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Wideacre #1-2-3
The Wideacre Trilogy: Wideacre + The Favoured Child + Meridon
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
Philippa Gregory
The Wideacre Trilogy
WIDEACRE
Beatrice Lacey, strong-minded and beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her family name and beloved Wideacre estate once she is married, Beatrice will use any means:--seduction, betrayal, even murder--to protect her ancestral heritage. Yet even as Beatrice's scheming seems about to yield her dream, she is haunted by the one person who knows the extent of her plans...and her capacity for evil.
THE FAVORED CHILD
The Wideacre estate is bankrupt. The villagers are living in poverty, and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin. But, in the Dower House, two children are being raised in protected innocence. Equal claimants to the estate, rivals for the love of the village, they are tied by a secret childhood betrothal but forbidden to marry. Only one can be the favored child. Only one can be Beatrice Lacey's true heir.
MERIDON
Meridon knows she does not belong in the dirty vagabond life of a bareback rider in a traveling show. The half-remembered vision of another life drives her son, even as her beloved sister, Dandy, risks everything for their future. Alone, Meridon follows the urgings of her dream, riding in the moonlight past the rusted gates, up the winding drive to a house--clutching the golden clasp of the necklace that is her birthright--home at last to Wideacre.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Philippa Gregory
134 books36.7k followersDR PHILIPPA GREGORY studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. 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 Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia. and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com.
Philippa's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilippaGregoryOfficial
She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com.
Philippa's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilippaGregoryOfficial
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 6, 2016
Before I read Wideacre, I noticed a number of reviewers compared the heroine Beatrice Lacey to Scarlett O’Hara, presumably because of Beatrice’s lack of introspection, ability to manipulate men through her sexuality, and her obsessive love of the land. However, in a one-on-one battle of wills, there is no contest. Beatrice would have Scarlett for breakfast, sleep with both Rhett and Ashley, and find a way for her heirs to inherit Tara…all before her morning chocolate.
The other similarity with Gone With the Wind is that even when the reader (at least this reader) finds herself shaking her head at some of the improbable plot twists, the book is a great, cracking read and literally impossible to put down. Furthermore, unlike Mitchell, Gregory is a true historian, and the fine details about the relationship between the gentry and peasants, agricultural practices, estate management, and enclosure not only ring true but are genuinely educational, not sentimental. The history is expertly woven into the plot yet teaches the reader a great deal about life during the period in which the novel is set.
*Here Comes the Spoilers (trying to keep them minimal but read at your own risk)*
That being said, I have to say that even as someone with a very high tolerance for antiheroes (and for what it’s worth, as a writer myself who has written a book narrated by what could be considered an antihero), Beatrice turned my stomach at certain points. My favorite part of the book was the first hundred pages about the tomboyish child Beatrice, when she was riding horses and learning about the land from her father. Once she commits murder she starts to become so unremittingly wicked so quickly the novel seems to switch from a relatively realistic tone to a Gothic register. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good old-fashioned unreliable narrator but Beatrice becomes a wicked person who just does more and more wicked things to the point of…er…overkill. She does have sympathetic moments in terms of her love of the land and her child but they are few and far between.
The lack of intelligent characters to buffer Beatrice’s presence, with the exception of her husband, can also give the novel a one-dimensional quality although I simply had to know how it ended.
Still, the first hundred pages, the scenes depicting riding and racing, as well as the final chapters as Beatrice waits for her death are so beautifully written this book is well worth a read and is still highly recommended. It did give me nightmares, but in a good way. I was wondering when I started to read it why it had so many five-star and one-star reviews (and I always have to read a book with tons of five and one-star reviews). Now I know. Rather than Gone With The Wind (or Gone With the Wind meets Flowers in the Attic, as I read it hilariously reviewed by one reader) I would say that it’s a bit like a 18th century version of I, Claudius—narrated by Livia. And I’m very fond of I, Claudius.
The other similarity with Gone With the Wind is that even when the reader (at least this reader) finds herself shaking her head at some of the improbable plot twists, the book is a great, cracking read and literally impossible to put down. Furthermore, unlike Mitchell, Gregory is a true historian, and the fine details about the relationship between the gentry and peasants, agricultural practices, estate management, and enclosure not only ring true but are genuinely educational, not sentimental. The history is expertly woven into the plot yet teaches the reader a great deal about life during the period in which the novel is set.
