This New York Times bestseller from “one of the great storytellers of our time” (San Francisco Book Review) turns from the glamour of the royal courts to tell the story of an ordinary woman, Alinor, living in a dangerous time for a woman to be different.A country at war A king beheaded A woman with a dangerous secret On Midsummer’s Eve, Alinor waits in the church graveyard, hoping to encounter … Eve, Alinor waits in the church graveyard, hoping to encounter the ghost of her missing husband and thus confirm his death. Until she can, she is neither maiden nor wife nor widow, living in a perilous limbo. Instead she meets James, a young man on the run. She shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marshy landscape of the Tidelands, not knowing she is leading a spy and an enemy into her life.
England is in the grip of a bloody civil war that reaches into the most remote parts of the kingdom. Alinor’s suspicious neighbors are watching each other for any sign that someone might be disloyal to the new parliament, and Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her as a woman who doesn’t follow the rules. They have always whispered about the sinister power of Alinor’s beauty, but the secrets they don’t know about her and James are far more damning. This is the time of witch-mania, and if the villagers discover the truth, they could take matters into their own hands.
“This is Gregory par excellence” (Kirkus Reviews). “Fans of Gregory’s works and of historicals in general will delight in this page-turning tale” (Library Journal, starred review) that is “superb… A searing portrait of a woman that resonates across the ages” (People).
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Wheww, can I just say: As a woman, I’m so glad I was born in this age and not the 17th century! Because holy doo doo…we think being a woman is hard today?? It ain’t nothin (comparatively speaking)!! Anyway, other than this new appreciation I have for the time I live in, I also thoroughly enjoyed the history lesson I received from Tidelands. I give it a solid 4.5s!.
It’s set in what was an incredibly tumultuous time for England. The mid 1600s during the English Civil War, when King Charles I & parliament were fighting each other. Not only that, but ever since Henry VIII’s religious reformation over a century before, the succeeding monarchs had bounced back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism. So, neighbors were spying on and/or hiding beliefs from neighbors, the upper class and lower classes were worlds apart & all in all, it wasn’t a very open or happy time.
This novel is the first in a series that is apparently going to follow a family over generations as it goes from rags to riches. This is the rags part for sure and set the foundation for the rest of the series.
Alinor, a midwife whose abusive, drunkard husband has left her and her two children, taking all her savings with him (which of course is legal because he is the man, so no matter he didn’t earn it, it’s still his…GRRR). This story follows her as she tries to survive as the most impoverished woman on her island; one who can call herself neither wife nor widow, which is worse than either!
I really do have a new appreciation for the women whose shoulders I now stand on and what they went through to get us to where we are today. Back in those days, superstition and paranoia ran deep & rampant. Women had absolutely no rights and were treated like baby factories who were there to take care of the men. While not a fun, happy read this is an incredibly informative & captivating start to what is sure to be a fascinating series that I look forward to continuing. I won this book in a giveaway.
Tidelands is the first book in a new series written by Philippa Gregory, an author whose work I have read in the past. While I’m only fifty percent through devouring the Plantagenet and Tudor series (15-book collection), I was awarded the second book in this series via NetGalley, so I had to order the debut before jumping into the next one. What a great way to mix up the author’s various series, enjoying her trademark beautifully penned historical fiction with a completely newly inspired time period and cast of intriguing characters.
Mid-seventh century. English coast. Poor village caught between kings and religion. Alinor is a young mother of two teenagers, and she finds herself helping a stranger in the dark. Her husband disappeared months ago, and her daughter wants to marry a local farmer who’s several rungs on the ladder above her, at least social status-wise. Will Alinor risk helping the stranger? Will those who suspect her of being a witch finally cast their stones in public at her? Alinor falls for the man, and her assistance paves the way for her family to gain status and wealth. But with fortune comes a darker side, and they will all suffer the spoils.
Wow! At first, I was intrigued and focused, but I didn’t feel compelled to read it each night. I was happy to take a break, until I hit the fifty-percent mark. Then it was a non-stop page-turner as everything that once magically spun into gold unraveled backward. That poor family! Those horrible neighbors! The greediness of men! Oh, Gregory pulled me in and held me tightly. Had the first half not been a bit slow, I would’ve given this five stars. And that ending – cliffhanger of all!!! I cannot wait to dive into book two next month. I’m taking a couple of weeks off (in between) just to let the ambiance of the story settle in. What a thrilling comparison to her other books.
I thought this was a brilliant start to a new series! As all new starts go, it has a lot of descriptors in it to set the series up, so it can be a bit slow in places. It really came to life with a new literary world, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next! The ending was horrifying and infuriating, and certainly set the tone for the next in the series. Thank you for the opportunity to review this gem from one of my favorite authors!
Philippa’s writing style in this story is hypnotic. The story was slower in the beginning but the depth of the characters drew me in and then I was hooked and staying up late to finish the book. I was absolutely immersed in the world of these characters and haunted by them for a couple of days after I finished the book. But it does leave you on cliffhanger and now I am extremely impatient for the next book in the series.
