The Favoured Child Views
Her academic background has given her a knowledge of and enthusiasm for many periods of history but particularly for the Tudor period and the 16th century. Her research in 18th-century literature led her to write the bestselling Lacey trilogy — Wideacre, which is a gripping story about the love of land and incest, The Favoured Child and Meridon. This was followed by The Wise Woman, described[citation needed] as a dazzling, disturbing novel of dark powers and desires set against the rich tapestry of the Reformation. A Respectable Trade, a novel of slave trade in England, set in 18th-century Bristol, was adapted by Gregory for an acclaimed four-part drama series for BBC television. Gregory's script was nominated for a BAFTA, won an award from the Committee for Racial Equality, and the film was shown worldwide.
Following the success of Wideacre and the publication of The Favoured Child, she moved south to near Midhurst, West Sussex, where the Wideacre trilogy was set. Here she married her second husband Paul Carter, with whom she has a son. She divorced for a second time and married Anthony Mason, who she had first met during her time in Hartlepool.
It is the story of the next generation on the Wideacre estate. Beatrice Lacey has been dead for years, leaving behind her son, Richard and her niece, Julia, who narrates the novel as she grows up with Richard. Wideacre Hall has not been rebuilt after the fire and the village of Acre is destitute. Julia and Richard, raised in the Dower House by Julia’s mother, on money sent by Richard’s father, have promised to marry each other and restore the estate to its former glory. There is also a sense of magic in the novel because the villagers believe that only one of the children can be the favoured child of the title – only one will have inherited the sight and Beatrice’s gift with the land.
The Favoured Child Images