*Here Comes the Spoilers (trying to keep them minimal but read at your own risk)*
That being said, I have to say that even as someone with a very high tolerance for antiheroes (and for what it’s worth, as a writer myself who has written a book narrated by what could be considered an antihero), Beatrice turned my stomach at certain points. My favorite part of the book was the first hundred pages about the tomboyish child Beatrice, when she was riding horses and learning about the land from her father. Once she commits murder she starts to become so unremittingly wicked so quickly the novel seems to switch from a relatively realistic tone to a Gothic register. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good old-fashioned unreliable narrator but Beatrice becomes a wicked person who just does more and more wicked things to the point of…er…overkill. She does have sympathetic moments in terms of her love of the land and her child but they are few and far between.
The lack of intelligent characters to buffer Beatrice’s presence, with the exception of her husband, can also give the novel a one-dimensional quality although I simply had to know how it ended.
Still, the first hundred pages, the scenes depicting riding and racing, as well as the final chapters as Beatrice waits for her death are so beautifully written this book is well worth a read and is still highly recommended. It did give me nightmares, but in a good way. I was wondering when I started to read it why it had so many five-star and one-star reviews (and I always have to read a book with tons of five and one-star reviews). Now I know. Rather than Gone With The Wind (or Gone With the Wind meets Flowers in the Attic, as I read it hilariously reviewed by one reader) I would say that it’s a bit like a 18th century version of I, Claudius—narrated by Livia. And I’m very fond of I, Claudius.
January 21, 2009
Whew.
My best friend gave me the set of these books for Christmas (and she's a preacher's wife!), knowing that I love Philippa Gregory.
These are not typical Philippa Gregory books.
The first book, Wildacre, is about Beatrice Lacey and her love for her home Wildacre and its land. She will do anything, and I mean anything, for it. She is rotten bad.
The second book, The Favored Child, is about her daughter Julia, who is afraid that she is like and/or becoming Beatrice, but she is missing the sadistic and cruel streak that her mother had. Julia is manipulated and broken by her horrid brother/cousin Richard, but she triumphs only slightly at the end as she watches him die.
The last book is Meridon, Julia's daughter, Beatrice's granddaughter, conceived through so much incest it's amazing she can function. Meridon grew up unloved and cold and distant -- when she discovers Wildacre and her inheritance, all she can think about it how much money it will bring and how to make it hers. This book is the least raunchy because Meridon constantly tells every man she meets that she can't stand them and feels nothing for them.
Philippa Gregory is a fantastic storyteller -- her attention to detail and the creativity she pours into every story is just amazing.
However, this series of stories is not for the faint at heart. Tough and nervy, the Wildacre trilogy presents three very different women in three different stories that will draw you in, but break your heart. And maybe turn your stomach.
My best friend gave me the set of these books for Christmas (and she's a preacher's wife!), knowing that I love Philippa Gregory.
These are not typical Philippa Gregory books.
The first book, Wildacre, is about Beatrice Lacey and her love for her home Wildacre and its land. She will do anything, and I mean anything, for it. She is rotten bad.
The second book, The Favored Child, is about her daughter Julia, who is afraid that she is like and/or becoming Beatrice, but she is missing the sadistic and cruel streak that her mother had. Julia is manipulated and broken by her horrid brother/cousin Richard, but she triumphs only slightly at the end as she watches him die.
The last book is Meridon, Julia's daughter, Beatrice's granddaughter, conceived through so much incest it's amazing she can function. Meridon grew up unloved and cold and distant -- when she discovers Wildacre and her inheritance, all she can think about it how much money it will bring and how to make it hers. This book is the least raunchy because Meridon constantly tells every man she meets that she can't stand them and feels nothing for them.
Philippa Gregory is a fantastic storyteller -- her attention to detail and the creativity she pours into every story is just amazing.
However, this series of stories is not for the faint at heart. Tough and nervy, the Wildacre trilogy presents three very different women in three different stories that will draw you in, but break your heart. And maybe turn your stomach.
