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12th out of 25 books
—
92 voters
Meridon (The Wideacre Trilogy #3)
by
Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)
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 c...more
Paperback, 569 pages
Published
June 17th 2003
by Touchstone
(first published May 3rd 1990)
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Dec 17, 2010
Ayzsia
added it
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I couldn't put this book down. I stayed up until 4am to read it. I had to know what was going to happen and couldn't wait.
The last book of the Wideacre story. It's not what I expected, which was good. The first two books were alot the same, so this was a change.
Like so many characters from Wideacre I felt so sorry for Meridon and the hardships she went through, but it made her a strong, independent person. She was able to experience so much more in life then the other characters in the first t...more
The last book of the Wideacre story. It's not what I expected, which was good. The first two books were alot the same, so this was a change.
Like so many characters from Wideacre I felt so sorry for Meridon and the hardships she went through, but it made her a strong, independent person. She was able to experience so much more in life then the other characters in the first t...more
Philippa Gregory writes absolutely brilliant historical fiction, but this was not one of her best. Gregory is far more comfortable during the Tudor years, and it shows. It is very obvious, especially to a rabid Georgette Heyer fan like me, that she must have read quite a bit of Heyer before writing this book. Names, characterizations, and other details (like Meridon donning mens clothing all the time) were obviously borrowed from Heyer.
On a positive note, when Meridon is poor and working as a b...more
On a positive note, when Meridon is poor and working as a b...more
3 likes · like · see review
If you like Jane Austen, but wish it wasn't quite so vanilla - this trilogy is for you!
Each book is the story of a daughter of the grand estate, Wideacre. Meridon is our heroine for this book. I can't say much without spoiling, but this one gives us a much different perspective on Wideacre, and it's little village. This is the best book of the trilogy, by far.
If you are just looking for an easy period romance, I think you can have that here. My stepmother enjoyed this series, and she has no use...more
Each book is the story of a daughter of the grand estate, Wideacre. Meridon is our heroine for this book. I can't say much without spoiling, but this one gives us a much different perspective on Wideacre, and it's little village. This is the best book of the trilogy, by far.
If you are just looking for an easy period romance, I think you can have that here. My stepmother enjoyed this series, and she has no use...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is one of my favourite Philippa Gregory books and the only one I like out of the Wideacre series. I have reread it several times. If you've read the other two and have found the incest a bit weird - don't worry, there isn't any in Meridon.
The story is split into two parts, being Meridon when she is poor and living as a gypsy/horse trainer, and Meridon when she is rich and trying to fit in. The story provides a fascinating expose of the nasty rich of the time (if you enjoy Diana Norma books,...more
The story is split into two parts, being Meridon when she is poor and living as a gypsy/horse trainer, and Meridon when she is rich and trying to fit in. The story provides a fascinating expose of the nasty rich of the time (if you enjoy Diana Norma books,...more
(Could be spoiler)
After reading “Wideacre” which I hated, I skipped “The Favoured Child”, not wanting more of the same.
Therefore it was with some trepidation that I picked up “Meridon.” However, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised since I totally loved Gregory’s wonderfully descriptive writing of the Sussex countryside. Also, for once, this book ended as it should.
As the novel opens, Meridon is a displaced heiress living the lifestyle of a gypsy with her step-sister Dandy, the only...more
After reading “Wideacre” which I hated, I skipped “The Favoured Child”, not wanting more of the same.
Therefore it was with some trepidation that I picked up “Meridon.” However, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised since I totally loved Gregory’s wonderfully descriptive writing of the Sussex countryside. Also, for once, this book ended as it should.
As the novel opens, Meridon is a displaced heiress living the lifestyle of a gypsy with her step-sister Dandy, the only...more
I confess: I usually love Philippa's books. Are they heady? No. Particularly clever? Rarely. But still, love them I do.
This one, though, sucked ass. Once I noticed the abundance of metaphors and similes, I was helpless to ignore them and found myself counting appearances (c'mon, does a sentence REALLY require FOUR of them??). Not to mention stomach-churning sex scenes including, "...fervently wishing he would plow my fertile soil..."
Sweet Moses.
This one, though, sucked ass. Once I noticed the abundance of metaphors and similes, I was helpless to ignore them and found myself counting appearances (c'mon, does a sentence REALLY require FOUR of them??). Not to mention stomach-churning sex scenes including, "...fervently wishing he would plow my fertile soil..."
