The Forsyte Saga

By: John Galsworthy

Narrated by: Fred Williams

Length: 42 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

The three novels that make up The Forsyte Saga chronicle the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle class Forsyte family through three generations, beginning in Victorian London during the 1880s and ending in the early 1920s. Galsworthy's masterly narrative examines not only their fortunes but also the wider developments within society, particularly the changing position of women.

The Forsyte Saga is a sequence of novels comprising The Man of Property (1906), In Chancery (1920), and To Let (1921) with two interludes, "Indian Summer of a Forsyte" (1918) and "Awakening", published together in 1922.

The saga begins with Soames Forsyte, a successful solicitor who buys land at Robin Hill on which to build a house for his wife Irene and future family. Eventually, the Forsyte family begins to disintegrate when Timothy Forsyte, the last of the old generation, dies at the age of 100.

In these novels, John Galsworthy documented a departed way of life, that of the affluent middle class that ruled England before the 1914 war. The class is criticized on account of its possessiveness, but there is also nostalgia because Galsworthy, as a man born into the class, could also appreciate its virtues.

(P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

A great listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this reading. The accent of the narrator added to the authenticity of the characters, and I found myself driving in the right lane to squeeze in a few extra minutes during my commute. I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it, and this particular reading is truly outstanding.

It is a good story as Saga go

For me Fred Williams' reading was unpleasant and spoiled the story. I did listen to the sample, so I have no excuses. Sometimes my ear adjusts to the reader and sometimes the reader does get better. Not this time.
It is a decent story and I would suggest you look at and listen to other readers/narrators before choosing this one.

Thoroughly lovely

In spite of the reviewers who were critical of the narrator, I decided to take the plunge and am quite glad I did. I was perfectly happy with the narration and utterly enthralled with the narrative. I would highly recommend this selection to anyone looking for a long, satisfying listen.

Exquisitely written, powerfully narrated.

My wife and I are audiobook addicts and have read dozens. This one ranks as our favorite, far and above all others. The prose is exquisite...so much so that we downloaded the book to our iPads so that we can revel in favorite passages later. The reader may strike the listener as crochety at the outset, but within the first two hours I guarantee you could not imagine anyone doing a better job. By the 10-hour mark, in fact, he was blowing us away. If you want an extraordinarily compelling story read by a powerful narrator, this is it. In our book, it's the best of the best. By the way, Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize for literature, and as you read this masterpiece, you will find yourself applauding the choice of the committee.

Reivew is only for performance

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The narrator spoke so slowly and with so much emphasis on each syllable, that is was painful. Struck me as a parody of bad diction coach.

Brilliant Writing and Reading

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Great expose' of the Edwardian upper-middle class mind set.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Soames... I pitied him

Which character – as performed by Fred Williams – was your favorite?

All the Forsyte men

Absorbing story and top notch reader!

This is a beautifully crafted and absorbing family drama. The writing feels surprisingly contemporary. The reader is excellent – he brings the characters alive but thankfully doesn’t overdramatise. His voice is comfortable and easy to listen to.

Outstanding performance by Fred Williams

Would you listen to The Forsyte Saga again? Why?

Fred Williams made this great well known novel even better

What does Fred Williams bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Fred Williams played all characters of the novel in such a way that helped to understand them better

The sins of the fathers (and mothers)

In today’s language we would call this a soap opera. It covers the lives of the extended Forsythe family from the late Victorian period to the early 1920’s, with all the changes in fashion, manners and mores that entails. The Forsythes are nouveau riche family whose wealth was gained by their grandfather, whom they call “the original Forsythe,” in trade. The next generation, “the old Forsythes,” mostly make their money through investments. The next generation, “the young Forsythes,” are more educated than their parents. Some of them have gone into professions, while others pursue the arts or simply live off their inheritances. But none of them has bought or married into a title ir built a grand estate.

The novel follows the careers of two of the “young” Forsythes. The main character, Soames Forsythe, a successful and highly respectable solicitor, obsessively pursues the beautiful but penniless Irene Herron, despite her lack of interest in him. When she finally gives in and marries him (after rejecting his previous five proposals), she realizes almost immediately that she’s made a terrible mistake. Irene is not physically attracted to her husband; in fact, she’s physically repulsed by his advances, and it’s not very many months into the marriage before she asks for separate bedrooms. But Soames is almost desperate for a son to whom to leave his vast property.

Thinking that a remove from London will revitalize their marriage, Soames commissions the building of a large and very expensive country house. Irene’s affair with the architect will have repercussions for decades to come.

In a secondary storyline, Soames’ cousin Jolyon, an amateur artist, becomes the black sheep of the family when he leaves his wife for his daughter’s governess. Many years later, after his second wife’s death and with Irene long separated, but not divorced from Soames, he will become the corespondent in Irene and Soames’ divorce. This, too, will have consequences that effect the next generation.

Meanwhile, changes in society, technology and the economy mean that the lifestyle enjoyed by the “old Forsythes “ will soon be coming to an end.

Excellent story if you can tolerate a lot of sadness. It will make you thankful for no-fault divorce. I found myself absorbed by all 40+ hours, although I will admit that I did have a bit of an emotional hangover afterwards.

Narrator Fred Williams does a fine job of bringing the story and characters to life.

The Forsyte Saga

These books are hard to stop listening to. They are very absorbing. Galsworthy was a very talented writer. At first I didn’t think I was going to like the narration, but quickly changed my mind; I would not to listen to any other narration.