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Valerie V. (Pennington, NJ)
The Wild Girl
For those in love with well-researched historical fiction and sweet romance, reading doesn't get much better than Kate Forsyth's novel, The Wild Girl. Within the pages lies an in-depth look into the life and turbulent times of the Brothers Grimm and the unfolding of a forbidden love story, that of Wilhelm Grimm. Neither endeavor has a certain ending. The Grimm brothers are so impoverished they can barely afford ink and the French are intent on blotting out all things German. To assure a "happily ever after" conclusion, for both the writing project and the relationship, much must be overcome: an over bearing and
…more cruel father, sickness, poverty, war and death. Can anything positive prevail in Germany during this time of violent French occupation? You'll appreciate all things Grimm after reading this novel! (less)Do you love history? What about storytelling? Are you a romantic but a realist as well? This book is for you! I found it delightful and so well written. The story of Dortchen Wild and Wilhelm Grimm is set in the early 19th century while Napoleon is trying to conquer Europe. It feels like a fairy tale of its own, as in all fairy tales there is the evil/wicked antagonist in the being of Dortchen's abusive father. Dortchen and Wilhelm are the poor but happy protagonists who can't seem to make each other aware of their feelings. The story is filled with the beautiful telling's of what will become Grimm's fairy tales,
…more and as in all fairy tales finally a happy ending for "The Wild Girl". Kate Forsyth's second book is a beautiful work of art. I enjoyed her first book, Bitter Greens but for me this is a winner. (less)I am so glad I received this as an ARC. It is spellbinding and a completely different fairytale than expected.
Pamela F. (Sun City West, AZ)
Wild Girl
OMG! Love this book...Okay, the author says that not much is know about the main character...but the information derived from the Grimm's diaries, letters and stories makes Dortchen a great main character. I wanted to know more about her, the Grimms and the Napoleonic wars. This makes a great book in my humble opinion because I love history. It is written very well in beautiful prose....If you love historical novels, fairy tales and/or romance...read this book!!!
Elise B. (Macedonia, OH)
The Wild Girl
The Wild Girl was an exceptionally well written novel about Dortchen Wild, wife of Wilhelm Grimm, of the Brother's Grimm. The story will appeal lovers of historical fiction, historical romance, as well as anybody who might enjoy finding the origins of many of their childhood fairy tales. Grimm's Fairy Tales is a household name, but reading about who the Grimm brothers were and how they lived was as fascinating as the fictional rendering of the life of Dortchen Wild. I have spent much time trying to determine what was fact and what was fiction in the story. I would have appreciated if the author, Kate Forsyth,
…more would have spent a little more time at the end of the book listing the portions of the story which were fact based. (less)The title, The Wild Girl, open your imagination for a great adventure in storytelling and I am not disappointed. I am still reading this advance reading copy from BookBrowse and am excited to finish it, but wanted other readers to get excited for a good book. The characters are memorable, especially 12 year old Dortchen Wild and all the Grimm brothers. The historical discussions about Napoleon Bonaparte are also interesting and informative. I look forward to sharing my this book with our teacher book club. This is storytelling at its best.
Catharine L. (Petoskey, MI)
Historical Fiction at its Best
The setting is central Germany during the reign of Napoleon. Dortchen Wild lives next door to the Grimm family and is best friends with Lotte Grimm. One of six daughters, Dortchen falls in love with Wilhelm Grimm but he barely notices her until she brings him fairy tales.
But more than the life of the Grimm brothers, it is the story of Dortchen - abused by her father, forbidden to marry Wilhelm, forced to stay home and care for her parents; she tries to explain her terrible secret to Wilhelm through the fairy tales. A totally different perspective on the collecting of the tales. It is a fascinating read.
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
…more 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. (less)
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