Wideacre

Minority camp: population few and far between. I loved this book! The historical detail, the lush description, the formal but effective dialogue - not to mention the scandal and the drama. 'Wideacre' is like a Victorian gothic novel, but without any of the euphemism or inference, pulling no punches when it comes to sex and violence. As to the incest, which seems to be the element that disgusts most readers, this is a work of fiction, not a reference manual - Philippa Gregory neither condones or promotes the actions of her anti-heroine/villainess, and the reward for enduring Beatrice's base actions comes at the end, when she meets her fate.

Beatrice Lacey is a rare character in modern fiction: a truly strong and ambitious woman. Just show more because the goal she strives for, and the increasingly desperate and immoral means she employs to achieve it, are far from attractive or feminine, does not make her less independent or intelligent. She is not, God forbid, a 'feisty' heroine from fluffy romance novels, with bland, modern views wrapped up in period costume, who defies convention only until finding the right man; rather a spoiled, twisted, power-mad creation of eighteenth century double standards (and I think the inbreeding must have started a generation early). Beatrice Lacey reminds me of the characters played by Margaret Lockwood in old Gainsborough films, with the conventional yet weaker-willed Celia as her Patricia Roc. There is even a roguish lover, Ralph, and a lovesick suitor, John McAndrew, to match to the foul and fair beauties!

This is a gripping, unabashedly melodramatic novel with a thoroughly cold and cruel leading lady. If Becky Sharp of 'Vanity Fair' and Milady in 'The Three Musketeers' are wicked, then Beatrice Lacey is utterly inhuman. The first person narrative does not - cannot - make her sympathetic or redeem her in any way, but the reader understands, more than the other characters, how deeply unstable and unscrupulous Beatrice is. She is almost unbearable, but when Celia and John and the villagers start to recognise the monster she is, the pace of the final half of the book quickens rapidly. I was hooked, waiting for 'the Culler' to come to Wideacre, and for Beatrice's professed love of the land to bring destruction to her life and property.

On a nitpicking level, there are one or two anachronisms - reference to the guillotine, for instance - but overall Philippa Gregory hits the time and place spot on. After pausing for breath, I shall definitely read the next two books in the series. show less

This is definitely not the book for everyone: you have to have a high tolerance for evil, despicable, immoral actions. Having said that, this is a great, gothic, historically fascinating novel with feminist leanings. The story is superbly paced and leaves one squirming to know what outrageous thing Beatrice is going to do next. I first read this book about 30 years ago, and felt it was time to revisit it: it's a good book to read on hot summer days in the country when you can almost hear the corn grow and put on tassels.

Beatrice is the daughter of the Squire of Wideacre. Though she knows the land and loves farming, she is destined to be married off and sent away from the only home she has ever known. But she is determined to own the land herself, and at the age of fifteen throws all her will behind this conviction. She will dare anything and pay any price to have the land she loves.

This is easily the best novel in the series. It's pretty outlandish, and downright unlikely in parts, but the character of Beatrice is vibrant. The reader cannot help but root for her. She is surrounded by mediocrity and chained in by the social system. Even as she is going mad and plotting unforgivable cruelty, I couldn't help but admire the way she defied all the show more patriarchal laws of the time. show less

Beatrice Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her family name and beloved Wideacre estate once she is wed, Beatrice will use any means necessary to protect her ancestral heritage. Seduction, betrayal, even murder — Beatrice's passion is without apology or conscience. "She is a Lacey of Wideacre," her father warns, "and whatever she does, however she behaves, will always be fitting." Yet even as Beatrice's scheming seems about to yield her dream, she is haunted by the one living person who knows the extent of her plans...and her capacity for evil.

Sumptuously set in Georgian England, Wideacre is intensely gripping, rich in texture, and full of color and show more authenticity. It is a saga as irresistible in its singular magic as its heroine.

Having previously reviewed and enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl by Gregory, I thought for sure that I would enjoy this book, as well. Many of my friends have read and enjoyed the series, so I had high hopes.

I didn't finish it.
I just couldn't do it.

I was intrigued by Beatrice and her plight (trying to own Wideacre in a time when women cannot own anything), and I was interested in her story. The plot got extremely repetitive, however.

Spoilers Warning for the Following! /strong>
I am by no means a prude, but the incest with her brother, while I understood why she did it, was just too much for me. I think it would have been alright if it hadn't been the fallback for the plot:
She and her brother are incestruous. That gives her slight success. She tries something else for more success. It doesn't work so she goes back to her brother for more moderate success. She tries something else. Fail. Brother. New idea again. Fail. Brother.
My God, I just couldn't take it anymore!
And the fact that he liked to be dominated was really just the cherry on the cake.

End spoilers.

I did care enough about the characters to want to read the epilogue before I decided to officially file the book away forever.
I don't know if I'll ever finish the series; I have an awfully large TBR pile of books that I'd rather read before I ever get to The Favored Child. show less

It's hard to finish the books when you hate the characters so much. I suppose that means it's a well written book about obsession, but I just found it nasty.

After enjoying Gregory’s “The Constant Princess,” I decided to go back and read her works in chronological order. While many of her later works are based on the lives of true historical figures, the characters in this first book of a trilogy are original.

From the time she could sit alone on a horse, young Beatrice Lacey has grown to love and learned everything there is to know about the land of her father’s estate, Wideacre. To her young and naïve eyes, her father is grooming her to someday run the estate, and it is a shock when she realizes that she, just as all other ladies of Quality, must eventually marry and leave the estate. This is the story of the severe and unbelievable lengths Beatrice goes to in order to secure her show more place at Wideacre forever, only to bring about its eventual ruin.

This is Gregory’s first work, and she clearly has some talent in writing. However, by far the biggest flaw in this book is that most of the characters, the heroine(?) in particular, are extremely unlikable and have few redeeming qualities. Beatrice, although ambitious and perhaps admirable initially, I soon felt only contempt for. Harry and Celia are both blind and weak. The treatment of the one character the reader can sympathize with, Dr. MacAndrew, is painfully dreadful. I’ve grown fond of Ms. Gregory, so despite its flaws, I’ll finish the series. show less

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I can understand Beatrice's frustration at the unfairness towards her gender when it comes to inheritance. She would have to give up her name, and leave Wideacre if she married. Even if something happened to her brother and she was her father's only child, she still would not inherit because of her gender. She's also stifled by the expectations of women at this time (1760's-1770's) since she would rather be outside, riding her horse or exploring Wideacre instead of being stuck inside the house all day with her mother doing sewing and other 'approved' hobbies for women of the gentry. In the beginning of the book, I completely sympathize with her.

Some of the bad decisions she show more makes... could be justified as being done under duress and without malicious intentions. Others, especially later in the book, however, show what a arrogant and prideful creature she has become. Yes, being a woman in this time and place was unfair, but some of her actions really had no justification. Yet I could not help but continue reading on, wanting to know more and more about Wideacre and the things Beatrice was wiling to do to protect her place.

This book has garnered a variety of reactions. Some love it. Some hate it. Personally, I both liked and didn't like it. As far as the writing style goes, it was good, and the story was compelling. Sure, it was getting harder and harder to like Beatrice, but I still wanted to read on to find out what would become of her. So in the end, I would recommend it as a fun and compelling piece of historical fiction, but must warn you that you may end up hating the character by the end. show less