom of Hesse-Cassel on wiki. There is an extraordinary amount of history buried in this book.
The author builds a dark side to Dortchen Wild's life and times, and in that way, frames the book into its on folktale that the reader hopes will have a happy ending.
A little disappointed that so much of the familiar story tales were in second half of book, but the historical aspects of the book maintained my interest throughout. In addition, there are 'wives' tales, folklore, herbal medicine scattered throughout, reminding me of Sarah Addison Allen's book Garden Spells.
I highly recommend if you are interested in Disney classics or folktales and desire to know the basis for the modern retellings. Also, if you like books that lead you to want to research more about the key characters, and places.
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Linda P. (Medford, WI)
A Grimm Tale
This was my first reading of Kate Forsyth's work, but it will not be my last. The Wild Girl wove together history, fairy tales, and day to day scenarios of German life during Napoleon's rise and fall. To say that it was interesting belittles the scope that Ms. Forsyth achieved. She may have taken liberties with facts, and yes, some of this was difficult to read, but over all, this was a fascinating read. I will re-read my Grimm's with new eyes!
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Catherine Z. (Harleysville, PA)
The wild girl
The Wild Girl is the tale of Dortchen Wild and her life growing up amid the turbulent time of Napolean. She falls for Wilhelm Grimm and we learn how the Grimm brothers really obtained their "fairy tales". It took me a little while to get into the book but once I did it was a quick and enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to someone who wanted to read a book that is almost like historical fiction.
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