The Forest

''Even the forest grows new oaks.''When I see a book by Edward Rutherfurd, the effects are the same as when I see a creation by Ken Follett. I believe that most die-hard lovers of Historical Fiction have placed these two writers on a high pedestal. Rutherfurd's books aren't heavy on the romance element like Follett's and this is a significant plus for me. So, it was with great enthusiasm that I started reading The Forest and I was not disappointed.But why did Rutherfurd choose to write about the Forest? Well, The New Forest in the county of Hampshire is a place steeped in history and folklore. It is the largest ancient forest in England and therefore, it stands as an everlasting witness to many crucial moments in British History. Prince Richard and William II, the sons of William the Conqueror, died in the Forest and the legend goes that they died as a punishment for their father's faults. A mix of folktales and apocryphas covers the area making it one of the most fascinating and mystical places to visit in England. A version of King Arthur's legend claims that there is a hidden lake said to have been the birthplace of Excalibur and the domain of the Lady of the Lake. On July 31 in 1940, the English witches gathered in the New Forest and raised a powerful cone to stop the advances of Hitler's forces. Many stories of ghosts and weird, unexplained sightings grace the place and the village of Beaulieu is particularly high in the list of strange activity.It goes without saying that all these elements are present in Rutherfurd's book and dealt with in a unique, beautiful way. The history of the forest is told in nine stories, through the eyes of two opposing families (Rutherfurd's favourite technique) and their course over the ages and the generations. Each story centers around two powerful themes, the struggle for power and the worries over the preservation of the forest. We see that the machinations people use to climb up the ladder of society and the effects of greed over the natural environment are similar through time in an eerie, discomforting way.For me, the stories that really stand out in The Forest are ‘‘The Hunt'', ‘‘Beaulieu'', ‘‘Alice'' and ‘‘The Albion Park'', although each story is a necessary piece of the beautiful puzzle the writer has created. In ‘‘The Hunt'' , set in the era of William the Conqueror, we meet a wonderful allusion of Man Vs Nature in the form of the agony of a young doe to protect her newly-born fawn during the continuous huntings of the nobles in the sacred forest. Like the beautiful doe, Adela -the heroine of the story- is trying to break free from the patriarchal society, being in the unfortunate position of having a noble name but no dowry.''Beaulieu'' is set in the era of Edward I, the well-known Longshanks. Here, we see the games the Church uses to gain control of the Forest over the noblemen. At the heart of the story is a beautiful relationship between two people who are separated by the Law of God and the laws of men alike. Brother Adam is an extremely well-written character and I would surely read a novel with him as the central hero.''Alice'' is derived from a well-documented trial case, during the Restoration era. Rutherfurd focuses on a woman's fight to protect herself and her children from the follies of her husband, in the midst of a mad civil war about Religion and Power. Yes, the story is obviously set in the terrifying years of Cromwell's revolution and its aftermath.In ‘‘Albion Park'', the longest story in the book set in 1794, he has created characters that are possible to anger you to the high heavens.Mrs Grockleton, a hybrid of Mrs Bennet and Catherine De Bourgh, Adelaide Albion, the unmarried aunt who has remained stuck in the feuds of the past and wants to control everything and everyone, Louise who strongly resembles the empty-headed, gold-digging girls in Jane Austen's books and Fanny, the main heroine, who is very intelligent but so docile and devoted to her family that she needs a rather big shock in order to face reality. I could notice some elements from Austen's Emma in Fanny's character, but without the sharpness of spirit and liveness of character that characterize our favourite matchmaker.The last part of the book ties the past and the present in a brilliant way. I don't have much to say about Rutherfurd's writing, I am not able to. His descriptions take you right into the heart of the mystical forest, you can feel the wind, see the leaves change, the huts, the running deer, the chirping of the birds. He manages to use the right form of language for every era he depicts, and it is simply astonishing. You'd think that ‘‘Albion Park'' has been written by Jane Austen, his interactions are so faithful, his research shows the traces of a great Historical Fiction writer, equal to Ken Follett and much better than Bernard Cornwell. His books are a source of knowledge and a jewell for every bookcase.So, on to the next one. Will it be [b:London 92160 London Edward Rutherfurd https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320450619l/92160.SY75.jpg 3139753] or [b:Russka: The Novel of Russia 92162 Russka The Novel of Russia Edward Rutherfurd https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320541880l/92162.SY75.jpg 1269162]?Decisions....

Fabulous!!