Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Wideacre

  • Wideacre, Book 1
  • By: Philippa Gregory
  • Narrated by: Emma Powell
  • Length: 26 hrs and 41 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (1,052 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Wideacre cover art

Wideacre

By: Philippa Gregory
Narrated by: Emma Powell
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £23.99

Buy Now for £23.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Rich Earth cover art
The Carpenter's Daughter cover art
Jane Eyre cover art
My Brilliant Friend cover art
The Thief's Daughter cover art
David Copperfield cover art
A Flower in Season cover art
The Witching Hour cover art
Dynasty 1: The Founding cover art
The Light of the Fireflies cover art
Craving cover art
Flowers in the Attic cover art
Shining Threads cover art
The Hungry Tide cover art
To Gain What's Lost cover art
Annie's Girl cover art

Summary

Featuring a foreword recorded exclusively for Audible by Philippa Gregory and an interview with the author.

Philippa Gregory's first story in the best-selling Wideacre trilogy. A compelling tale of passion and intrigue set in the 18th century. From the author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The Virgin's Lover.

Wideacre Hall, set in the heart of the English countryside, is the ancestral home that Beatrice Lacey loves. But as a woman of the 18th century, she has no right of inheritance. Corrupted by a world that mistreats women, she sets out to corrupt others.

Sexual and willful, she believes that the only way to achieve control over Wideacre is through a series of horrible crimes, and no-one escapes the consequences of her need to possess the land.

©2006 Philippa Gregory (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

"The 18th-century woman is a neglected creature but, in the figure of her heroine, Philippa Gregory has defined a certain kind of wildness.... This is a novel written from instinct, not out of calculation, and it shows." (Peter Ackroyd, The Times)

What listeners say about Wideacre

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    518
  • 4 Stars
    227
  • 3 Stars
    132
  • 2 Stars
    75
  • 1 Stars
    100
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    617
  • 4 Stars
    205
  • 3 Stars
    75
  • 2 Stars
    25
  • 1 Stars
    41
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    451
  • 4 Stars
    187
  • 3 Stars
    131
  • 2 Stars
    71
  • 1 Stars
    119

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

More like "50 shades of grey".....

I have never written a review, despite going through at least 2-3 books a months. But being such a huge fun Philippa Gregory, this book was SUCH a disappointment! A peculiar story, devious main character and disturbing details.... Not the Philippa Gregory I love...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

88 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Awful read

I do not know where Philippa Gregory was going with this and I'm not sure she did either. It certainly is a great lesson in people sticking to what they are good at. The plot lacked direction throughout, was extremely awkwardly written and ended in a predictable fashion. Disappointing and while there were flashes of brilliant prose throughout it lacked the quintessential element of a believable plot. It was neither fiction nor fantasy fiction. Immensely disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

73 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not your usual Philippa Gregory

It’s a bit Mills & Boon with a fair bit of sex. Not at all what I expected but it did cover the serious issue of enclosure. I will listen to part 2 when I have a whole holiday to not feel guilty about it’s lack of real literary worthiness.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

57 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

uneasy and troubled main character

Initially I enjoyed the story and characters, however ,by the time I had listened to chapter 8, the story made me feel uncomfortable, the characture of Beatrice, was wholly abhorrent to me, she was a troubled and thoroughly wicked person, the type of person, I would avoid like the plague, therefore I decided that even though it is only fictional, I cannot listen anymore.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Spectacularly Evil

I had read this book years ago when it first came out and Philippa Gregory wasn't anywhere near as famous as she is now. I loved it then and I love it now. Our heroine, Beatrice Lacey, allows nothing to stand in her way in pursuit of power and the estate she loves, Wideacre. Sadly Beatrice corrupts not only herself and those around her but also the thing she loves most, Wideacre.

I sometimes despaired of justice being served and there will be no spoilers from me but the book is gripping and definitely one of Philippa's best. I loved the narration, however in some of the characters voices Emma Powell almost mispronounced 'Beatrice' as 'Bitches'. It was really disconcerting on occasion!

Altogether a book well worth listening to for the story and the narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping

What a gripping tale. It has everything and is told so well by Emma Powell.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

if she says 'Wideacre' one more time

it was fanciful tripe and I was glad when it was finished. The writing was repetitive and not at all for me. I always like to finish an audiobook so stuck with it but would absolutely not recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

best book ever

couldn't stop listening day and night . brilliant . narrator made the book come alive in my mind . can't wait to download book 2 .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Tedious , tawdry and repetitive.

Have read and enjoyed many of Philippa Gregory's historical novels . She writes so well but this one is far too long , drawn out and far fetched . Such a shame she could not have developed the scheming heroine in a more credible way. A lot of potential but it just doesn't deliver! The plot goes on and on , losing more credibility as it progresses and is just sleazy and repetitive . I got up to the point where her brother married. To think there are two more books in the trilogy . Life really is too short.
Narration is good. Ms Powell deserves a medal for getting through to the end of Wideacre . I'm afraid I couldn't!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disturbing

While I am usually a huge fan of Gregory's work, I was highly unimpressed with this book. Admittedly, it was her first novel, however it wasn't similar to any of her others in any way. The character wasn't relatable and did some unspeakable (and sometimes, quite disgusting) things for her own motives, which even then weren't understandable. It's very rare for me not to make it through to the end of a book. However, after about half of this book I just couldn't continue. Thankfully, Gregory seems to have found her niche writing fiction based on fact, which she should most definitely stick to in the future.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful