The Man of Property

The Forsyte Saga, Book 1

By: John Galsworthy

Narrated by: David Case

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

The Man of Property, the first novel in John Galsworthy's epic social satire The Forsyte Saga, introduces us to Soames Forsyte, a London solicitor and prominent man of his important family. Accustomed to getting whatever he wants, he sets his sights with absolute determination on the beautiful Irene in spite of her pennilessness and indifference to him. Irene, a lover of art and beauty, eventually accepts his marriage proposal over a life of degraded poverty, but she swears to Soames that she will never be his property. When all his money fails to make up for the absence of love and Irene falls for a young architect, Soames resolves to force the obedience he could not buy.

Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1932 "for his distinguished art of narration, which takes its highest form in The Forsyte Saga".

Family matters: don't miss our other titles in The Forsyte Saga.

Public Domain (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Gotta Love Those Forsytes!

I've been meaning to read The Forsyte Saga for years, having enjoyed both TV dramatizations (1967 and 2002). And even though I know the story, I very much enjoyed this first book in the saga. Galsworthy gives us a lush, detailed view of late Victorian England's upper middle class and their mania for property and respectability. Like every family, the Forsytes have their secrets and black sheep, and that makes them all the more intriguing. The focus here is the ramrod-spined solicitor Soames and his unhappy wife, Irene. Soames had courted Irene more for her beauty than for love, treating her like one of his exquisite objéts d'art. So determined was he to have her that he promised to let her go if she wanted her freedom. And here lies the crux of the story: Irene is dreadfully unhappy, yet Soames refuses to let her go.

Galsworthy has created a cast of one-of-a-kind characters (or if they now seem like sterotypes, they were one-of-a-kind when first created). There are the senior Forsytes, Old Jolyon, James, Roger, and the aunts; the "black sheep," Young Jolyon, who married beneath him and was cut off by his father; Winifred, married to the alcoholic bounder Monty D'Arty; June, Young Jolyon's philanthropic daughter from a first marriage, and her dashing architect fiancé, Philip Bossiney, secretly dubbed by the family "The Buccaneer"; and many, many more.

There's a reason why Galsworthy's novels were so popular--and why not one but two dramatizations have been made. Quite simply, The Forsyte Saga is a jolly good story. I'm looking forward to moving on to the next six books in the saga.

David Case's voice would might start to grate on my ears--except that it has the perfect haughtiness for these stories.

Boring

I thought this book was boring. The only thing that got me through it was the reader David Case who was excellent. I could listen to him read anything.

A tale of epic proportions

I was first introduced to the Forsyte Sage through the 1960s BBC TV adaptation. This audiobook brings it all flooding back. A wonderful portrayal of late Victorian & Edwardian England. It is true that the opening chapters introduce a vast cast of characters, but the tale settles down and they disentangle themselves with skilled assistance of the narrator who is able to play each character quite distinctly. Highly recommended.

all that is human

The Forsyth Saga is so complete, so thorough, so human. Each character is someone with a distinct identity that still resonates with a believable individuality. Even with the weight of so much social and moral complexity (the human condition in the specific), Galsworthy is entertaining, comic and tells a ceaselessly engrossing story. What a master; to maintain all the varying hues and colors of this story of human lives in bathos and in trivia, and weave a cloth that is delightful to behold! I love this great work of nine novels, beautifully interconnected and endlessly full of interest and wisdom. Real them all!

Interesting

Interesting, sometimes hard to follow because it is old. I enjoyed it anyway and will listen to the rest of the books.

Wow

Just finished the 3 trilogy sets of the Forsyte chronicles. This narrator is outstanding. It was a little difficult at first to keep the characters straight, but I am so glad I persevered. Thoroughly enjoyed the series. The first 2 trilogy sets had so much depth and an ongoing story line. The third trilogy was based on the Forsyte cousins and ended up being great as well. Loved this series.

Excellent!

This book took a little while to get into, and I wasn’t too sure at first, what with all the characters it was very difficult to keep them all straight! But, no matter, once I decided to just relax into it, I became very involved with the story.

The story is tragic, and filled with humanity. My heart ached, just ached for the most tragic figures among them. And what great narration…oh my!

Great

Excellent story, particularly the ending. I need to read the rest of the saga now.

Brilliant!

Brilliant writing brilliantly read! Best Audible selection of 50 heard over several years.

No hook

This was a good book, but hard to get into. I did buy the next in the series, though.