Book a day UK today is 'bought on a recommendation'. Mine is Wideacre by Philippa Gregory
I read this book about 3 years ago now and it wasn’t a book club choice so before writing I did a little search to refresh my memory. I came up with these two quotes
“The heroine is despicable in every possible way, yet the author clearly expects you to root for her à la Scarlett O'Hara. She commits multiple acts of murder, participates in very creepy incest, and betrays people who love her. She was horrid and I couldn’t stand her or the 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.”
This book certainly divides!
It was recommended to me by someone who loved the book (of course it was as otherwise they wouldn’t have recommended it!) and I have to say I fall in to the latter camp of Wideacre appreciation. I loved Beatrice and really really wanted it to come good for her.
As always Gregorys characters were brilliant, you really felt like you were there within that time period. It captured the essence of the era really well – the themes of women and inheritance and the closure of green fields and public grazing being expertly woven in to the story. I was very interested to read about that part as I hadn’t previously.
Be warned though if you like Gregorys history books about the great Queens of years gone by THIS IS NOT ONE!!!!!!!!!! I will say that again THIS IS NOT ONE!!!!!!!!! It is at times very sordid and I can totally appreciate why some people would simply stop reading it in disgust. It sucked me in though, I had to find out where the car crash was going to end. You just knew Beatrice was going to get her comeuppance but the tension built as she told one lie upon another to try to dig herself out of the hole she had so expertly crafted. It’s not everyone cup of tea but if you’re not a sensitive soul and you survived 50 shades of Grey without blinking an eye then go for it.
It’s not a sex book as I may have inferred above but it certainly has sex in it. In all shapes and forms. It is a vital part of the story but isn’t THE story and I think that makes a real difference. It’s a trilogy and I haven’t got round to reading the second one yet although it is in a box under my bed waiting so may have to dig it out once I have finished this months book club (Before We Met Lucie Whitehouse).
I read this book about 3 years ago now and it wasn’t a book club choice so before writing I did a little search to refresh my memory. I came up with these two quotes
“The heroine is despicable in every possible way, yet the author clearly expects you to root for her à la Scarlett O'Hara. She commits multiple acts of murder, participates in very creepy incest, and betrays people who love her. She was horrid and I couldn’t stand her or the 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.”
This book certainly divides!
It was recommended to me by someone who loved the book (of course it was as otherwise they wouldn’t have recommended it!) and I have to say I fall in to the latter camp of Wideacre appreciation. I loved Beatrice and really really wanted it to come good for her.
As always Gregorys characters were brilliant, you really felt like you were there within that time period. It captured the essence of the era really well – the themes of women and inheritance and the closure of green fields and public grazing being expertly woven in to the story. I was very interested to read about that part as I hadn’t previously.
Be warned though if you like Gregorys history books about the great Queens of years gone by THIS IS NOT ONE!!!!!!!!!! I will say that again THIS IS NOT ONE!!!!!!!!! It is at times very sordid and I can totally appreciate why some people would simply stop reading it in disgust. It sucked me in though, I had to find out where the car crash was going to end. You just knew Beatrice was going to get her comeuppance but the tension built as she told one lie upon another to try to dig herself out of the hole she had so expertly crafted. It’s not everyone cup of tea but if you’re not a sensitive soul and you survived 50 shades of Grey without blinking an eye then go for it.
It’s not a sex book as I may have inferred above but it certainly has sex in it. In all shapes and forms. It is a vital part of the story but isn’t THE story and I think that makes a real difference. It’s a trilogy and I haven’t got round to reading the second one yet although it is in a box under my bed waiting so may have to dig it out once I have finished this months book club (Before We Met Lucie Whitehouse).
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