Wideacre: Book 1 (The Wideacre Trilogy)

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Philippa Gregory is a historical novelist out of Britain. She has been writing since 1987. Philippa is best known for writing The Other Boleyn Girl which went on to win the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. I was also surprised that Beatrice didn't get pregnant from Ralph as they had sex so many times, but I guess it wouldn't have helped advance the plot. A well written book, highlighting the horror of the disparity between social classes, and last but not least, between men and women, most of which still very much goes on today in far too many places. Philipa Gregory delves into some rather disturbing waters as she brings the lives of the Lacey family to her readers. The main character, Julia, is usually a pushover which can become extremely frustrating sometimes but you never hate her as you can clearly comprehend why and I even found myself rooting for her a lot.Richard, well Richard is just a massive twat who for most of it I had a massive desire for someone to just smash his head off a wall, I really hated him, so Philippa Gregory did a great job there.

I loved the first half of this book. Beatrice Lacey is by far the most horrible, hateful, despicable narrator I've ever read, but I found myself rooting for her throughout all her scandalous deeds- the conspired murder, the attempted murder, the committed murder, the incest, the hidden pregnancies, and on and on the list goes. I even found myself disliking sweet little Celia, as wonderful a woman as she was, simply because she was Beatrice's enemy. That, I think, is the mark of a truly wonderful author. In any other case, I would despise a woman like Beatrice, but while reading this book, I couldn't help but be on her side.

When I had read the Wikipedia on how Ralph killed Richard, I was angry at how Ralph felt he was entitled to kill any Lacey he wanted as its gatekeeper. I wasn't as upset when Ralph killed him because Richard wasn't good, but I still don't like how Ralph felt he had the right to get rid of anyone he thought wasn't treating the land right. BUT, don't all good things come to an end? Well, when she and her mother return to Wideacre, the shit hits the fan. Because they learn they're both Beatrice’s children, the products of her long incestuous affair with her brother. Don't secrets like this always rear their ugly heads at some point — just not soon enough...

Along with Richard and Julia, the Lacey clan are a demented bunch. Beatrice is like a virus that infects them all. And before long, they are lying, cheating, committing murder and engaging in incest all for the sake of a dream to secure Wideacre that Beatrice birthed. As these two grow up, it becomes clear who the favored child is. Julia begins to have dreams of Beatrice, (sometimes even becoming Beatrice herself) and has the same tenderness and need to be on the land of Wideacre. Richard, surprisingly, does not inherit anything from Beatrice. Some might argue his capacity for evil came from her, but I would not agree. Beatrice would NEVER abuse an animal, let alone kill one in the most painful way possible. Animals loved Beatrice. Animals fear Richard. He does not inherit her ability to ride. He is truly rotten to the core; what I had always pictured an incestuous child to be. Julia inherits all of Beatrice's good traits; none of her evil ones. In that, she is the Beatrice Beatrice should have grown up to be. She earns the respect of the Acre village, and earns the knowledge to bring the land to life. Beatrice Lacey is the daughter of the Squire of Wideacre, an estate situated on the South Downs, centered around Wideacre Hall. Devoted to her father, at the age of five years she falls in love with the estate and decides to stay there forever. She has another theme that is pervasive throughout all her books - the responsibility of the ruling class to care for the lesser classes. It's extremely relevant even today - as congress debates restrictions on corporate greed, the progressive tax system, universal health care and the role and size of government. The Wideacre novels are quite controversial. Some people love them. Some people hate them. But everyone who has read them has strong feelings about them, and for good reason.Meridon, or Sarah, seems to have a balance of both her mother, and grandmother, and through out the book she discovers that for herself. When it came down to it, she didn't let her demons keep her from happiness. I didn't like at the end how she was repudiating the name of Sarah when earlier she had repudiated the name of Meridon. When she found "Wide" and took her birthname, Sarah, I thought to myself how Sarah is such a plain name compared to Meridon. But now I got used to it, and I'm not too fond of the idea of her denying the name her biological mother gave her...

Harry is not only unintelligent but also ever absent. He also doesn’t care about Wideacre and is only positioned to inherit the estate because he’s a man and Beatrice is a woman. The injustice of it all drives Beatrice up the wall and she makes it her mission in life to bring Wideacre under her direct control. Beatrice clearly loves her father but she is even more devoted to the state of Wideacre. And even as a child, she is determined to live and die on the patch of land. Her dreams begin to shatter when she turns 11 and learns that her brother Harry is poised to inherit the land once her father passes. Anything people are currently raving about. I’m a slow reader, and I read old books as often as new ones, so I always feel like a hopeless failure when it comes to keeping up with brand new titles. Wideacre is a 1987 historical novel by Philippa Gregory. This novel is Gregory's debut, and the first in the Wideacre trilogy that includes The Favoured Child (1989) and Meridon (1990). Set in the second half of the 18th century, it follows Beatrice Lacey's destructive lifelong attempts to gain control of the Wideacre estate. Wideacre was very hard to stomach for me. I believe the only explanation for the immorality of Beatrice would be a mental illness combined with living in a society focused on decorum and paying very little attention to any moral values. Being one of the ruling class that feels to be above the rules probably wouldn’t help the matter either.

Publication Order of Wideacre Books

Like so many characters from Wideacre I felt so sorry for Meridon and the hardships she went through, but it made her a strong, independent person. She was able to experience so much more in life then the other characters in the first two books. After the first book I didn't think that I would want to read any more, it was very good, but the main character was so vicious that it almost gave me nightmares!! So. The concluding volume of the Wideacre trilogy. Each book is different, but this is by far the tamest. The story arc covers two years instead of 10 or more & the WTFery is kept to a minimum; for those that care, there's no incest in this book. Love Triangle?:Yes; Richard vs. Julia vs. James, a kindly suitor. Richard quashes this romance like a bug. During this time, she earned her in English literature at the University of Sussex where she had switched into a history course. Philippa worked at a radio station known as BBD for about two years prior to attending the University of Edinburgh.

Each book is the story of a daughter of the grand estate, Wideacre. Meridon is our heroine for this book. I can't say much without spoiling, but this one gives us a much different perspective on Wideacre, and it's little village. This is the best book of the trilogy, by far. Beatrice fought hard to protect her claim over Wideacre and, as a result, she lost everything. The Estate is in ruin and mostly bankrupt. But the story of the Laceys is far from over.Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Nielsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. Fascinating, gripping, sexual, sensuous, grim, incestuous, a little mysterious, horrifying, unrelenting despair (and by comparison, I think Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbeyvilles got off light)—if these adjectives don't discourage you away from this love-it-or-hate-it book, you're in for a real ride. Pros:Philippa Gregory sure knows how to spin a great tale, and she never fails to engross the reader in her sordid character's lives. A Little Romance?:Richard and Julia fall in love as children (but they don't realize they are brother and sister). She later falls in love with James, but Richard the psychopath doesn't like this one bit, so he effectively puts and end to it. The story: Beatrice Lacey is passionately fond of the Wideacre estate where she has grown up and of which her father is Squire. So fond of it that she commits incest, murder and fraud to ensure that she stays on the land rather than let ownership pass to her brother Harry. Fortunately for Beatrice Harry is a blubber-butt bundle of appetites and perverted passions, and therefore easily handled, although Beatrice's husband and sister-in-law prove a bit harder to fool. In attempting to secure Wideacre for her son, Beatrice overreaches herself and effectively ruins the land she loves, bringing starvation to the villagers who once adored her. But they have a champion in Ralph, the gamekeeper's son whom Beatrice has loved and maimed, and who is now known as the Culler and is coming to get his revenge...