The Forsyte Saga Chronicles #1-3 (Annotated Oxford Classics edition) [B1433]

2008 PB in nice clean condition, 872-pages. The Oxford Classics annotated reprint edition of the first three novels of nine novels which make up The Forsyte Saga Chronicles: The Man of Property, In Chancery, and To Let. The book chronicles the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle class Forsyte family between 1886 and 1920. This, the only critical edition of Galsworthy's popular masterpiece, contains detailed notes which are vital to the saga, explaining particularly the contemporary artistic and literary allusions, and slang of the time.

From the MANY recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Nothing comes close to the classics, and this is most definitely one of the very best!"; "This was a mammoth undertaking of a read, but one that I gladly kept at to the finish. John Galsworthy's prose is equal parts penetrating and illuminating, and I found myself rereading several sentences/passages for their absolute brilliance. Galsworthy has an uncanny and brilliant ability for both critiquing and humanizing the British "upper-crust" society that left me wanting to know more about the Forsyte family even after I finished the 800+ pages of this saga. I'm so glad this edition came with a family tree, because it was an essential anchor for the first novel in the series. After that, though, the characters grew so familiar they almost felt like family. All in all it was a very captivating read and one I intend to return to later in life!"; "Loved this book!! The characters and the story line had SO much depth. And the way the author set a scene or description of the surroundings of the characters was wonderful!!! 5+ stars!!"; "A wonderful read - much like Trollope but a bit later, set in a changing and modernizing England around the turn of the century. Bittersweet, melancholy at times, but beautifully written and enjoyable to read. Great themes of ownership, beauty, money that can't necessarily buy love, giving vs taking, and all the drama that comes with that."; "Long and slow, this novel shines in its pensive reflection, movingly downbeat. It traces the snobbery and futile search for beauty and meaning in an upper class British family. It's safe to say that most of the characters don't beg for emulation. The unfolding romances throughout the book are frightful, sometimes too cynical. Definitely a great book to be had with a cup of tea on a gloomy day."