Sweet Moses.
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Well, this is the fitting end to the triology. Meridon is the child who was given away at the end of the last book to the gypsies. She dreams of a house and a family at a place called Wide. Meanwhile she is trying to keep body and soul together as whatever her dad needs her to do. She loves only one person in the whole world, her sister, Dandy. They are sold together to a trick performer because of Meridon's ability with horses. Dandy decides to break the rules and try to trap the owner's son in...more
I loved this book.. out of all three this one would have to be my most favourite. It is a total turn-around from the first two books, because the first and second novels were quite alike. I love that the whole new atmosphere and gipsy charm was the premise of her story line. It added a whole new level of character to the book it's self. I have to wonder though, and this is the reason I love this book so much is that, I think in my opinion that Meridon was gay. I don't want to give anything away...more
Nov 07, 2009
♥ Marlene♥
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
personal-collection
On Saturday, December 30, 2006 I wrote:
This book was given to me by Xeyra. She was so generous ,she bought all 3 of the Wideacre series for me.
She bough them on Ebay but when I opened the package we discovered one book was missing.
Wideacre, book 1.
Now I treated myself and bought Wideacre last week in Scotland. What a great book.
I can't get enough and am reading book 2 The Favoured Child right now.
On Monday, January 08, 2007 I wrote:
This was the last book of the wideacre series and I was glad to...more
This book was given to me by Xeyra. She was so generous ,she bought all 3 of the Wideacre series for me.
She bough them on Ebay but when I opened the package we discovered one book was missing.
Wideacre, book 1.
Now I treated myself and bought Wideacre last week in Scotland. What a great book.
I can't get enough and am reading book 2 The Favoured Child right now.
On Monday, January 08, 2007 I wrote:
This was the last book of the wideacre series and I was glad to...more
I admit that I may have been at a disadvantage reading this book before reading the others in the trilogy, but I don't know if I will bother reading the others.
The story moved well, but I tire of the modern woman shoe-horned into another time. This story is set in early 19th century England. A woman raised as a gypsy longs for another life she dreams about.
I found this book not as well written as I would like. There were grammatical errors and at least one anachronism (the heroine describe her l...more
The story moved well, but I tire of the modern woman shoe-horned into another time. This story is set in early 19th century England. A woman raised as a gypsy longs for another life she dreams about.
I found this book not as well written as I would like. There were grammatical errors and at least one anachronism (the heroine describe her l...more
FINALLY, something good happens for this family...well...sorta. At least she doesn't throw her life away or die in the end and finds some sense of happiness. As always with these families, though, there's plenty of drama and trouble. I went into this book expecting nothing. Still, Phillippa, I love your writing...even when you do the unthinkable and scandalize me to where I want to throw the book across the room. My friends just laugh at me when I get worked up and tell them about what's going o...more
Nov 23, 2011
Emily
added it
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Gregory is such a good writer that I can forgive her many sins... the first half is so interesting simply for a glimpse into gypsy and circus life during that time period. It takes a leap of faith to buy Meridon's intent transformation into Sarah. Events spiral out of control, as their wont to do in this series, but in a manner that's a little too soap opera-y to be enjoyably plausible. The end is sunny and warm, but awfully romantic. Again, rough to swallow. Though you wouldn't want the final b...more
Probably my favorite of the 3 books. Meridon has both best qualities from Beatrice and Julia, and her upbringing make her slightly more down to earth and understandable as a character. The book has less disturbing context as the two previous and has a nice continuation from the second book as to why Wideacre is better off without a master on their land. All the hopes for the land Julia had are finally fulfilled in this one by providing contrast with poor and reach. I loved that Meridon came thro...more
I was a little dissapointed with this book. i liked the beginning about the horse show. then after that...it was a little boring compared to the first 2 books. I was expecting something a little more twisted, bigger, grander. I wanted Meridon/Sarah to let robert gower know she was quality and that he lost or something like that. i wanted what he said about not being good enough for his son to be smacked back into his face. I wanted to know what happened to Ralph. Did he know that wideacre was gi...more
Every now and then I like to read one of Philippa Gregory's historical novels. I was first won over by The Other Boleyn Girl and have read at least two other of her books. Meridon is the last novel in a trilogy, but I didn't read the first two and I didn't have to, to enjoy it. The heroine is a strong, independent woman (as so many of her protagonists are) with a savage and heartbreaking past. Her attributes and strong desire to make her own way, make her seem a woman of this generation rather t...more
Every now and then I like to read one of Philippa Gregory's historical novels. I was first won over by The Other Boleyn Girl and have read at least two other of her books. Meridon is the last novel in a trilogy, but I didn't read the first two and I didn't have to, to enjoy it. The heroine is a strong, independent woman (as so many of her protagonists are) with a savage and heartbreaking past. Her attributes and strong desire to make her own way, make her seem a woman of this generation rather t...more
I put this book down a couple of times, which is normally not a good sign, but I was also reading it along with a couple of other books and at a Very Turbulent TIme in my life (starting a new job) so I am not going to condemn the book for the put-downiness.
