The Forsyte Chronicles, Vol. 1: The Forsyte Saga cover art

The Forsyte Chronicles, Vol. 1: The Forsyte Saga

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The Forsyte Chronicles, Vol. 1: The Forsyte Saga

By: John Galsworthy
Narrated by: David Timson
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About this listen

John Galsworthy's magnificent trilogy of power and passion chronicles the wealthy Forsyte family. As the disintegrating values of the Victorian era progress to World War I and the political uncertainty of the 1930s, the family's material and emotional struggles are set within the dwindling status of the affluent middle-classes.

Infused with warmth, compassion and engaging characters, the complete chronicles are divided into three volumes, containing nine books and four interludes in total. In Volume One, The Forsyte Saga, Soames Forsyte - the "man of property" - is desperate to uphold values and conventions that are becoming out of step with the time. His most prized possession is his strikingly beautiful wife, Irene, but she is profoundly unhappy; the bitterness only builds, and the events that follow are set to ripple through the next generation of Forsytes.

This Forsyte trilogy contains book one: The Man of Property, Interlude: Indian Summer of a Forsyte; book two: In Chancery, Interlude: Awakening; and book three: To Let.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2020 Naxos Audiobooks Classics Genre Fiction Fiction

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All stars
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This is an outstanding work and a wonderful performance. Very much looking forward to the next instalment.

Wonderful

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marvelous adaptation of this wonderful story. even more enjoyable than the tv version from the 60s.

wonderful narration of a timeless classic

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The strange mannerisms of the narrator, particularly at the end of sentences, spoiled my enjoyment of the books to some extent.

Narrator

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I thoroughly enjoyed this journey through time with the members of the Forsyte family.Strangely, despite previously disliking Soames, I began to see him as a complex character, his love of art and beauty at odds with his middle class values.There are beautiful descriptions of nature and the seasons, which resonate with today’s concern with the natural world. The narrator David Timson really made the stories come alive,such a wonderful voice to listen to.

A great expansive novel

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No you cant insist on an answer no no no you will discourage readers bugger off

This is the most sensitive and beautifully written book I know. 

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This is the final outing for many of the family. We see young love thwarted and history or revenge is not allowed to repeat itself. Soames is given the last word and what follows will usher in his flowering. For me Soames becomes a fine character - flawed yes - but I like him so much more than Irene.

End of an era for Forsytes

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I bought this because my mum loved the 1970s TV adaptation. It’s a decent , if rather dated now, story of family rivalries. However, while the men are richly sketched (if mostly unpleasant) the woman around whom the plot revolves, Irene, is a ghost, some sort of symbol of feminine beauty who’s purpose is purely to make various men love her. We have no idea what she thinks or why she does anything. It makes her very dull and everyone else’s motives incomprehensible.

A classic but is it any good.

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A very engrossing story, which I could remember quite well, but my moral judgement has changed over 50 years. It's not just that times have changed, or that people 100 years ago were so much more buttoned up. I used to identify with Irene, but now I see her as a frightful clam. Galsworthy portrays Soames quite kindly, but they all had the problem that they couldn't speak with any openness.
Then there is the selfish, spoiled Fleur who has no moral standards at all, but is entirely believable, and Jon who so fortunately resists her charm.
The book is terribly repetitive - the Forsyte family too big and quite boring. Then there is the token description of scenery at the end of each Soames soul-search, the ongoing repetition of Irene's attractions and this tragic inability of these two to discuss openly. Galsworthy has an intrusive narrator's voice - knows too much about too many people's thoughts. As I remmber it, the TV series did a splendid job of clipping and casting.

Listening to THE FORSYTE SAGA over 50 years later

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