January 18, 2017
Wideacre is a vile, horrible novel. It is one of the worst pieces of trash I've ever read. With a disgusting, unredeemable main character who commits one selfish violent act after another from patricide, permanent disfigurement of her beloved, repeated incestuous acts, and malicious matricide, it's unimaginable to me how Gregory could write not one but two sequels to this saga. It's sad, really, to read such junk from Gregory because I thoroughly enjoyed both The Queen's Lover and The Queen's Fool, well researched and captivating women-centered novels set in Tudor England.
June 25, 2007
I had seen Philippa Gregory's novels everywhere once The Other Boelyn Girl became popular. I've always loved historical fiction, so her books looked interesting.
I also, however, like to read novels by a particular author in the order the were written. So I decided to start my Philippa Gregory experience with her first published novels - the Wideacre trilogy.
These novels are not for the faint of heart. There is some serious deciet, intrigue, debauchery here. Generally, whatever "moral" is - the characters in these novels are anything but.
That makes for a bit of a fun escape from reality...but it also gets to be a bit much. There's only so much you can take of watching the main characters enter a downward spiral to their doom. And when I say downward, that's an understatement. These ladies are seriously about as crazy low as you can get.
I also, however, like to read novels by a particular author in the order the were written. So I decided to start my Philippa Gregory experience with her first published novels - the Wideacre trilogy.
These novels are not for the faint of heart. There is some serious deciet, intrigue, debauchery here. Generally, whatever "moral" is - the characters in these novels are anything but.
That makes for a bit of a fun escape from reality...but it also gets to be a bit much. There's only so much you can take of watching the main characters enter a downward spiral to their doom. And when I say downward, that's an understatement. These ladies are seriously about as crazy low as you can get.
August 13, 2014
This is one of my favorite trilogies of all time! It is written TOTALLY different than expected! The plot at first seems to be predictable but is anything but! There are so many unexpected moves in the plot that you never know what is coming. I had so much fun reading these because the story follows a path that can be very disturbing at times. With that being said, DO NOT READ many reviews because the plot crosses some lines for some people and they totally give the story away trying to warn you away from it! Every time I recommend these books, I tell people not to read reviews or even the back cover. Yes, there's some disturbing twists but that's what makes these SO GREAT! You never know what these women are going to do! Be ENTERTAINED by something totally different & give it a chance & you'll love them too!
October 30, 2016
I usually like Phillappa Gregory books, but this one just goes on and on. Its a story of a young woman that is obsessed with the property that has been passed down through many generations that she will do anything to be able to save for herself. The story could have been told completely in half of the pages it took to be told! I found myself skimming page after page long after the intended point was made. I will not be reading the last two books of the trilogy.
March 8, 2019
These are re-reads for me, and if you look through the reviews, you'll see they are for many people with a background understanding of British history. I wouldn't say it's required, but it certainly helps. These novels aren't fluffy--they're incredibly realistic and reference significant, gut-wrenching historical events. If you're thinking about picking these up because, "O-M-G, I, like, TOTALLY loved that movie with Natalie Portman!" then I suggest you skip these.
April 10, 2012
Honestly, an odd concept for a trilogy. I loved to hate the first heroine, hated the second, and loved the third. The first book has such a strong female lead. She does what she wants, when she wants, and doesn't let anyone get in her way. The second is more feeble and can't seem to speak for herself. The third starts out shy, but in the end she finds who she really is.
August 10, 2014
I was completely transfixed throughout the reading of this series. It is quite sprawling and winding and torrid. It isn't Phillipa's usual novels, but I enjoyed the departure. I'm aware many people didn't like it, found it to be a little too scandalous perhaps, but I enjoyed it.
March 5, 2008
gone with the wind meets flowers in the attic
February 21, 2022
Not quite typical Philippa Gordon, Wideacre could feel almost trashy if it weren’t so well written and well researched. Overall an excellent trilogy and I appreciate how unprejudiced the writer is and how she is a women’s champion.
Spoilers:
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.
While I would have wished Julia in The Favoured Child a happy ending, I appreciate that the fate Philippa Gordon gave her was much more realistic.
The same is true for Meridon - I do believe Meridon/Sarah’s intellect and viability would help her manage the abrupt transition from being a hungry and unloved traveller child to a landed gentry young lady, as she did in the book, while her young age would make her vulnerable to the dishonourable people’s schemes and distrustful to the honourable people’s good intentions, just as it did in the book, too.
