BBAW 2012: Read This Book!

Whenever we are asked to push a book we think no one has heard about or one we feel needs more love (as we are today for the BBAW prompt,) I'm always stumped. I'm pretty sure that every book I've read and loved, you, at least some of you, or most of you, have also. But after some thinking, I've finally decided to promote an old classic that I know you've heard of, but my guess is, most of you haven't yet read. No doubt, you've seen me mention this one before, as it often ends up on my Top Ten lists, but now I'm taking the chance to talk it up a little more.

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy

If you love Downton Abbey, you'll love this book.
If you love sweeping family sagas, you'll love this book.
If you love books in a series, you'll love this book.
If you love period dramas, you'll love this book.
If you love stories filled with all sorts of carryings on, you'll love this book!

This book, commonly known as The Forstye Saga is actually made up of three books, a trilogy of sorts. They are: The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let. They were written between 1906 and 1921. There's also a trilogy sequel called A Modern Comedy, and then even yet another sequel called End of the Chapter, also made up of a trilogy. Thus, this whole story is actually a trilogy of trilogies! I know!

It's all about a couple of families and their interactions with each other, their loves and hates, their money and property and houses, the spinster aunts and the endearing grandpas. Then they have kids, and the story then follows all THEIR loves and hates, and etc. It takes place in England starting during the late 1800's and into the early 1900's.

Now, the author himself I know nothing about, but he actually won the Nobel Prize for Literature for this book in 1932. Wow! Way to go John! Who knew? :) And in looking him up, I guess he wrote a gazillion things. So, why don't we talk about him more? Why is he not a Charles Dickens or Jane Austen, an Anthony Trollope or Elizabeth Gaskell? Good question. I say, he deserves more attention!

And so I say, if you haven't read this series (even if it's just the first trilogy in the trilogy) the time is now.

Once you are done with reading it, then you'll have the lovely experience of watching the Masterpiece Theater mini series. There's two seasons and I think it covers the whole of the first book (or...trilogy.) And it's simply wonderful. I'm telling you, just like Downton Abbey in its look and feel.

Here's a teaser:




I've only read the first volume...I think I had the second one in my hand at one time, but never quite managed it. Anyway, I remember while reading that first one (which was back in 2007, I looked it up, and sadly it was just before I started blogging about books!)  I was so caught up in it that it was all I could think about. Then I watched the show and things got even worse! Completely obsessed I tell you.

So now I must know... have you read it? Watched it? If not, does this make you want to? Even a little bit? Lucky for you, it's free online, nearly free on Kindle, and the show is on Netflix. So, what are you waiting for?