Search - The Favoured Child

A dark novel, not as good as The Other Boelyn Girl, but not the worst novel I've read.

This is a very dark book indeed, with what its ill-fated heroine goes through, and it probably fits in better with the Gothic historicals of the 1970s than it does with Philippa Gregory's more recent historical novels centering on the Tudor Court. If I had to describe the "Wideacre" trilogy, I'd say it's a cross between Thomas Hardy, because of its depictions of rural English life, and V.C. Andrews, for the recurring theme of incest. There's a lot of death in this one, and one of the main characters is a psychopath. Toward the end, it verges on horror. Frankly, I preferred "Wideacre," the earlier book, but if I had to recommend one book by Philippa Gregory to someone who's never read her, I'd say, "Read 'The Other Boleyn Girl,'" because that's the best.

Loved it! Philippa Gregory is one of my favorites! The Wideacre series has amazing characters and really explores the lengths people will go to. Very interesting read.