Also, even though she was so greedy and unwilling to share when she first realised she was rich, it is quite likely that, had it happened in real life, she would probably have lost her fortune or got rid of it very quickly, too, just like nowadays lottery winner usually do, and as she did in the book.
I’m glad there was a happy ending after all. I only wonder if a real life Meridon would feel sorry to have given up her wealth and social status in the later life, when she had children, or if she and Will would still be so generous and, in a way, idealistic later on.
Spoilers:
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.
While I would have wished Julia in The Favoured Child a happy ending, I appreciate that the fate Philippa Gordon gave her was much more realistic.
The same is true for Meridon - I do believe Meridon/Sarah’s intellect and viability would help her manage the abrupt transition from being a hungry and unloved traveller child to a landed gentry young lady, as she did in the book, while her young age would make her vulnerable to the dishonourable people’s schemes and distrustful to the honourable people’s good intentions, just as it did in the book, too.
Also, even though she was so greedy and unwilling to share when she first realised she was rich, it is quite likely that, had it happened in real life, she would probably have lost her fortune or got rid of it very quickly, too, just like nowadays lottery winner usually do, and as she did in the book.
I’m glad there was a happy ending after all. I only wonder if a real life Meridon would feel sorry to have given up her wealth and social status in the later life, when she had children, or if she and Will would still be so generous and, in a way, idealistic later on.
March 16, 2021
It is unusual for a trilogy to hold the same amount of interest across all three books, but this one certainly does for me. Wildacre is a daring story, not for the faint of heart. The Favoured Child continues in a similar pace and style, while Meridon branches out in a different direction. All three books are well-researched, gritty, and realistic for the time period. I particularly like Gregory's hidden social commentary on the plight of the poor during feudalism and beyond. She highlights the duplicitous methods rich landowners will employ in order to protect their own financial interests. and the effects this has on the ordinary people entrusted to their care. An excellent series.
March 1, 2018
Read all 3....liked them all except towards the end of the last on...Meridon....it got a little contrived I think ....I think she was in a hurry to end it....but worth the read if you like historical fiction and Philippa Gregory. They were fiction you must remember! But IMO things were probably like that back then.
October 16, 2025
I was first introduced to this author when I stumbled across wildacre. To say I couldn’t put the book down was an understatement, I simply couldn’t believe how vile the main character was and page after page despite wanting her to do better she got worse, needless to say I couldn’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy. I’ve been an avid reader of Gregory ever since.
October 12, 2019
I read the WIDEACRE Trilogy years ago. Most likely when it was first published. I fell in love with Phillippa Gregory long before she became popular with her queen series. This is some of the best historical fiction that I have ever read.
September 2, 2020
What a horrible book, normally I love Philippa Gregory but I second guessed this all the way through and did something I never do, read the last couple of pages before I finished just to get the book over and done with. Would not recommend.
December 6, 2024
Philippa Gregory at her best--better than her books on the War of the Roses. This is an original and I could not stop read ALL three of the books. It is all about a girl who loves her family's land and the extreme things she will do to keep it in the family.
July 7, 2017
Fascinating read (historical fiction) about a complete sociopath.
December 23, 2019
Good read
Finished off the trilogy nicely. A happy ending for a change for the heroine. Would have liked to know what happened to Jack for killing Dandy.
Finished off the trilogy nicely. A happy ending for a change for the heroine. Would have liked to know what happened to Jack for killing Dandy.
January 24, 2020
Compelling, absorbing, and ghastly all at the same time. Couldn't put it down!
October 23, 2020
unfortunately, i stumbled on the third book in this trilogy. it was epic. not sure i want to go backwards in the story. still undecided.
January 20, 2021
Did not want to end!
May 5, 2022
Scandalously Fabulous! Immerse oneself in dark intrigue and lose yourself within the page-turning chapters until the conclusion of the very last book...
June 24, 2023
Just read the first book Wildeacre. Loved it Phillipa Gregory never lets you down. Can't wait to read the next one.
July 20, 2023
Yuck…tried to get through Wildacre but couldn’t stomach it. The main character is vile.
July 31, 2023
I couldn't finish it. I enjoy complex female characters that aren't always easy to root for, but this one stumped me.
December 6, 2014
I read the first book of the trilogy - Wideacre many years ago when it reached best-seller status. I was gripped from the very first page and became a huge fan of Phillipa Gregory's thereafter.
