Favoured Child, The (Book 1 Of The Wideacre Trilogy)

Description: Reissue of the second novel in the Wideacre Trilogy; a compulsive drama set in the eighteenth century. 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 inheritance of Wideacre, rivals for the love of the village, they are tied by a secret childhood betrothal but forbidden to marry. Only one can be the favoured 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. Sweeping, passionate, unique: 'The Favoured Child' is the second novel in Philippa Gregory's bestselling trilogy which began with 'Wideacre' and concluded with 'Meridon'. Review: Praise for 'The Favoured Child': 'For sheer pace and percussive drama it will take a lot of beating.' Sunday Times Praise for 'Wideacre': 'This is a story of violent love and unsettling passions. It will never let you rest for a page as you wait for the climax that must come for the people and the land.' Maeve Binchy 'Amid all the social upheaval strides Beatrice Lacey, who, for singlemindedness, tempestuousness, passion, amorality, sensuality and plain old-fashioned evil, knocks Scarlet O'Hara into short cotton socks.' Evening Standard 'Written from instinct, not out of calculation, and it shows.' Peter Ackroyd, The Times Author Biography: Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of historical novels. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. Works that have been adapted for television include A Respectable Trade, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool. The Other Boleyn Girl is now a major film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Philippa Gregory lives in the North of England with her family.