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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
This book has been on my shelf since I was at school. So maybe 15 years. Largely because I thought I *knew* what it was going to be. A Jane Eyre country woman who loves her home and does a good job and she would have gotten away with staying there if it wasn't for those meddling men.
In a huge attempt to lighten up my book shelves I finally cracked open Wideacre. I have never been so wrong about a book.
This was like historical countryside Fifty Shades. Play room and all.
I have to say that I read the first half so quickly. It was compulsive and I couldn't put it down. Despite the page count it was an easy read. I fell in love with the writing style which was fairly well paced but so descriptive and wandering at the same time.
I loved that Beatrice was an anti-hero. I was cheering for her because she was so unapologetic and fierce and yet I wanted other more likeable characters such as John to succeed against her.
The second half lost my interest and I was ready for it to be over by the 400 page mark.
Beatrice seemed to lose her focus but not her drive. She manipulated but didn't seem to really have a reason, and quite often her manipulations were unnecessary. I thought the way she handled John was stupid and short sighted. If she had tempted with honey instead of vinegar for longer then I felt it would have been more interesting.
I didn't mind the relationship with Harry because it showed how far Beatrice was willing to go for Wideacre, but it was boring. Harry was so clueless that he was just a null character.
I also felt that she destroyed Wideacre on purpose as punishment for Ralph. She seemed determined to ruin it when there was no real purpose for it. She burnt her bridges to the village yet she didn't gave to. She listened the Harry in some things and then tied him up and manipulated for others. It was so contradictory. I'd rather she had just killed Harry to take control and then battled with the cousin with John's money.
I definitely think it needed to have been shorter, and for me the second half lost it's way. But I still read to the end and I would definitely read the others in the series.
In a huge attempt to lighten up my book shelves I finally cracked open Wideacre. I have never been so wrong about a book.
This was like historical countryside Fifty Shades. Play room and all.
I have to say that I read the first half so quickly. It was compulsive and I couldn't put it down. Despite the page count it was an easy read. I fell in love with the writing style which was fairly well paced but so descriptive and wandering at the same time.
I loved that Beatrice was an anti-hero. I was cheering for her because she was so unapologetic and fierce and yet I wanted other more likeable characters such as John to succeed against her.
The second half lost my interest and I was ready for it to be over by the 400 page mark.
Beatrice seemed to lose her focus but not her drive. She manipulated but didn't seem to really have a reason, and quite often her manipulations were unnecessary. I thought the way she handled John was stupid and short sighted. If she had tempted with honey instead of vinegar for longer then I felt it would have been more interesting.
I didn't mind the relationship with Harry because it showed how far Beatrice was willing to go for Wideacre, but it was boring. Harry was so clueless that he was just a null character.
I also felt that she destroyed Wideacre on purpose as punishment for Ralph. She seemed determined to ruin it when there was no real purpose for it. She burnt her bridges to the village yet she didn't gave to. She listened the Harry in some things and then tied him up and manipulated for others. It was so contradictory. I'd rather she had just killed Harry to take control and then battled with the cousin with John's money.
I definitely think it needed to have been shorter, and for me the second half lost it's way. But I still read to the end and I would definitely read the others in the series.
challenging
dark
medium-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
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wideacre is criminally underrated.
It is frustrating to look through some reviews and see this book given low ratings simply because of its content; just because you as a reader dislike a certain theme, it doesn't mean that the book is poorly written. And this book is certainly not poorly written! If I have a criticism it's that it could have done with being 100 pages shorter. But the writing itself is beautiful even if Beatrice waxing poetic about her own beauty or Wideacre's beauty was repetitive at times.
I have to give the author kudos for creating such an unlikeable cast of characters whilst at the same time weaving a story that I was fully invested in. The only character I felt any moderate liking towards was John. Celia had some good moments where she found the strength to stand up to Beatrice, but her enduring naiveté was frustrating. Harry was weak and unpleasant in a way that was completely unrelated to his private pleasures. And Beatrice...Beatrice, Beatrice, Beatrice. I have never despised a character as much as I despised her. I have never wished for a character to suffer shame, humiliation and pain as strongly as I wished those things for Beatrice. Philippa Gregory did an incredible job at turning the beautiful young heroine of the story into an irredeemable villain who deserved everything that she got and then some.
It is frustrating to look through some reviews and see this book given low ratings simply because of its content; just because you as a reader dislike a certain theme, it doesn't mean that the book is poorly written. And this book is certainly not poorly written! If I have a criticism it's that it could have done with being 100 pages shorter. But the writing itself is beautiful even if Beatrice waxing poetic about her own beauty or Wideacre's beauty was repetitive at times.
I have to give the author kudos for creating such an unlikeable cast of characters whilst at the same time weaving a story that I was fully invested in. The only character I felt any moderate liking towards was John. Celia had some good moments where she found the strength to stand up to Beatrice, but her enduring naiveté was frustrating. Harry was weak and unpleasant in a way that was completely unrelated to his private pleasures. And Beatrice...Beatrice, Beatrice, Beatrice. I have never despised a character as much as I despised her. I have never wished for a character to suffer shame, humiliation and pain as strongly as I wished those things for Beatrice. Philippa Gregory did an incredible job at turning the beautiful young heroine of the story into an irredeemable villain who deserved everything that she got and then some.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Incest, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Murder
emotional
medium-paced
Thought it was going to be so good but then I lost all care for the plot because the main character is a classist piece of shit.
Fuck the haters, this book was SICK in every tender, gluttonous, poisonous, perverse way imaginable.
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