Customer Reviews

Wideacre (Wildacre Trilogy)

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(78)

 

 

If you thought Scarlett O'Hara was an immoral, nasty woman who would do anything to hold on to her family's land, you ain't seen nothing yet. Beatrice Lacey, the (anti)heroine of "Wideacre," is a thousand times worse...but she makes delightful reading.

It's a shame the editorial review spoiled the important plot points, because I think they're even more deliciously awful when you come upon them by surprise. Every time you think you've finally got a handle on just how low Beatrice will stoop, she turns around and does something else even worse, brimming over with schemes that wouldn't ever occur to "normal" people.

I had trouble putting the book down, and raced through the last few chapters, completely captivated and dying to find out what would happen next. A truly satisfying read.

On a final note, I agree with previous reviewers who stated that this book shouldn't be filed in the romance category. While it does occasionally stray slightly into "bodice ripper" territory, you're not going to find hearts and flowers in this book.

What a curious and, ultimately, brilliant book. If you're looking for a traditional historical romance, you won't enjoy this. If you're looking for a richly imagined novel that draws on a deep knowledge of rural traditions and of the dark powers behind the pastoral ideal, then you will find this book utterly involving. Beatrice, the heroine, is maddeningly self-absorbed, but she is absolutely real in the way that pagan goddesses are real -- seductive, enchanting, terrifying, destructive. Her actions have consequences that are completely believable, unlike those of Scarlett O'Hara (to whom she's been compared). Her name in Latin means "she who blesses," and Gregory invests that fact with all possible irony. Gregory knows her stuff, both mythically and politically, and she offers a sharp, edgy portrait of just what the infant years of the Industrial Age meant to the English countryside. And, oh yes, there's plenty of sex (though not overly explicit) for those who like that sort of thing.

I just have to say first that this book is always put into the romance section in book stores - and I feel that is very wrong. This novel is erotic - but it is by no means a romance. Anyone looking for a happy book with a tidy conclusion had better look elsewhere! This novel tells the story of Beatrice Lacey, a young lady of the 18th century who realizes at a young age that the only things she wants out of life are "land and loving." Yet as she is a girl, Beatrice is destined to be denied owning the land she loves - the Wideacre estate of the title. Beatrice's struggle to possess Wideacre - which often leads her into dark and evil things - is the main subject of this book. Yet it also packs a few feminist punches, gives the reader grand descriptions of life in England during the 18th century, and introduces one of the most appealing heroes in all historical fiction. Those who read the book without falling in love with Ralph have problems! The two next books in the series are a delight as well! Read it now!

And yet--- for some reason I could see why each thing she did was what she thought she had to do. Killing one's mother is not nice, but-- anything for the old home place. Beatrice Lacey makes Scarlett O'Hara look like Mother Theresa. Never have I read a book with a female main character so evil, so devious, so downright mean. Yet, at the core of her character, all she wanted was security at Wideacre. If she had had that, she probably would have been teaching Sunday School-- or whatever they had back then. Just when you think she has reached the lowest she can go, she destroys somebody else. At times I was so disgusted I could hardly read on-- well, not really, I lapped it up- and other times I was pulling for her. It's a real page-turner, and I can hardly wait to read the sequel, The Favored Child. I have it ready to go, and I've peeked a little-- the kids have grown -- so I can hardly wait to see how they turn out. Beatrice looks like an angel, acts like the devil, and woe to anyone who gets in her way. I loved it !!!

I don't often review historical fiction, but I am a fan of Philippa Gregory's other books. I think she is a decent writer, and has brought many historical characters to life. But like many others reviewers here, I really despised this book, and almost didn't make it through. I kept plowing along, hoping beyond hope that some redeeming feature would surface in Beatrice, but it never did. And I didn't feel that her background and love of Wideacre sufficiently explained the awfulness of her deeds, so I was just left feeling like I was reading the biography of a sociopath. Which is not much fun. Maybe if the book had been positioned as that, I would have felt differently about it.
So I am firmly in the camp with those reviewers that felt Beatrice was just too disgusting and awful to devote an entire book too, and that the elegant book structure and prose didn't make up for it.

Phillippa Gregory is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. Her characters are vivid and real - even though the heroine is not a traditional romance heroine, in fact she behaves very badly - you feel compelled to hope for Beatrice's ultimate success. All three novels in this series (Wideacre, Favored Child, Meridon) have different and interesting heroines and describe the social conditions of Georgian England from all aspects of society. The cruel aspects of enclosure are brought home better than any dry school class, yet the history never overshadows the story. A very entertaining and compelling read.

