Wouldn't even give this to Oxfam - Rated 
Terrible. This book was a gift, and i should have given it straight back.
Considering the standard of her other books, this is disappointing. Tacky, farfetched, and just generally bad
A brilliant read - highly recommend - Rated 
I thoroughly enjoy Philippa Gregory's books. Right from the start, you are drawn into the story, starting off with the main character, Beatrice Lacey's, childhood. The characters are so well thought through and believable, you can't put the book down because you need to know what's going to happen next! I have missed stops on the train because of this book.
The story is about Beatrice Lacey, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, whose only passion is the land and her home, Wideacre, and she will do anything to keep it within her grasp including incest, murder and a whole lot of lying, deceiving and general bad behaviour.
Unfortunately, it appears a few people have a downer on this book purely, it seems, because they are squeamish about issues like incest(granted, it is a rather grim subject) but I think a strong and talented author like Ms Gregory winds it into the plot so a lot of people will appreciate that this is what Beatrice Lacey felt she had to do to keep the Wideacre estate within her grasp. Her desperation and passion knew no bounds.
The way each character grows is well done. I won't ruin the plot for you by saying how though - that is part of the pleasure of this book! The plot twists and turns and you are torn between wondering how Beatrice Lacey could be so cold and calculating to actually feeling sorry for her and her plight.
As with all Philippa Gregory books, I found Wideacre to be minutely researched, incredibly readable and I wasted no time in purchasing the other two books in the series.
A tale of corruption and manipulation - Rated
This is, quite simply, one of the best books I've ever read.
Even as a young child, Beatrice loves her home and the surrounding land known as Wideacre, almost to the exclusion of everything else. But as she grows into a woman and learns that she can never inherit, she sets out to wilfully manipulate and corrupt everyone and everything that stands in her path in order to get it.
What's unusual about this book is that for me, a strong part of enjoying a novel is usually a need to like and empathise with the main character. While I began the book with empathy for Beatrice, and all women who grew up in a man's world with no rights, her character evolves into something so wicked that this was what kept me turning the pages. I was desperate to know what she was prepared to do next - and whether she would get away with it.
The novel comes to a satisfying and devastating conclusion, and can stand alone without the need to read the two books that follow: The Favoured Child and Meridion - but I will definitely be reading them.
A brilliant summer read - Rated 
This book is unique, interesting and just absolutely fantastique! the strong personalities of the charaters drag you into the book and it is difficult to put it down. Although at some points it is disturbring as to the extent that Beatrice Lacey goes to own Wideacre it is impossible stop reading, even if you want to! Phillipa Gregory's beautiful, discriptive language creates and amazing atmosphere throughout the book and as a reader, i felt utterly involved in the story.
I recomend this book becuase it is completely different to anything else i have ever read.
Not as good as some of her other works - Rated 
This has been one of those books that has taken me a while to finish. The reason? I found it a little overbearing at times. The first few chapters are concerned with Beatrice becoming a young sexual woman and explain, in great detail, about her romps with a gypsy's son. Ralph becomes somewhat symbolic as the story progresses and I was a little disappointed that once he flees Wideacre we hardly read of him again. When we do they are only fleeting references. There was so much more that could have been done with his character. Next, we are stuck with the incestuous part of her life and her downward spiral into deceit and hate for everyone. For me, there was a massive lull in the story. We already had the bodice-ripping scenes earlier and here we are yet again. Finally, the third lull, and third time I shoved the book to the side and did not want to read much more, came with Beatrice's treatment of her husband. If i had read once more that there was yet another bottle of whisky hidden for him to find I would have been tempted to burn the book. Once she got into a certain frame of mind, it was difficult for the story to move along.
Saying that I did enjoy the constant turns in the story as to who really knew the truth about what Beatrice was up to.
The only reason I read to the end however was to see if justice had been served to the witch of Wideacre.
Not Gregory's best novel, but in small chunks it's readable.
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