Book Review | The Story Of The Forest by Linda Grant - A Multi-Generational Family Story

This review marks my stop on the blog tour for The Story Of The Forest by Linda Grant - I cannot thank Lucy Martin enough for introducing me to this author. The Story Of The Forest is a multi-generational family story full of hope, love, heartbreak and joy. 

It’s 1913 and a young, carefree and recklessly innocent girl, Mina, goes out into the forest on the edge of the Baltic Sea and meets a gang of rowdy young men with revolution on their minds. It sounds like a fairy tale but it’s life. The adventure leads to flight, emigration and a new land, a new language and the pursuit of idealism or happiness - in Liverpool. But what of the stories from the old country; how do they shape and form the next generations who have heard the well-worn tales? The Story Of The Forest is about myths and memory, and about how families adapt in order to survive. 

The Story Of The Forest is one of those rare finds, not only does it have a beautiful cover but it is also beautiful within. Grant creates a perfect balance between the story and place/character description which allows you to fully immerse yourself in the book. There is nothing I love more than a book that truly draws you into it and when you read it you think of nothing else and Grant manages that seamlessly. 

Not only is the book beautifully written Grant manages to successfully capture the life of immigrants in pre and post war England - the endless hope of chasing the ‘American dream’ and the subtle everyday racism that is faced by every generation. From the outside you assume these topics will fill you with a sense of gloom but in fact it is the complete opposite; I finished this book full of hope and a real sense of belonging. 

As always a massive thank you to the publisher, Virago Press, and Lucy Martin for inviting me onto this blog tour - The Story Of The Forest is out now!