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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.
Editorial Reviews
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's 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.
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Subjects
Historical, Romance, Fiction, Gothic, England, fiction, Fiction, historical, generalPeople
Beatrice LaceyPlaces
EnglandTimes
1800sShowing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?
Edition | Availability |
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1
Wideacre (Wideacre Trilogy 1)
November 5, 2001, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
0006514618 9780006514619
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2
Wideacre (Wideacre Trilogy 1)
November 5, 2001, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Paperback
- New Ed edition
0006514618 9780006514619
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Book Details
First Sentence
"Wideacre Hall faces due south and the sun shines all day on the yellow stone till it is warm and powdery to the touch."
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Feedback?October 4, 2021 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
April 9, 2013 | Edited by Lucky Mermaid | Edited without comment. |
July 10, 2012 | Edited by AMillarBot | remove series from title (Wideacre Trilogy 1) |
April 28, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the work. |
October 16, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | add works page |