#1 New York Times bestselling author of Tidelands—the “searing portrait of a woman that resonates across the ages” (People)—returns with an evocative historical novel tracking the rise of the Tidelands family in London, Venice, and New England.Midsummer Eve 1670. Two unexpected visitors arrive at a shabby warehouse on the south side of the River Thames. The first is a wealthy nobleman seeking the … on the south side of the River Thames. The first is a wealthy nobleman seeking the lover he deserted twenty-one years earlier. Now James Avery has everything to offer: a fortune, a title, and the favor of the newly restored King Charles II. He believes that the warehouse’s poor owner Alinor has the one thing he cannot buy—his son and heir.
The second visitor is a beautiful widow from Venice in deepest mourning. She claims Alinor as her mother-in-law and tells her of the death of Rob—Alinor’s son—drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon.
Meanwhile, Alinor’s brother Ned, in faraway New England, is making a life for himself between in the narrowing space between the jarring worlds of the English newcomers and the American Indians as they move towards inevitable war. Alinor writes to him that she knows—without doubt—that her son is alive and the widow is an imposter. But how can she prove it?
Set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London, in the golden streets of Venice, and on the tensely contested frontier of early America, this is a novel of greed and desire: for love, for wealth, for a child, and for home.
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I really like this author, but I was disappointed in this book. I didn’t expect a fairy tale ending, but the ending was rather abrupt and unsatisfying. Maybe there will be a sequel to tie up loose ends.
Dark Tides is the 2nd book in The Fairmile series written by Philippa Gregory. I’ve read about half of her Plantagenet and Tudor series, and I aim to complete it by the end of this year… but when the two books in this series popped up earlier this summer, I got copies and jumped right in. I definitely enjoyed the first book more, but this one was still good. Let’s dive in further.
Twenty-one years after the first book ends in the mid-17th century, Alinor and her children have moved closer to London where they run a small business by the shipyards. Alinor is an invalid now, and her daughter, Alys, is raising twins. Alinor’s son Rob left for Venice for work, and her brother, Ned, left for the New World (America). You might not want to read more of this review as it’s hard not to spoil book 1 and still cover what happens in this book… so pause and stop reading if you don’t want to know… that said, Rob’s widow – a very suspicious character – shows up with his baby and claims Rob is dead. Alys believes her. Alinor does not. Plus, in the last book, both Alys and her mother were pregnant… now only one has twins. What happened?
So many great things here about the continuation of their story. Loved that aspect, and the Venetian widow is a character you will love to love or hate. She does so much good and so much bad, but you can never tell which is which. And when Sir James returns, we see him being pulled back into their dark story. On the flip side, Ned’s journey to America was mostly boring. Very little happened. I liked what transpired, but for it to be 50% of the book with minimal plot was quite hard. It was a nice counterbalance to his sister’s story, yet I found myself wishing it were only 25% of the book. I flipped a few pages and couldn’t really connect with his friends and the story of the new land. Usually I love that stuff; it was hard with the suspense of Alinor’s plot in opposing chapters.
In the end, I enjoyed the book. I hope there is a book 3, although it didn’t finish with a major cliffhanger like book 1, so this could be the end. I give it 3.5 stars but since I liked book 1 a lot more, I am rounding down here. Definitely give book 1 a chance, and if you love the characters, stick with it.
I love the on going story. Well written. Thanks Phillipa
I read it because it was a sequel. I did not like the way it ended.
Not as good as the first book, but entertaining. Many many new characters. Took me a moment to sort them out. Pretty complex story line, but starts to come together at the end.
This is an interesting era in history. The novel dragged on for me.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
This novel is set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London, in the canals of Venice, and on the tensions contested frontier of early America. This is a novel of greed and desire for love, for wealth, for a child, and for a home.
James is a man recently elevated to the aristocracy. He wants to make up for a wrong in his past.
Alinor is the woman that he has wronged. A young widow claimed Alinor as her mother-in-law and has come to tell Alinor that her son Rob has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon.
This is a novel by best-selling author Philippa Gregory and is about bigamy, forgery and love.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
Philippa Gregory writes wonderful historical fiction. Always thrashes out realistic characters with detailed descriptions of their lives in their times.
It is always a pleasure to watch the havoc one person can create amongst people, especially people who are far too polite for their own good. In TIDELANDS, that person was James Summer. Handsome, charming, young, he wins the love of Alainor – a woman in her late twenties with two children, and an abusive husband who has either died or disappeared. Alainor reciprocates his love, but she is a herbalist, some might say a White Witch, some of her neighbors said worse. This is 1648, people believe in witchcraft, and when James discovers that Alainor is to be tried as a witch with a little trial drowning, James abandons her to almost certain death fearing for his family name.
