Product Description

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 authenticity. It is a saga as irresistible in its singular magic as its heroine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28972 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780743249294
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Gregory's full-blown first novel is a marvelously assured period piece, an English gothic with narrative verve. Beatrice Lacey loves nothing more than the family estate, Wideacrenot her bluff, hearty father, her weak brother, Harry, or her mother, who can't quite believe mounting evidence that damns her passionate daughter. Foiled in her hunger to own the estate by the 18th century laws of entail, Beatrice plots her father's death, knowing she can twist Harry in any direction she chooses, for her brother harbors a dark, perverted secret. Their incestuous tangle is not broken even by Harry's marriage. And while a bounteous harvest multiplies, no one gainsays the young squire and his sister, the true master of Wideacre. Beatrice marries also, managing to hide the paternity of two children sired by Harry until her increasing greed squeezes the land and its people dry, and the seeds of destruction she has sown come to their awful fruition. Gregory effortlessly breathes color and life into a tale of obsession built around a ruthless, fascinating woman. Doubleday Book Club main selection; Literary Guild alternate; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Pasadena Star-News Never has fiction portrayed such a woman as Beatrice Lacey....Wideacre is a compelling story of dark fascination. -- Review

Review
Val HennessyLondon Daily MailWhen it comes to writers of historical fiction, Philippa Gregory is in the very top league.

Maeve BinchyAuthor of QuentinsA 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.

San Jose Mercury NewsThe quintessential page-turner.

Pasadena Star-NewsNever has fiction portrayed such a woman as Beatrice Lacey....Wideacre is a compelling story of dark fascination.

Customer Reviews

Beatrice Lacey: the character I most love to hate
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.

Brilliantly Pagan
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.

Wow - this is one amazing book!
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!