The Wild Girl A Novel [Hardcover]

One of six sisters, Dortchen Wild lives in the small German kingdom of Hesse-Cassel in the early 19th century. She finds herself irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the handsome but very poor fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. It is a time of tyranny and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hesse-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall. Forced to live under oppressive French rule, Wilhelm and his brothers quietly rebel by preserving old half-forgotten tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small over the land.

As Dortchen tells Wilhelm some of the most powerful and compelling stories in what will one day become his and Jacob's famous fairy tale collection, their love blossoms. But Dortchen's father will not give his consent for them to marry and war, death, and poverty also conspire to keep the lovers apart. Yet Dortchen is determined to find a way.

Evocative and richly-detailed, Kate Forsyth'sThe Wild Girlmasterfully captures one young woman's enduring faith in love and the power of storytelling.

A beautiful and often heartbreaking love story that is sure to move and captivate readers. Booklist (starred review)

A beautiful love story... In the bleak pages of history, Forsyth finds a story of enduring love and artistic integrity-her retelling is a fairy tale in itself. Kirkus Reviews

Storytelling is at the heart of the narrative... This intriguing look at a little-known historical figure has definite appeal for fairy-tale aficionados. Library Journal

History and fairy tale are richly entwined in this spellbinding story. Unputdownable! Juliet Marillier, author of Daughter in the Forest

Like a fairytale,The Wild Girlgives us an explosive and evocative set of truths set within a deceptively simple and delicately written story. The Newtown Review of Books

Kate Forsyth is a storyteller whose booklƒ.