Wideacre: A Novel (Wildacre Trilogy Book 1)

I love this trilogy. Many people have such a problem with the lead character in book 1, Beatrice Lacey, that they cannot fathom reading books 2 & 3. But if you do, you will be very surprised. These books must be read together to see the whole picture. This is one of my all time favorite trilogies or series by one of my favorite authors. Great, thought provoking read that you will not forget.

I love her books on the royal Monarchy. This did not work for me. I found the main character too disgusting for words and the incest in the book made me sick. The characters did not maintain their personalities throughout the book. The brother was a sweet, sensitive and lovable person who was very attached to his mother in the books beginning, but suddenly in the middle of the book he was completely self centered, nasty to his wife and did not even seem to grieve when the mother dies. The ending was completely unbelievable. The main character throughout the book acts in the most bizarre ways because she is so totally about self preservation. I can't see her just surrendering herself at the end of the story. Completely unbelievable. The book went on and on and on and on. My greatest wish is that the main character would have died earlier so the book would have ended sooner.

This book was recommended by a friend who knows my taste in books. The main character, Beatrice, is a very good character in my opinion. Most readers seem to hate her but in my opinion if you can actually have hate for a character and still want to finish the book the author did a good job on building that character. For me i went back and fourth liking/disliking Beatrice, throughout the book. If you have read this far into my review this book is most definitely for you.

I cannot understand why anyone would give this book more than 1 star. One other reviewer stated that it is like reading the biography of a sociopath and I agree. I, too, kept waiting for some redeeming event but it just gets colder, darker and more depressing as it goes along. It left me feeling kind of stunned, sad and sick to my stomach. I absolutely will not read the other books in this series. This book was not a delight to read-it became a ponderous chore. Couldn't wait to be done. I won't include any spoilers in this review but the heroine is sickening. There is nothing heroic, or even human, about her. Other reviewers state that she is the heroine you love to hate but I just plain couldn't stand her or this novel. I have never written such a scathing review of a book before. This one, however, deserves it.

I went and read some of the 1 star reviews just to see what was the problem. I guess I found this book riveting & describes how desperate people do desparate things. I got the feeling that Beatrice thought, "just this one terrible thing & then I am done." Kind of like a gambler that swears the next hit will pay off. But it was a tale of chasing what you don't have at the peril of what you do, & loosing it all. Sorry I loved it & am starting the 2nd book. Rarely do I watch a movie or read a book & not have a sense of what will happen next. This book has so many twists and turns that I never saw some of it coming. I stumbled on to the White Queen & Tudor series & really enjoyed her historical fiction. I was a bit disappointed when I realized it was not based on any real life event. But wow in the end it didn't disappoint. It is a dark tale, with really damaged characters.

If I could give this book no stars I would. Seriously, it was that bad. I absolutely loved "The Queen's Fool", "The Other Boleyn Sister", "The Red Queen", and "The White Queen", all by Phillippa Gregory, and was intrigued by the idea of a strong woman fighting for what should rightfully be hers in an era where women had no rights to anything at all. My intrigue quickly turned to dismay. I can't say there was one likeable character in the book - not a single person to root for. Seriously. All of the incest was disgusting, and quite frankly the entire storyline was hard to swallow. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief long enough. About a third of the way through the book I thought, "I can't. I'm done with this." Then I remembered that I paid thirteen bucks for it and tried to make myself finish it. Two days of my life I won't get back.

This book is well written, though a bit odd at times. It offers a very honest and raw glimpse into the inner workings of a mind dedicated to a single cause. Beatrice, in the end, is by any measure a horrible person, yet because you are intimately acquainted with her mind, you can’t help but feel some pity for her. She didn’t start out that way. Due to her unyielding desires, the laws that govern her land and the choices of others, she becomes more and more withdrawn from human connection and hardened to the feelings of others. She is willing to hurt anyone that stands in her way and knows how to manipulate those around her to suit her purpose. Parts of the plot may be cringe worthy, but it’s such a profound description of human experience that it makes those parts interesting. Overall it’s pretty good.

A real page-turner and a riveting reading; I couldn’t stop reading from the moment I picked it up. But due to the subject matter and overriding theme, too long and dark. There is only so much sex and intimacy between a brother and sister that one individual, especially a squeamish one: me, can take... and this was more than that. I went from loving to loathing Beatrice within the space of a chapter with very little sympathy lost in the interim. And while I understand the root of her desperation and the origins of her misguided mistake/s, I cannot condone them/it. The havoc she created in trying to protect and shield herself, is inexcusable. I think after reaching halfway and realising it wasn’t going to get any better, any brighter..., that the hole dug was one to sink in not emerge from, I read twice as fast just to get to the end and out. And even though I have the next book in the trilogy, I’m not sure I’m going to start it, ever. I’m looking for a little more lightness and positivity first. And then... maybe? When you read a book you enter into its narrative and become a part of its world. To spend so long in fear and torment and hate and anger and revenge and lust... is to live in a month-long cloud of darkness. I need something lighter first: a romance with a happy ending, a right of passage with a righteous end, an us against them with the good guys winning.That said: if you have a strong stomach (and an adequately-plated mind) and aren’t so sensitive to how the words and the story play out... it is well-written, researched and acted. I hated Beatrice so much because she was so real and tangible. I loathed Harry because his weakness was palpable. This is bigger than popcorn, a million miles from chic lit. Although I’m not sure it’s literary fiction either, which was what I was after. Give me an A. S. Byatt or a Margaret Attwood every day.

"Who is able to write a 600-page novel without a single page of inaction?" There are not many correct answers to this question, but "Philippa Gregory!" is certainly among them. This is an extraordinary rollercoaster of a tale, gripping in more senses than one. I came to this novel more out of respect for Philippa Gregory's undoubted gift for persuasive, occasionally elevated prose, having already read several of her "historical" novels, concerning eminent characters who really lived. The decision to read this before taking up one of Marghanita Laski's was, I feared, a poor one. Not so! Read it: you'll not be bored.

I have read quite a few of her later books which are much better. This one becomes tedious and sometimes seems to get lost along the way. It was disappointing in my opinion.

Wow! I got this because it was on offer and I fancied a gentle read. This was not it. In fact I was completely gripped by this novel and found it disturbing and compelling. I really was not expecting such a roller coaster and will certainly read the next ones in the trilogy once I have got over the shock of this one. Anyway, I thought it was brilliant and it is no surprise that Philippa Gregory has gone on to be such a successful writer, after this first novel.

PG is an excellent writer and storyteller, I have read all her historical novels which are meticulously researched. Unfortunately, despite being a very good story teller, the actual story itself is like something on Netflix. It appears to have been written in hope of being produced for TV or Cinema, and the subject matter is tawdry and tacky. Also completely over dramatized and unbelievable. I don't think incestuous S&M was commonplace in those days, and highly unlikely in upper class households. The "heroine" rapidly became unsympathetic and then plain nasty, killing her father, mother, maiming her lover and cunningly manipulating everyone else. I think she deserved to be stabbed in the end by her legless ex-lover! I don't think PG should stoop so low with such a silly story, I thought she had higher standards than this. Naturally I won't be reading the other two books in this series.