Product Description

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'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6337 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Review
'This is a story of violent love and unsettling passions. It will never let you rest for a page as you wait for the climax that must come for the people and the land.' Maeve Binchy 'Amid all the social upheaval strides Beatrice Lacey, who, for singlemindedness, tempestuousness, passion, amorality, sensuality and plain old-fashioned evil, knocks Scarlet O'Hara into short cotton socks.' Evening Standard 'Written from instinct, not out of calculation, and it shows.' Peter Ackroyd, The Times

About the Author
Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of historical novels. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. Works that have been adapted for television include A Respectable Trade, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool. The Other Boleyn Girl is now a major film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Philippa Gregory lives in the North of England with her family.

Customer Reviews

Historical, yes, but don't expect romance
"Wideacre" is the first book in the Wideacre trilogy, which follows the fortunes of the Lacey family throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The titles of the books foretell the obssessions of the protagonists: in this case, the obssession is the estate of Wideacre in the title.

Beatrice Lacey is desperately in love with the Wideacre estate which belongs to her family, but as a female in the eighteenth century, she cannot inherit. Despite the fact she knows the land better than anyone, she must watch the estate go to her brother Harry, who has no idea how to run it. The realisation of this prompts Beatrice to start a desperate quest to secure her place on the land, no matter what. At first, everything goes according to plan: she becomes almost a goddess on Wideacre (Beatrice means 'she who blesses'), gets married to a man who understands her and seems to have everything. But secrets from her past start to surface, and Beatrice becomes more and more desperate, taking and taking until the estate is on the verge of ruin. Her joy in life (food and sex), in Wideacre and in horses disappears, and there is nothing left.

It's interesting to watch the other characters change and grow with Beatrice. Her brother goes from a gifted young boy to a portly, boorish squire; Celia, his wife, matures from a wallflower into a pious, determined, brave young woman, the angel to Beatrice's devil; and John, Beatrice's husband, goes through hell and back. Beatrice, however, is different.

"If that was the way of the world, then the world would have to change. I would never change."

She makes this vow at five years old, but she sticks to it. However, one of the themes of the novel is adaptation. If you do not adapt, then eventually you must die in some way or another: this happens to her father, her first love, her mother, and eventually to Beatrice and Harry. At the ending, the air is cleansed, but you can see that it's not over yet.

The language in this novel is sometimes lyrical and sometimes crude. Beatrice is a compelling character, but difficult to like. There are many themes in this book: what women must do in a man's world to survive; paganism and Christianity; body and mind. It's a powerful read, very sensuous and full of life, but not for the faint-hearted.

Wideacre
The main character, Beatrice Lacey is so hateful and so calculating that I found this book hard to put down because I could not help but wonder what she would do next? What obscene and evil step would Beatrice take next in order to claim the estate she so loves but can never own because she is a woman living in a time when women cannot own land? This story will bring out strong emotions! You can only hate Beatrice. You can only love Celia, her brother's wife. You can only be devastated at the fall Beatrice's husband takes, all due to Beatrice's obsessive and sick needs to claim the land. Beatrice is pure poison. As much as she brings death to the characters around her, in the novel, she brings the novel to life as a dangerous and sordid story of passion, incest, and obsessive desire. Whew! What a read!

Brilliant!
This is a simply brilliant book. I will not describe any of the events as that would completely spoil the experience but the twists and turns of the plot as the story progressed were beautifully crafted and I definitely recommend this as a 'must read'. The characters are carefully thought out and as the novel continues you begin to notice the small idiosyncrises (sp?) that make them unique and upon finishing the book you are reminded of so many events that were giving you clues that you ignored along the way! The novel holds your attention, maybe once there is a paragraph that does not capture the reader and I must say that I actually gasped in shock at one point, something i don't believe i have done before when reading a book! With Gregory's book 'The Other Boleyn Girl' being made into a film as we speak, I truely believe that this novel will also follow. Do not be put off by the fact that this novel is set in the past, it may have some historical references but it leaves behind that 'textbook' feel as Gregory reveals more and more about life in Wideacre and the main character, a young girl named Beatrice.

I am writing this less than five minutes after reading the sequel to this book, 'The Favoured Child' and cannot stress enough how fantasic these two novels are, easily the best I have ever read, and as a self-confessed book worm this means they are the best among many.