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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
This is 50 Shades of Games of Thrones. 2-in-1; Incest and BDSM. Maybe a little bit of feminism if you view it from a certain angle. The book is very well written and by page 12 I liked and can relate to little Beatrice. What a pity that we are not on the same page after she started her relationship with Ralph.
I am quite a determined person but I cannot get to her level. Just can't. I try to understand her obsession with Wideacre (but I can't) and I marvel at how detached she was with her feelings. The book is well written so the first POV could be a little too much for certain people but I think it was a fine book.
I will try and find the 2nd book :)
I am quite a determined person but I cannot get to her level. Just can't. I try to understand her obsession with Wideacre (but I can't) and I marvel at how detached she was with her feelings. The book is well written so the first POV could be a little too much for certain people but I think it was a fine book.
I will try and find the 2nd book :)
This was the most disappointing book I've read by Philippa Gregory. On several occasions I thought about just not finishing the book, but because I've enjoyed other books Gregory has written I stuck with it. I wish I had gone with my gut. The book could have easily been done in half the pages. It was redundant and boring and the fact that it's the first book in a trilogy makes me cringe. I have no desire to continue on to learn what happens to Wideacre.
I went into this book only knowing who the author was. I decided to read her book chronologically by release date and this is her first book... and my first book of hers. I guess I thought by looking at the cover it would be kind of an epic historical romance. It was definitely historical... This book was freaking messed up! The main character, Beatrice, was so crazy and warped! The events that happened in this book were NOT what I was expecting and they just... kept... coming! By the end of it, I was exhausted! So dark and twisted. I'm almost afraid to read the next in the series!
Honestly, I wasn't sure that I liked it when I finished the last page. But really the writing was fantastic. It was unpredictable. It was definitely a page turner (I finished it in two days although into the early morning hours). And it affected me. Big time. So I decided to give it 5 stars. I wouldn't say that I love it, but it was amazing in a horrifying kind of way. I won't soon forget it, that's for sure!
Challenges:
2017 Goodreads Challenge
2017 Llama Library Challenge - Historical Fiction containing strong female lead (yeah she was! Damn!)
2017 MMD Reading for Growth - A book that's more than 600 pages
2017 Pop Sugar Challenge - A book that takes place over a character's life span
Honestly, I wasn't sure that I liked it when I finished the last page. But really the writing was fantastic. It was unpredictable. It was definitely a page turner (I finished it in two days although into the early morning hours). And it affected me. Big time. So I decided to give it 5 stars. I wouldn't say that I love it, but it was amazing in a horrifying kind of way. I won't soon forget it, that's for sure!
Challenges:
2017 Goodreads Challenge
2017 Llama Library Challenge - Historical Fiction containing strong female lead (yeah she was! Damn!)
2017 MMD Reading for Growth - A book that's more than 600 pages
2017 Pop Sugar Challenge - A book that takes place over a character's life span
I knew that this book was twisted when I started reading it, but I was actually unprepared for how messed up the main character, Beatrice, was at times. Despite that, I found that I could not put this book down no matter how hard I tried.
The one thing I had to remind myself over and over again is that Beatrice is doing everything she does because of her obsession with her family's estate, Wideacre, which absolutely blows my mind at times when you see just how far she'll go. As the summary on the back of the book implies, she will stop at no measure to preserve the land she has come to love so much, which is something that in this generation it is hard to understand.
While not all the characters are particularly admirable, I found myself sympathizing with the innocent victims of Beatrice, those who were simply dragged into the mess she made. Once they recognized it, it made it even more difficult to see them suffer, which is something I attribute to good writing.
If you are looking for a happy ending, don't even bother picking this book up the first place, as most of the characters do not get one, and most of those who suffer are completely innocent. I am intrigued, however, because there are two more books in this series, and I cannot wait to see how Philippa Gregory tops this one.
The one thing I had to remind myself over and over again is that Beatrice is doing everything she does because of her obsession with her family's estate, Wideacre, which absolutely blows my mind at times when you see just how far she'll go. As the summary on the back of the book implies, she will stop at no measure to preserve the land she has come to love so much, which is something that in this generation it is hard to understand.
While not all the characters are particularly admirable, I found myself sympathizing with the innocent victims of Beatrice, those who were simply dragged into the mess she made. Once they recognized it, it made it even more difficult to see them suffer, which is something I attribute to good writing.
If you are looking for a happy ending, don't even bother picking this book up the first place, as most of the characters do not get one, and most of those who suffer are completely innocent. I am intrigued, however, because there are two more books in this series, and I cannot wait to see how Philippa Gregory tops this one.
This book is incredibly well written even though the subject matter can be quite disturbing.
This book...man...it is MESSED UP. When I read the book description, I thought, "Sure, Beatrice Lacey is 'evil', but I'm sure its a matter of perspective, or just finding her particular moral compass" But, no. No. She is just ceaselessly, single-mindedly the worst.
I'm not sure I have ever read another book where the 1st person POV is from a main character that is such a sociopath. It is hard to like a book where the character is so despicable, with no redeeming qualities. And in fact, I don't really think I liked it or didn't like it. I ranked it right down the middle as a result.
There were a lot of things I liked about it - as always Philippa Gregory is masterful at detailing the historical period, from scenery to customs to daily life. The characters were rich and fully developed. But...damn...Beatrice is one disturbed woman.
I'm not sure I have ever read another book where the 1st person POV is from a main character that is such a sociopath. It is hard to like a book where the character is so despicable, with no redeeming qualities. And in fact, I don't really think I liked it or didn't like it. I ranked it right down the middle as a result.
There were a lot of things I liked about it - as always Philippa Gregory is masterful at detailing the historical period, from scenery to customs to daily life. The characters were rich and fully developed. But...damn...Beatrice is one disturbed woman.
I couldn't put this books down. I only started it because it was by Gregory and I am infatuated with Tudor England. While this was not set in Henry VIII's court, it had the same thrill as say The Boleyn Inheritance.
I tried to read this book several times, hated it & never finished it.
I read this after The Other Boleyn girl... It was a mistake. One word: incest. Lesson learned: Just because you like a book by an author does not mean that you should go out and read all other books by that author.