Customer Reviews
Excellent!!!! - By: Emma Durnall, 05 Jan 2009 
This book is brilliant! i was on the edge of my seat whilst I was reading it & had to finish it to find out what happened to the marvellous heroine Julia Lacey. I havent read the first novel, wideacre, but that didnt matter as the book was amazing on its own & i cant wait to find out what happens next & am waiting for my copy of Meridon (the last bookin the trilogy). The story is full of twists & turns & written so well the characters jump out at you. The gloomy backdrop & the amazing characterisation really make the book come alive & I really enjoyed reading it. you think you know what will happen next, but then something else comes along & keeps you guessing. i really recommend this book.
A lot better than Widacre! - By: The swede, 28 Dec 2008 
I think that Gregory lost a lot of readers after her first book Widacrein this trilogy. Thta book was very long & well.. simply did not do it for me. The favoured child on the other hand is a lot better & worth to read! You don't even have to read the first book to get a hang on this one.
Unfortunatly some other reviewer here tells us the whole storyline so it was quite spoiled by that...
Another one complains that the main character Julia never gets a spine & stand up fo herself, me on the other hand saw her grow through the whole book. Instead I found that characters like John (her "uncle") & Celia (her "mum") did not really measure up to the personality they hadin the first book & that a shame but probably necessary for the plot.
However this was one of Gregorys better books. Worth a read!
Not quite so good as Wideacre - By: rhinoa, 22 Aug 2007 
The secondin the series after Wideacre which tells the story of Julia Lacey, the daughter of Beatrice & Harry Lacey. She does not know her true mother until the very end of the novel & her incestous birth.
This female character is much more likeable than her mother Beatrice, however she lacks a lot of her strength. She wants the poor to have a share of the Wideacre profits or to give them Wideacre. She is raped & pursued by her brother (they belive they are cousins) Richard to marry him. This means he will get Wideacre & she will be left with nothing also being denied her true love James Forteuss. Richard has the Lacey madness & is a killer, cheat & bully like their mother sadly.
Plain suffering - read if you like to see people suffer - By: Sunny, 12 Dec 2006 
I really like PG's books, but unfortunately this one was a big disappointment. If you like to read about people suffering through hundreds of pages, without deserving it, you will enjoy. If not, read her other books.
Brilliant! - By: Sarah Nately, 01 May 2006 I have just finished this book & must say it is great! I loved it from the moment I picked it up. As a sequel to 'Wideacre' I think this is the stronger of the two books (and less sorid to tell the truth!). After reading these two books I am definitely a Philippa Gregory fan. The plot is attention grabbing & although you may work out some of the twists it is not until you have finished the book & realise that 'that part' was a clue & 'that event' was aswell. Gergory's characters are so well crafted & every aspect of their personality has obviously been thought out carefully. I found myself urging Julia, the main character, to do the right thing when i saw her going the wrong way & actually began to care for her welfare! I was greatly surprised by how good this book is and, as I said on a review of 'Wideacre' this is definitely one of the best books I have ever read. A few events even got a physical reaction out of me, after a couple of shocked 'What?!' & some gasps I was asked to explain what was going on to my flatmate. This book is brilliant & i cannot recommend it enough!