“Don’t forget where you are, who you are. Nothing changes here but the waters. The rest of the country can run mad, turn upside down, but here only the sea changes daily and only the mire goes where it will.”
Goodwife Alinor Reekie gets unwitting pulled into a situation when she helps hide a papist spy in the Tidelands, setting off a series of things that may change not only her family, but her country in the middle of a civil war. Her neighbors, seeing how she and her children’s’ fortunes turn towards the better, are extremely suspicious, as Alinor, who’d never really followed the rules, is determined to make a better life for all if them. But how can life get any worse for an abandoned midwife living in a rundown cottage near the water she fears so much?
And then there’s James, the conscripted spy, whose unending acceptance of the tasks placed before him gets harder when Alinor helps him out. The whole situation takes his vows of faith, obedience and chastity to task. Discouragement drives his responses, except when it comes to Alinor.
What could go wrong? Everything in an area where witches, ghosts and fairies are still the norm even after The Church of England has banished the idea. If the villagers discover Goodwife Reekie’s biggest secret, it could mean her death.
At over 400 pages, this is a very long book. In true Gregory style, her research is flawless. However, her choice of a lowborn “non entity” instead of an English royal is what makes it different, and promises of generations of Alinor’s family in other books drives the reader to want to know more. I truly loved this book and can hardly wait for sequels hinted in the author’s notes in the back of the book. Highly Recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book in a Goodreads/Atria Books give away and voluntarily read and reviewed it]
It was good. About people living on the cusp of poverty yet they were survivors.
Excellent story telling. A thriller with romance.
Can’t wait until the next book in the series.
I;ve read all of Philippa Gregory’s books and looked forward to reading this one..the first in a new series. Set in 1648 on a small island in the south of England, the story centers around Alinor, a young woman with two children. Her husband has been missing for months and she doesn’t know if he was lost at sea or what happened to him. Alone with the children she leads a lonely life and is very poor eking out a living by acting as a midwife and healer. When she meets a priest who is masquerading as a tutor things change. Gossip about her being a witch start to circulate. I wasn’t happy at the ending but know that it leads to another book in the series and I can’t wait to read it. Definitely recommend the book!
Gregory delivers a captivating look into a dark period in history.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
This is not like any other Philippa Gregory book I have read.
It is a fictional tale with a few historical facts
A great read, I couldn’t put it down.
I was so absorbed that I had to go and buy the 2nd book in the series and now I can’t wait for the 3rd
You might think that after writing 15 novels about the Tudors and the Plantagenets, author Philippa Gregory would be spent. You would be wrong. TIDELANDS, set in Selsey Bill on the marshy southern tip of Sussex, England during the 1640s, (a time when England was plunged into a Civil War) is wonderful.
This is a story of poor people scratching a living from the inhospitable (and dangerous) marshes. It is a story of ambition, family feeling and fear. It is the story of a poor woman with healing skills, who despite her success in saving many women from death in childbed, is treated with a great deal of suspicion.
People are not kind to outsiders, especially poor women who have to struggle on without a husband to protect them. When a handsome young man inserts himself into her life, Alinor’s precarious existence becomes perilous indeed. Highly recommended. Five stars. #philippagregory #tidelands
I’ll read anything by Philippa Gregory. Wonderful writer.
A pretty good historical novel from 16-17th century England. It was a little long and plodding and not so much of a surprise ending. At times was bleak, which was the period. Her books were dramatized better on TV. The excerpt from the next installment, Dar Tides, did intrigue me enough to want to see what happens next with the story, especially if the main characters come back together.
Wonderful book. Great characters. Highly recommend.
Philippa has been one of my favorite authors for years. I think she is one of the best writers when it comes to historical novels and this book did not disappoint me. She has a talent when it comes to weaving historical fact into her novels. The main character was Alinor, a strong independent woman who is harshly judged by her peers for circumstances she could not control. Left by her abusive husband she had to support her two children in times where not many opportunities was available to her. She falls in love and is then left with a very difficult choice. She faces charges of witch craft in a time where it is treated harshly. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Great book!
This novel is definitely not a love story but during the time period, I understand why the ending is what it is. Love Phillipa Gregory novels. I never can put them down once I start reading! Engaging characters!
Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite authors. I loved Tidelands and cannot wait to read her next book in this 2-part series. Her work is extremely well researched and beautifully written.
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!
Tidelands is a departure for Philippa Gregory, one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. Rather than her usual work of writing about the Tudor court of King Henry VIII, this one takes place in 1648 when Oliver Cromwell wrested control of England through civil war, outlawing all but the Puritan religion. It was a dangerous time for anyone who dissented even the King. But in Tidelands Gregory does not focus on the royalty, Parliment, or Cromwell. Instead the reader is treated to a glimpse into the world of England’s poor.
A lowly fishwife named Alinor Reekie is the story’s heroine. Alinor, a wisewoman, midwife, and healer, deserted by her abusive husband and raising two children alone in the unforgiving tidelands meets a stranger who changes her life forever. Intrigue, deception, loyalty, superstition, love, and betrayal fill the story.