Alainor is saved by Alys, her 15-year-old daughter, who abandons her marriage plans in order to take her mother away from Sealsea Island (now known as Selsey Bill). Both women are pregnant, Alainor with James’ child and Alys with her fiancee’s. During the course of this novel it is never made clear whether Alainor actually gave James a son and heir, a daughter and heiress, or lost the baby.
Fast forward 21 years to 1670, when DARK TIDES opens, and James (now known at Sir James Avery) still handsome, charming and now rich, returns to Alainor to persuade her to be his wife. But he is far too conscious of the “great gift” he is to bestow upon her, and Alainor wants nothing to do with him. Her dunk in the village mill-pond has left her with weak lungs and painful memories. And so James never finds out from Alainor or her daughter Alys if any of the unborn babies of 1648 are his heirs. The children, Johnny and Sarah, think they are twins. Johnny has just finished his apprenticeship as a clerk and wants to join the East India Company. Sarah has just finished her apprenticeship as a milliner, and neither young person seems suited for the life that Sir James has in mind for them.
Sir James, accustomed to getting his own way and frustrated by Alainor’s steadfast refusal to accept any help from him, is hanging around this modest warehouse on the wrong side of the river, when the Glamor Puss appears in the shape of Italian widow Livia, married to Alainor’s son Robert who graduated as a doctor from the University of Padua. Livia, exotic, dressed to the nines, clearly out of place on this greasy wharf, immediately sinks her claws into Sir James Avery as he is the only wealthy person around in this sour corner of London. She is a dealer in antiquities. Her first husband (an Italian count) was a collector of taste. She has a warehouse full of this lovely stuff, which is now in vogue in London since the restoration of King Charles II. She throws herself on Alainor’s family, claiming poverty (which her silken skirts belie) telling a tale of how her darling Roberto (her second husband, and Alainor’s son) was sunk somewhere in the dark tides of Venice.
Charming, flirtatious, with an unearthly beauty, Livia is an expert liar. Most people believe her. The only person who does not is Alainor, and when she hatches a plan to send her grand-daughter Sarah to Venice to find out what is really going on, the engine of the novel really starts.
Like many readers, I am a fan of Philippa Gregory, but I agree with most of them that this is not her best book. The first book in the series was successful because it focused on Alainor’s story, and milked it for tension. This volume suffers from a subplot set in North America in the 1670s, when the colonists and the Native Americans were readying themselves for war. This part of the story had almost nothing to do with the main plot-line, except for the fact that the protagonist in the North American tale was Ned Ferryman, Alainor’s brother.
Some readers enjoyed experiencing Livia’s come-uppance at the end of this volume, but for me, the person who had the punishment meted out was Sir James, who found himself stuck in a loveless marriage that he had brought on himself. For me, this was a fitting punishment for the man who ruined Alainor’s life, abandoned her to her fate while she was carrying his child, and fled from her family, who included two innocent children, including the boy he had been tutoring. I enjoyed reading about the miserable life he is sure to have with his new bride Livia, who will give him a run for his money, as he is far too polite (and guilt-ridden) to protest at anything she does. Or says. Four stars.
I have yet to find a book Philippa Greggory has written and not loved. This one was a little hard for me to get connected to at the very beginning because I am not familliar with the location. And the location is a big part of the book so it made it a litle difficult. However, it didnt take long for me to become connected to the characters and found it hard to put the book down. I enjoyed the twists and turns and cannot wait to read the sequel.
Such a disappointment! Not only has Philippa Gregory not lived up to her standard of excellence as an author, but she ruined this
Fairmile series by writing this unworthy mess of a story as a sequel to the excellent Tidelands. One-dimensional characters. Historically savvy characters fooled by obvious manipulation. By the way, if your sister-in-law crawled into bed with you, buck naked, rubbed herself against you and caressed you, while fitting her body parts into your body parts, would it ring some alarms? Not for this moron! Wait until you see! Absurd, contrived situations. Hard-to-believe coincidences. A rambling parallel story about Alinor’s son Ned set in New England in the United States while the main action takes place in England that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, but serves as a politically correct platform decrying the new world colonial settlers’ mistreatment of the Native Americans. Yada. Yada. Yada.
Let’s get to the plot. Set mostly in England, but also New England, and Venice from 1670-1671, beginning on propitious Midsummer’s Eve, the family of the once self-possessed, but now seriously ill without semblance of the powerful personality that drove her to succeed, Alinor Reekie lives with her daughter Alys and two adult grandchildren Johnnie and Sarah in a ramshackle warehouse/ home along the river. On Midsummer’s Eve, two surprise visitors appear, changing the family’s fate. James, an insipid, self-serving, legend-in-his-own-mind scoundrel from twenty-one years ago, newly rich, courtesy of the restored King Charles II, comes to claim what he believes is his entitlement. Livia Reekie, da Ricci, Peachey (yes, all that!) beautiful, cunning, Italian con artist shows up with an infant son, announcing herself as the widow of Rob, Alinor’s son, who has drowned in the dark tides of Venice, Italy. Alinor has the sight and will not accept that Rob is dead. Both Johnnie and Sarah have finished their apprenticeships and are ready to move up in the world. Easy-going Johnnie sticks close to home while go-getter Sarah is sent on a mission.