I love Philippa Gregory, I love this genre, I love this time period. I had some issues with this story. (oh...before I get too far into this, I have not read the previous 2 books in this trilogy so if that makes a difference....oh well. this s...more
I love Philippa Gregory, I love this genre, I love this time period. I had some issues with this story. (oh...before I get too far into this, I have not read the previous 2 books in this trilogy so if that makes a difference....oh well. this s...more
Six Stars!!! I love Phillipa Gregory and I expect to love her books... which can set the bar a little high when I pick up one I haven't read. I didn't read the first 2 of this trilogy (and I didn't need to to follow this story) but I could not put this book down!! I tried reading while folding clothes, while eating breakfast, while pretending to play with the kids... seriously, it was such a great, great escape book! Is it literary fiction? Full of perfectly formed paragraphs? Are the characters...more
Much better than the previous installment. I was back to loving the characters - Meridon I found very relatable, and I just liked Dandy and her brazenness. The story fascinated me, and I liked the fact that at least there was no incest in this one - that got old very quickly and while it was at least relevant to the first novel, it seemed to be there for the sake of being there in the second one, and I would have hated to have it ruining this one too. I also loved the fact that after so much mis...more
Absolutely skip Gregory's Wideacre books. So bad and tedious- worse than daytime soap operas.
It took me a long while to get arounnd to reading this, the last book in the trilogy, after being so dissapointed in the 2nd book the Favored Child. This book was easily more interesting, featuring an intriguing cast of characters from all walks of life. The description also, I found to be less repetitive. All in all very enjoyable and a great end to the series. Following Meridon a young woman who doesn't belong anywhere, we feel her sorrows as she is abandoned by a sick mother, sold by an abusi...more
Well thank goodness we seem to have moved away from some of the darkness that filled the first two books - possibly at the price of losing some of the grip of the series...but maybe not. I didn't find this book quite as enthralling, although I couldn't help but be continually wondering when the depravity would set it. As in The Favored Child, I found myself mostly irritated by Sarah as the book progressed - I guess the story-line didn't go quite as I hoped. At least she ended up with the right g...more
At times frustrating, this is overall a very well written book if you enjoy historical fiction. I have not read the two prequels, but it stands very well on its own. Meridon is a rags to riches story, quit believable in its presentation, and the frustration comes from the main character who refuses, once she attains riches, to remember where she came from. However, by the 3/4 mark in the book the plot has turned, and the book becomes one that is hard to put down as Meridon makes monumental decis...more
Many of you know I really enjoy Philippa Gregory books. I love historical fiction and her books always have a twist in the end or a great plot. This book was no exception although, it could have almost been made into 2 stories. I found out that this book is the last one of a series but I don't think the books were that related in that I had to read the other 2 books first. It was a great read with some good twists and I fell in love with Meridon's character and loved many of the other characters...more
The final Wideacre Series book! The final scene in this book (again, won't give anything away!) leaves the reader feeling satisfied and as if all-is-right with the world, if you will. Philippa Gregory is a master at historical fiction and the Widacre Series is wonderful (and under-rated, I think!).
One of the best thing about this series is to see the stark contrast between the women in each book, their various personalities, and different love-stories. Despite being mothers-daughters, they are...more
One of the best thing about this series is to see the stark contrast between the women in each book, their various personalities, and different love-stories. Despite being mothers-daughters, they are...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Perry | 2 | 9 | Nov 06, 2012 05:54pm |
Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was made into a TV drama and a major film. Published in 2009, the bestselling The White Queen, the story of Elizabeth Woodville, ushered in a new series involving The Cousins’ War (now known as The War of the Roses) and a new era for the acc...more
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Jan 09, 2011 08:59am