To Let (1921)

In this third installment of The Forsyte Saga, the missteps of the older generation fall back upon the next. The greatest strength of the series is Galsworthy's masterful creation of Soames Forsyte, a man who, while clearly despicable, also manages to evoke the reader's sympathy. In the first two novels, Soames's first concern was always his reputation--doing what was "right" in the eyes of Victorian society and the law, and holding on to his property with tight fists. Only in a few private moments did we see that he was also a man tormented by deep feelings of passion and rejection.

Eighteen years later, in To Let, Soames has poured all the love he can muster into his only child, Fleur, born of a loveless marriage that was made strictly for the purpose of producing an heir. But his relatively happy life is severely disrupted by a chance encounter: while visiting a gallery, he and Fleur come across his first wife, Irene, her son, Jon, and Jon's half-sister, June. (Irene, after being divorced by Soames, had married his cousin, Jolyn; Jon is their only child, and June is Jolyn's daughter from a first marriage.) Attracted to the young man, Fleur drops her handkerchief to force an encounter in what is probably the most devastating handkerchief loss in literature since Othello. She is surprised when her father exchanges a few words with June but coldly moves them on. All she is told is that these are people from another branch of the Forsyte family and that there had been a rift years ago over "property"--which intrigues Fleur all the more. And so it goes . . .

A thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series; I'm looking forward to the next. ( )

Summary: It's 1920, and the next generation of Forsytes are just entering adulthood. Fleur Forsyte is the impetuous and willful only daughter of Soames Forsyte and his second wife, and he dotes on her without limit. Jon Forsyte is the only son of Soames's first wife Irene and Jolyon Forsyte, Soames's cousin. The two branches of the family never speak after what happened between Soames and Irene, but a chance meeting results in Fleur and Jon falling head over heels in love with each other. Their parents are desperate to keep them apart, but how can they hope to sever the children's attachment to each other without unearthing painful secrets from the past?

Review: Now that I've read all three books in the Forsyte Saga, I've discovered a simple rule: How much I enjoy any one of them is inversely proportional to how much they feature Soames. Thus, correspondingly, I liked To Let substantially better than In Chancery, but neither was quite as good as The Man of Property. In fact, in To Let, Soames is almost back around to being, if not likeable, then at least not actively hateful, which is a refreshing change.

...But the bad news may be that the role of "actively hateful" is currently being filled by Soames's daughter. I was siding with the parental generation of Forsytes throughout this book: Jon and Fleur absolutely should not be together. But it's not because I particularly cared about what their relationship might do to injure the feelings of their parents; it's because Jon is a genuinely nice guy, and Fleur is an insufferable, manipulative little brat. I had this problem when I watched the DVD version as well: it's hard to become emotionally invested in the trials and tribulations of Jon and Fleur's relationship when all you want to do is see him dump her (preferably straight into the river) and go find someone who's not completely horrible.

But regardless, overall I did enjoy reading this. Galsworthy's prose is descriptive and smooth and surprisingly easy to read, and he brings the 1920s and their feeling of newness and excitement and careless change to vivid life. The Forsyte Saga is not at the top of anybody's list of must-read classics, but I found it worth my while, and I'm glad I gave it a shot. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Don't read this one first: make no mistake, The Forsyte Saga really is a saga, and as such, it's best to start at the beginning. But the saga as a whole should appeal to those who like multigenerational family dramas, and late-Victorian England. ( )

Fitting end to the saga. Soames, the man of property, has a daughter who also wants to own things, in this case Jon Forsyte, the young son of Jolyen Forsyte the painter. Soames past is revealed, including the rape of Irene, to young Jon. Young Jon gives up Fleur Forsyte as a result. Young Fleur, on the rebound, marries someone--Michael Mort--for whom she feels little affection. The sins of Soames carried on. Jon and Irene end up in British Columbia; Jon's father dies.
Some beautiful descriptions, a plot that is almost great, characters that are almost great, a saga that is almost great. I'm glad I read it but I don't know that in good conscience I could recomment it to others. ( )

I wasn't as taken with this volume as I was with the previous two. I found more much could have been done with Val and Holly - their marriage seems so underrated considering the way their relationship started. Soames seems to have thrown in the towel unable to compete with his daughter and with modernity. Finally, while there were possibilities with a strong feminist message (Irene liberated from the shackles of her slavery and Fleur, the image of the vibrant head-strong woman), it's not convincing. Galsworthy's style rings still true however and it's a pleasure to read. ( )