This is one of the most disarming historical novels I have read in a long time! Wideacre is a novel set during Georgian times (late 18th Century to the turn of 19th Century) with some gothic undertones. Beatrice Lacey loves the Wideacre estate so much that she'd do just about anything to obtain it. And that includes plotting the death of her father, a man who adores his daughter so much that he had taught her how to ride horses when she was a little girl in spite of her mother's objections. In order to carry out her plans, Beatrice seeks the help of her brother. She knows about his dark desires for her and takes advantage of the situation. What transpires is an incestuous relationship that carries on long after they are married respectively. They have children together, a secret that is kept from their spouses. Beatrice and Harry's sins destroy everything around them, which could well include their beloved lands. There are various twists throughout the novel.

The topic of incest is definitely a disturbing one and I had a difficult time sticking to the story because I was truly spooked by such a taboo subject matter. Beatrice is the proverbial anti-heroine in more ways than one! But it was Harry that truly made my skin crawl. His desire for his sister sickened me. Their actions were truly disarming throughout the novel. Going back to Beatrice, she is quite a piece of work. She reminds me of Scarlett O'Hara -- a far more twisted version of Ms. O'Hara. You feel no sympathy for this character and she soon becomes someone you love to hate. The main characters are truly unlikable and the story is one of the most bewildering ones I have read. So why am I giving it five stars? Because it's brilliant! Philippa Gregory has created a protagonist that is meant to disturb the reader to the max. The gothic feel of the language makes things all the more morbid. If you like historical novels with a dark, gothic storyline, then Wideacre is for you. This is the first part of a trilogy and I cannot wait to give the other two novels a whirl.

Philippa Gregory sure has a knack of creating wicked passionate women. Beatrice Lacey is one such woman. Born and bred at Wideacre she is held in high esteem by the village people, her father and all who surround her. Unfortunately, despite how much she is loved and belongs to and at Wideacre, it can never be hers, because she is a woman.

She decides to make it hers, no matter the cost. She plays all the other characters in the book against each other, seeing them only as how they can serve her purpose. Through the book she changes Wideacre and the people that inhabit it, for the worse, but can see no other way. And when victory comes, it is very shallow indeed.

Beatrice is not a nice person. But she is a powerful and passionate woman who refuses to obey anyone but her dreams, and l admire her for that. I had to laugh when an earlier reviewer stated that Beatrice was despicable and only finished the book to see if she got her "comeuppance". The books is over 600 pages, so it's an awful long wait! Another good recommendation is Philippa Gregory's "Wise Woman".

I actually liked this book. Yes, I agree with a lot of people out there that it was not as good as The Queen's Fool and other great Philippa Gregory novels, but I enjoyed it. I felt the characters were well developed and whoever said you have to like the characters to like the book? It's how much I DIDN'T like them made this book was so intriguing! I was disgusted at the ways Beatrice Lacey thought of only the land above everything but I was sympathetic to 'poor' Celia when she tried to go up against Beatrice. And it is interesting how Celia took a very political stance at the end of the book...I felt like I was watching CNN almost ;o) Anyways, it's no Jane Austen or anything but it's not bad, really!

Its too bad that some readers can't get past the sex in this book, and take a look at what Wideacre really is: a brilliant debut novel by a woman who has really written some fine historical fiction. It seems that those who have read Philippa Gregory's later works (a la The Other Boleyn Girl) are disappointed by the way she wrote this novel. While it is true that The Other Boleyn Girl is a finer book, Wideacre is commendable as well.

I for one found this to be an insightful and intriguing book. The heroine is much different that most heroines are: every reader hates her. I don't think that Philippa Gregory meant for Beatrice Lacey to be likeable. Yet no one within the novel seems to understand the real heart and soul of Beatrice, the young woman who will do anything to keep control of her beloved home. However, things seem to go very wrong, and in the end Beatrice finds herself asking, "is it all worth it?" I found myself asking the same question right from the get-go. Is Wideacre worth all the plotting and scheming that Beatrice does? As the book's cover has stated, there's a fine amount of death and incest, but they aren't the point of the book. At least three people in the book are the victims of murder, and Beatrice seems to show no shame or remorse with regards to death- even her father, who she loved as the Squire of Wideacre.

Wideacre isn't your typical romance novel; the main characters have a lot more personality and drive than those which appear in other books. Beatrice Lacey, despite her vile deeds, is an admirable (though certainly not commendable) woman. I was astounded at the way in which she very cooly was able to set traps for and lie to anyone who stood in her way. Although she loves her brother, he is only a prawn in the game she plays. In some ways I felt sorry for John MacAndrew and Celia Lacey, both also praens in the game that Beatrice feels she must play in order to secure Wideacre for her children, Richard and Julia. It thought it was amazing how Beatrice let everything go to pieces around her in the end, even though she thought she was still in control. The book ends with a frightening climax, in which a charater from her past comes back for revenge.

Philippa Gregory draws the world of late- 18th century with a fine eye for detail, never missing the things that are most important. I highly recommend this book, though I warn that it is not for the weak at heart. Wideacre is not your typical romance novel, and should not be treated as such.