The opening page had me hooked. It became apparent that Wideacre was everything, it was the bond that united the family and the pinnacle of desire for a young Beatrice who loved the house and the land like no other, and yet, for her sins of being born a girl, would not be able to claim it as her own. As a character, she is madly self-absorbed and yet, there is vulnerability in her passions and actions, but you have to enjoy stripping back the layers of the character and the story to understand this. I think Phillipa Gregory created an outstanding character- totally flawed and ingeniously evil.
This book was totally different to my normal read, yet it was no less gripping. The author has a fantastic ability to make you see through the eyes of the character and to understand the passions within her, even if you don't always agree.
This is a thought-provoking book but an excellent read. I'm not surprised that it did so well, or, that The Favoured Child and Meridon also became huge successes.
If you enjoy a captivating read and the idea of a trilogy appeals, it's worth picking it up and settling in for the long haul. But don't think of it as a romance, it's erotic and may not be for everyone.
The opening page had me hooked. It became apparent that Wideacre was everything, it was the bond that united the family and the pinnacle of desire for a young Beatrice who loved the house and the land like no other, and yet, for her sins of being born a girl, would not be able to claim it as her own. As a character, she is madly self-absorbed and yet, there is vulnerability in her passions and actions, but you have to enjoy stripping back the layers of the character and the story to understand this. I think Phillipa Gregory created an outstanding character- totally flawed and ingeniously evil.
This book was totally different to my normal read, yet it was no less gripping. The author has a fantastic ability to make you see through the eyes of the character and to understand the passions within her, even if you don't always agree.
This is a thought-provoking book but an excellent read. I'm not surprised that it did so well, or, that The Favoured Child and Meridon also became huge successes.
If you enjoy a captivating read and the idea of a trilogy appeals, it's worth picking it up and settling in for the long haul. But don't think of it as a romance, it's erotic and may not be for everyone.
August 19, 2014
I don't normally read historical novels but thought I'd give this a try. It's the middle one of the trilogy but that didn't affect the plot, in fact, it probably helped that I didn't already know a big reveal towards the end. The book started well with an interesting and engaging heroine but after a while she became a different person, boring, spineless and totally unconvincing. I was constantly silently shouting at her, "For God's sake! Stand up for yourself!" and wishing I could find out how many times she says, "I didn't answer/I didn't speak/I said nothing". "As the story progressed the plot became more and more unbelievable with the "heroine" unable to see what was staring her in the face and the ending seemed to have been hastily added as an afterthought. Very disappointing.
December 22, 2014
Mostly good, required some acrobatic suspensions of disbelief.
Mostly good:
For once, the rich people are crazy.
For once, a girl in this time period has interests besides marriage.
For once, we see characters willing to throw the opinions of others away, like we do everyday.
Suspension of disbelief:
Characters with magic powers use them. Maybe they hide from them for awhile, but in the end, they use them. And when they do use them around others, others notice, react, and remember.
When a brother and sister give birth to a boy and a girl, and then they themselves have a baby, there are going to be birth defects. The grandchild would more likely be deformed than be a mirror image of the grandmother.
Mostly good:
For once, the rich people are crazy.
For once, a girl in this time period has interests besides marriage.
For once, we see characters willing to throw the opinions of others away, like we do everyday.
Suspension of disbelief:
Characters with magic powers use them. Maybe they hide from them for awhile, but in the end, they use them. And when they do use them around others, others notice, react, and remember.
When a brother and sister give birth to a boy and a girl, and then they themselves have a baby, there are going to be birth defects. The grandchild would more likely be deformed than be a mirror image of the grandmother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2014
I bought this trilogy when it was on sale at Borders because Philippa Gregory is so popular and I wanted to try some of her books. What a mistake!!! I did manage to finish the first volume but only skimmed through the other two. Full of nasty, mean, or insipid characters and too ridiculous a plot. Half Price Books only offered me $2 for the set when I tried to sell it, so no one else seems to want it, either! I want my time and money back!!! I don't often hate books, so this is unusual.
I should try one of her Tudor stories, apparently the ones based on real people and events are better, but not sure I want to take a chance again...
I should try one of her Tudor stories, apparently the ones based on real people and events are better, but not sure I want to take a chance again...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews