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Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1)
Wideacre - Wideacre, Bk 1
Author: Philippa Gregory
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 conscie...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780743249294
ISBN-10: 0743249291
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 656
Rating:
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 418

3.1 stars, based on 418 ratings
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 27
I like bad girls.

I'm not talking about the whiny brats, the passive-aggressive victims, and the casually cruel. I'm talking about those women who don't conform to society's expectations and who use every resource they have to thrive. The sl*ts, the b*tches, the fighters and the survivors. Those are the bad girls I like.

You might like a few of them yourself. Historical figures like Elizabeth Tudor and Cleopatra the Great were both bad girls of that mold; if they hadn't been, they'd have been murdered young and we'd have never heard of either of them. Instead, they both schemed, manipulated and even killed to become great queens.

There are beloved fictional bad girls too. Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind is probably the most infamous. Scarlett is a heroine with insurmountable flaws, but her single minded determination and her raw courage have made her an enduring cultural icon. More recent literary history gives us the Dallanger Saga by V.C. Andrews, which captivated millions of readers with its vengeful heroine, Cathy Doll. But as dark and twisted as Cathy is, there can be redemption for her.

Not so with the main character of a remarkable novel I just read. Wideacre is not the kind of book that I would normally have picked up. In fact, because I had no notion of where the story was going, the first chapter was so dull that I nearly chucked the book in the trash. Worse, I could not find it within me to like the heroine. But soon, I realized that I did not just dislike Beatrice Lacey--I hated her.

And then I could not put the book down.

The narrator of Wideacre is unlike any main character I have ever encountered before with the possible exception of The Marquise de Merteuil from Dangerous Liaisons or Catherine Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights. At first, I read Wideacre because I was shocked. Then I kept reading because I couldn't wait to find out what awful thing Beatrice the sociopath would do next. But eventually, I became so absorbed in the darkness of her heart and the desperation of her struggle that I was unaccountably moved to tears.

While I could see no road to redemption for Beatrice, and I did not come to love her, I took no joy in her failures. This book is a tragedy, and in spite of the wildly divergent reviews on Amazon.com, I think it'll resonate with every woman's inner villainess.

Though Beatrice is not a normal woman by any stretch of the imagination, she is a product of the sexism of her times. Some of her vices, in a man, would be virtues. It's her absolute refusal to accept the role that society has set out for her that turns her into a monster. It's not that Beatrice can't love. It's that she doesn't love as a woman ought to. And when she does love, it's to such excess that it destroys everything.

In less exaggerated ways, I suspect every woman has been there. Driven by passions that are unseemly, unacceptable, and difficult to control. Usually, this manifests itself in semi-innocent transgressions, like spying on a boyfriend's email or calling his cell phone 47 times. But Wideacre must be understood as a woman's fable. It's a lesson in violent passions unrestrained by conscience or apology. And though it purports to be historical fiction, there are some plausibly deniable fantasy elements that pull it into the speculative fiction realm.

It's also a book with political and historical lessons; a thinking person's gothic horror. But at its core Wideacre is epic myth. Beatrice is a woman and a goddess, with all the potential for destruction that entails.

Wideacre is not a perfect book. It's too long by about 200 pages. It's repetitive, surreal, and after a while, you can see the ending coming like an unstoppable freight train and you're just there to watch the wreck. This is a dark book, disgusting and compelling at once. It's also a book that will haunt me for a long time.
MyLikeIt avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 450 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 14
It is a compliment to Gregory's writing talent to say that I found the main character so unsympathetic as to make the book difficult to read. Gregory skillfully takes us inside the clever mind of a cold-hearted, obsessed young woman, Beatrice Lacey, who has set her cap on one thing and one thing alone. Putting aside the themes of incest and violence, Beatrice Lacey is, in a word, psychopathic. Her utter lack of conscience, her grasping greed, and her inability to love others are her main traits. These traits also bring about her downfall, but only after about 600 pages of distasteful conduct. Nevertheless, I kept reading, as Gregory's depiction of life in Georgian England is richly drawn with lots of interesting detail. I can't say that I enjoyed this book, but I couldn't fail to finish it.
reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 13
I am a huge Philippa Gregory fan and buy her books the day they come out, but even I could not bring myself to finish this book. The incest storyline grossed me out more than it intrigued me, and I wasn't enjoying reading this book at all. I'm not usually offended easily but this book crossed a line with me. I get that the incest is a way to convey how Beatrice will stop at absolutely nothing to get her way, but I couldn't stand to read further. I've decided to move on to the other books I have to read and not spend any more time on this one... hopefully The Other Queen isn't as disturbing as this one because I can't wait to read it!
VeganFreak avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 13
This book was well written. All of the characters were flawed and hard to like by the middle of the story, but I felt compelled to keep reading.

The main character is motivated by obsession and as is typical with that sort of plot, the story becomes dark. It is interesting to have the character start out as a sweet girl and then develop into a woman who will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal.

This is not your Momma's historical fiction! There is dark and very adult content in this series. Many commandments are broken, so if that sort of thing bothers you, skip this series.

The series order is Wideacre, The Favored Child, Meridon.
reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 34 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
I actually surprised myself by finishing this book, because even as I read it I constantly thought I would not continue and wondered why I did. I guess the only reason is that Philipa Gregory is such a great writer, she kept me strangely engrossed. I was really appalled and disgusted at the content and could not stand the characters. Not an uplifting, happy story. Will not read any further in this series though. Don't want to waste my points.
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dewfactor avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 10 more book reviews
I've been reading for over 40 years, and this is the worst book I've ever read. I normally like Philippa Gregory's work, and I am not squeamish about a little sex in a "romance" novel, but this is the filthiest piece of trash I've ever picked up. It's so bad that I actually threw the book away when I couldn't take it anymore -- I didn't even want to donate it, but figured it can be recycled into something useful.
audreyglen1 avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on
Love Phillipa Gregory books, her writing reminds me of Victoria Holt's, who is my absolute favorite author! This story, actually shocked me at first. It was nothing like I was used to in a 'romance novel' yet....Ms. Gregory brings the character to life,which brought out feelings about the main character....compelling read!
reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 76 more book reviews
Disturbing...It was like watching an accident happen. I didn't want to read more but had to know what was going to happen. Towards the end, I was reading just to root for the secondary characters. It was well written and unfortunately...mostly believeable.
23dollars avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 432 more book reviews
WIDEACRE was the May 2013 pick in my local book club.

Yikes, yikes, yikes....Incest abounds! Beatrice Lacey will stop at nothing to secure her heritage and rule on high as the mistress of her beloved Wideacre estate in Georgian-era England.

As a long time reader of Philippa Gregory's books on the royals, I was shocked to read such excessive and explicit reveling in an incestuous sexual relationship! It really leaves you to wonder if this weren't written from experience. Or if perhaps the author herself isn't the product of such a relationship...I mean, seriously, who writes an incestuous bodice-ripper?!

This book left a bad taste in my mouth, because the incest is ROMANTICIZED, under the guise of Beatrice's narration.

Why couldn't Beatrice and Harry have been step-brother and sister instead of blood brother and sister?? And even if it were written that they were having a sexual relationship, why would an author think the reader would need to be repeatedly brought into the bedroom with them, reading such explicit details about the sex those two were constantly having? Why?

It was just plain creepy and disturbing. Period.

On a more positive note, the last 200 pages seemed to indicate that a good editor got her to cast a more negative light on the previous indulgence of all the romanticized sex Bea and Harry had been having (not to mention the BDSM thrown in for good measure!) and we got a lot of references to the relationship as being a beast, or monster. But that doesn't in any way make up for the over-indulgence of the first 3/4 of the book.

The last portion also features Beatrice's scheming to change the line of inheritance to the incestuous children she sired with her brother! And there were some good scenes of conversation about the wealthy and their treatment of the poor, and those were riveting. But Beatrice doesn't get anywhere near the due she should've gotten for all her 2 dimensional, murderous, evil, sick, twisted wickedness! LOL

This was not my idea of escapism and I didn't enjoy reading about a brother and sister having R rated sex for hundreds of pages. It was disgusting. D+
donnar avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 22 more book reviews
I Loved this book, period! I'm a great fan of Philippa Gregory's books, and this series is my favorite ever. Keeps you thoroughly engrossed.
It's about a girl who grows up becoming obsessed with her family's estate to the point of madness..and passes it down to the next generation. It was interesting to see the lengths she goes to, to keep her estate as she wants it.
I recommend it highly!!!
justreadingabook avatar reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 1726 more book reviews
Just couldn't seem to get into this book, kept thinking the storyline would open up and take off but it never really did. Must say I was surprised since I have loved reading her other books.
reviewed Wideacre (Wideacre, Bk 1) on + 200 more book reviews
I read only part of this book. The leading character of Wideacre by the time she is 18, has become a twisted kind of individual, in my opinion. As there is incest written about in the first quarter of the book, I chose not to read the rest.
The writing is superb, I just didn't like the inclusion of quite a bit of sexual matters, which are discussed in too much detail for me.


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