Holly's Book Corner

The Favoured Child

by Philippa Gregory

Rating:  5/5

Pages: 630

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: originally 1989, this edition 2001

ISBN: 978-0-00-723002-0

Summary (via Goodreads)

The Wideacre estate is bankrupt. The villagers are living in poverty and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin. But, in the Dower House, two children are being raised in protected innocence. Equal claimants to the estate, rivals for the love of the village, they are tied by a secret childhood betrothal but forbidden to marry. Only one can be the favored child. Only one can inherit the magical understanding between the land and the Lacey family that can make the Sussex village grow green again. Only one can be Beatrice Lacey's true heir.

Sensual, gripping, sometimes mystical, "The Favored Child" sweeps the reader irresistibly into the eighteenth century, a revolutionary period in English history. This rich and dramatic novel continues the saga of the Lacey family started in Philippa Gregory's bestselling and enduringly popular "Wideacre."

Review

This second book in the Wideacre Trilogy follows the story of the two heirs to the estate, which is still reeling from the chaos that Beatrice started. Told through the eyes of Julia Lacey, one claimant to this addictive and haunted estate, the reader follows as history repeats itself and once again, the land of Wideacre brings turmoil and tragedy to the lives of those there.

The Favoured Child shows how obsession can become a family curse and how this curse can expand into several generations causing enough destruction to almost wipe out an entire family.

When reading I found myself feeling really sorry for Julia as she learned the horrid truth about her family and the secrets her parents kept from her. How much do we really know about the generations who come before us?

After reading these first two books I couldn't wait to read the last instalment of the trilogy, Meridon.