Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1922 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Synopsis
This is the reissue of Philippa Gregory's first novel, a tale of passion and intrigue set in the eighteenth century. 'If it was the way of the world that girls left home, then the world would have to change. I would never change.' Wideacre Hall, set in the heart of the English countryside, is the ancestral home that Beatrice Lacey loves. But, as a woman of the eighteenth century, she has no right of inheritance. Corrupted by a world that mistreats women, she sets out to corrupt others. Sexual and wilful, she believes that the only way to achieve control over Wideacre is through a series of horrible crimes, and no-one escapes the consequences of her need to possess the land. Sweeping, passionate, unique: "Wideacre" is the novel which brought Philippa Gregory to bestselling fame and is the first of the trilogy which continued with "The Favoured Child" and concluded with "Meridon".

Customer Reviews

Wouldn't even give this to Oxfam
Terrible. This book was a gift, and i should have given it straight back.
Considering the standard of her other books, this is disappointing. Tacky, farfetched, and just generally bad

A brilliant read - highly recommend
I thoroughly enjoy Philippa Gregory's books. Right from the start, you are drawn into the story, starting off with the main character, Beatrice Lacey's, childhood. The characters are so well thought through and believable, you can't put the book down because you need to know what's going to happen next! I have missed stops on the train because of this book.

The story is about Beatrice Lacey, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, whose only passion is the land and her home, Wideacre, and she will do anything to keep it within her grasp including incest, murder and a whole lot of lying, deceiving and general bad behaviour.

Unfortunately, it appears a few people have a downer on this book purely, it seems, because they are squeamish about issues like incest(granted, it is a rather grim subject) but I think a strong and talented author like Ms Gregory winds it into the plot so a lot of people will appreciate that this is what Beatrice Lacey felt she had to do to keep the Wideacre estate within her grasp. Her desperation and passion knew no bounds.

The way each character grows is well done. I won't ruin the plot for you by saying how though - that is part of the pleasure of this book! The plot twists and turns and you are torn between wondering how Beatrice Lacey could be so cold and calculating to actually feeling sorry for her and her plight.

As with all Philippa Gregory books, I found Wideacre to be minutely researched, incredibly readable and I wasted no time in purchasing the other two books in the series.

A tale of corruption and manipulation
This is, quite simply, one of the best books I've ever read.

Even as a young child, Beatrice loves her home and the surrounding land known as Wideacre, almost to the exclusion of everything else. But as she grows into a woman and learns that she can never inherit, she sets out to wilfully manipulate and corrupt everyone and everything that stands in her path in order to get it.

What's unusual about this book is that for me, a strong part of enjoying a novel is usually a need to like and empathise with the main character. While I began the book with empathy for Beatrice, and all women who grew up in a man's world with no rights, her character evolves into something so wicked that this was what kept me turning the pages. I was desperate to know what she was prepared to do next - and whether she would get away with it.

The novel comes to a satisfying and devastating conclusion, and can stand alone without the need to read the two books that follow: The Favoured Child and Meridion - but I will definitely be reading them.