All characters interact and intersect. Everyone is manipulated and handled. Most refuse to believe what is laid out before them as truth. I have mixed feelings about the ending. One character gets just desserts (yay!), one makes a questionable decision (uh-oh!) while the others are left speechless (Your head will spin!). Family ties remain strong as Alinor’s brood stands as role models of love, stability and compassion despite their disappointments.
It sounds good, doesn’t it? Sorry, but it is only that—good. Not at all the outstanding book we have come to expect from this author.
Hope there will be a third book in this series.
Was sad when I finished this book….Philippa Gregory is a fabulous story teller!
Just love all of her books…Hope this becomes a movie!!!
The author does an excellent portrayal of each characters personality. I enjoyed this more then Tidelands.
DARK TIDES
By Philippa Gregory
If you are a historical fiction fan like I am, you read Philippa Gregory for the absolute best in this genre. I have not been disappointed by anything Gregory writes. In the Dark Tides, the follow up to the Tidelands, the second book in The Fairmile series, we are transported to 1670’s London, Venice and the early frontiers of early America, in New England. In a story told through multiple POV’s we learn about the characters and the rich historical detail of the story line of this book.
This was a fantastic and well-written historical fiction novel that is both intriguing and heart breaking. For historical fiction fans, this is a must read and could not be missed.
An increasingly compelling read, even more enjoyable for me than its prequel. Book #2 in Philippa Gregory’s four-novel “Fairmile” series picks up the family in 1670, more than twenty years after the previous book, TIDELANDS, ends.
Alinor’s brother, Ned, is off in New England, establishing a new life. In England, the interregnum rule of Oliver Cromwell is over and King Charles II has been restored to the throne, along with the family holdings of Sir James Avery. Alinor is now middle aged, living with her daughter Alys and Alys’s adult children, Sarah and Rob, both nearing the end of their apprenticeships.
The London based family runs a small business along the wharf, barely managing financially when a beautiful, ambitious, and mysterious Venetian woman suddenly arrives at their door, with an infant in tow, identifying herself as the grief-stricken widow of Alinor’s brother, Rob, recently drowned.
Though that sets the scene, not all is as it seems. And the rest of the book travels from busy London to secretive Venice to new settlements in Hadley, Massachusetts — as members of this family all try to uncover the truth behind appearances. Along the way, we learn about the English market for antiquities, the classism of British society, mounting tensions between settlers and indigenous people in America, the strength of a mother’s intuition, and the persistence of an old lover’s guilt.
It’s quite a tale. I love how it unfolds and I only had one significant issue, which happens late in the book concerning one character’s turnaround, which to me, simply did not seem plausible. Not enough, however, to spoil this original historical novel. And I’m looking forward to the next two volumes.
Loved reading the mesmerizing and enthralling second book in the series. After two decades, James comes back to Alinor wanting to make amends, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Meanwhile, Alinor’s son’s widow, Livia, comes to town with a baby telling them that Roberto drowned, but Alinor feels that Roberto is still alive. Livia stays with Alinor, and her daughter, Alys, selling her antiquities and catching her prize, James. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, with a riveting storyline and captivating characters.
Book 2 of the fairmile series….
Recommended
Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory was a terrific story with two storylines. One was of Ned Reekie who had gone to the New World in search of freedom. He had been a part of the revolution against the king and had been pardoned but he wanted to live as he saw fit, not hurting anyone else, and having a minimum of rules. The other was of the family he left behind: his sister, Alinor; his niece, Alys and her twins: Sarah and Johnnie. A new arrival was the widow of his nephew, Rob, Alinor’s son, and her baby, Matteo. The reader watched as Livia manipulated and cheated everyone except Alinor who had suspected her from the beginning, especially her story of Rob’s death. It made no sense, but she bided her time. Another important character was Sir James Avery, who had been Rob’s tutor years ago, and Alinor’s lover, pregnant with his child. He denounced her but has now come looking for her and for his son. Livia manipulates him, as well.
This was not a terrible story. In fact it was interesting and good, although it was easy to see much of what was coming, although not all. The problem was, it took was it took way longer to read because it kept putting me to sleep. One issue was that she used too many words. I typically love her books so this was somewhat of a disappointment to me. Good characters, good story, should have been a good book, but something kept it from being. I recommend it only if you are a diehard Gregory fan.
I was invited to read a free ARC of Dark Tides by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #darktides
I usually really like this author’s books. I had not read the previous book in this series which might be part of the problem. It’s told by alternating characters which made it a bit hard to follow, at least for me. There were times during the book I thought were really good and others kinda boring.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early