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The Favoured Child

by Philippa Gregory Book 2 in the Wideacre series.

First published 1989

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4.3(2,536)

Wideacre is burdened by debt and the consequences of Beatrice Lacey’s rule. Her daughter Julia and nephew Richard grow up together as possible heirs, but their different relationships with the estate and its tenants create rivalry.

Julia develops an intuitive attachment to the land and tries to improve village life, while Richard seeks authority and profit. Their contested inheritance turns affection into coercion and continues the family’s cycle of secrecy and harm.

Historical Periods

Georgian Era1714–1830 CE Country House Society1714–1837 CE Industrial Revolution in Britain1760–1830 CE Enclosure and Rural Change1750–1830 CE

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Gothic Fiction Historical Sagas Social & Domestic Fiction

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