مریدون

SUMMARY: Meridon knows she does not belong in the dirty, vagabond life of a gypsy bareback rider. The half-remembered vision of another life burns in her heart, even as her beloved sister, Dandy, risks everything for their future. Alone, Meridon follows the urgings of her dream, riding in the moonlight past the rusted gates, up the winding drive to a house -- clutching the golden clasp of the necklace that was her birthright -- home at last to Wideacre. The lost heir of one of England's great estates would take her place as its mistress....Crowning the extraordinary trilogy that began with Wideacre and The Favored Child, Meridon is a rich, impassioned tapestry of a young woman's journey from dreams to glittering drawing rooms and elaborate deceits...from a simple hope to a deep and fulfilling love. Set in the savage contrasts of Georgian England -- a time alive with treachery, grandeur, and intrigue -- Meridon is Philippa Gregory's masterwork.

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.

publishers 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. (february)

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.

Philippa Gregory's stunning sequel to Wideacre. In The Favored Child, she is at the height of her storytelling abilities, weaving a spellbinding tale of evil, obsession, madness and sensuality that will leave readers gasping--and waiting with bated breath for the third and final book in the Wideacre trilogy.

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. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory comes the stunning first novel of a thrilling trilogy about the Lacey family, and the captivating woman at the heart of a power-hungry estate willing to go to any means to protect her family name.Beatrice Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her heritage and beloved Wideacre estate once she is wed, Beatrice will use any means necessary to protect her ancestral name. 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 from the “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY), 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. From #1 New York Times bestselling author and "queen of royal fiction" ( USA TODAY ) Philippa Gregory comes the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller Wideacre as the once-great Lacey estate is restored to its former grandeur--though not without cost. The Wideacre estate is bankrupt. The villagers are living in poverty and formerly stunning hall is a smoke-blackened ruin. But, in the Dower House nearby, 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, and mystical, The Favored Child irresistibly sweeps the reader into a world of secrets, betrayals, and power in this revolutionary period of English history. Beatrice Lacey, daughter of Wideacre Hall, will not accept societys rules that women cannot inheritThe internationally bestselling debut from the author of The Other Boleyn Girl and Three Sisters, Three Queens . Wideacre Hall, set in the heart of the English countryside, is the ancestral home that Beatrice Lacey loves. Built from yellow stone, facing due south and surrounded by the rich woodlands and rolling downs of Sussex, it has been in her family for generations. But as a woman in England in the 1770s she has no right of inheritance; only a loveless arranged marriage lies ahead. Beautiful, sensual and passionate, Beatrice sets out to pursue her own control over Wideacre at any cost. Yet even as her scheming succeeds, Beatrice is haunted by the one person alive who fully understands her obsession and knows her capacity to let nothing and no-one stand in her way. The 30th anniversary edition, with new foreword by the author. From the Publisher: 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 Beatrice Lacey, strong-minded and amoral, refuses to conform to the limited life of a lady of the eighteenth century. Destined to lose her family name and beloved Wideacre estate on marriage, she decides to take her destiny into her own hands. 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 triumph, she is haunted by the one person who knows the extent of her plans...and her capacity for evil. As a woman in eighteenth-century England without property rights, Beatrice can only look forward to being exiled from the land she loves to an arranged marriage. Nothing can stand in her way as she sets out to secure her hold on the land Intrigued by the ruined splendor of the Wideacre estate, Julia Lacey proceeds with her plans for its restoration and a romance with her cousin Richard, a course threatened by dark family legends The continuing saga of the Laceys, an 18th-century Sussex family, and the superstitious villagers who knew the legend of the favored child, who would make Wideacre grow lush again Wideacre Hall faces due south and the sun shines all day on the yellow stone till it is warm and powdery to the touch.