The Book Maven’s Journal Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tidelands
A Novel by Philippa Gregory

Sincere Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Washington Square Press for Providing this Review Copy

Veering from her specialty in fictional biographies of British monarchs, Philippa Gregory's new Fairmilie Series Book 1, Tidelands, gets off to an intriguing start when a local “cunning woman” waiting in a cemetery, under the watchful gaze of the Mid-Summers’ Eve moon, stumbles into a clandestine meeting with a spy.

Thus heralds the life-changing tides that will alter the course of Ailnor’s life, and those of her two children. Abandoned by her fisherman husband, she is a poor 17th C. midwife and herbalist raising two children hand-to-mouth on a small wetlands isle in Southern England.

Ailnor has few personal possessions, but what she does have is honor, honesty, integrity and faithfulness. These are also character traits that she values in others—especially those she loves.

Both beautiful and smart, a woman with her skills is always surrounded by whispers and jealousy—and sometimes gossip that can lead to deadly accusations. Will those individuals who Ailnor loves and trusts the most stand by her when she truly needs them?

We can always count on Author Philippa Gregory for personalized characters that are three-dimensional and well-developed. The Tidelands storyline is equally well-plotted and structured.

However, be prepared for an unexpected—abrupt—ending cliffhanger that packs a poignant to-the-heart punch. I personally prefer more complete resolutions in novel/book endings, nonetheless…
Luckily, a sequel to Tidelands, "Dark Tides," is available for those who “have a need to know…”

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(Check-out some of my other favorite Books and their Reviews that I've posted on Goodreads at the above link. I’ve written and posted more than 300 book reviews with an average of 3.98 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Star Rating Average on Goodreads.)

I love Philippa Gregory and historical fiction, but this book was a little slow, a little too detailed about the mundane things in the first ⅓ of the novel. I liked the book overall, but I wasn't gripped like I was with some of her previous works. So, it's good, but mainly for people who already love Gregory and love historical fiction-- who trust her as a writer and know that it'll be worth it to stick it out until the end.

I love the main character, Alinor. A young woman abandoned by her cruel husband and left in abject poverty, and who is determined to survive and provide for her two young teenage children in the face of not only poverty but the culture of the time that works against her. And despite it all she steadfastly remains polite, kind and loving. A very lovable character.

The story takes place during a time of uncertainty in England, at the end of the reign of King Charles I. The book starts slow but picks up after a few chapters, then starts to grip you all the way till the end.

Philippa Gregory Tidelands Simon & Schuster 2021

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
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As usual Philippa Gregory places women at the centre of her well researched, engrossing historical novel. In Tidelands the descriptive prose introducing the setting is particularly evocative. The tidelands are far from Gregory’s depiction of the palaces and seat of the Tudors’ governance and intrigue established by famous figures. The Sussex coast, where water and land intermingle, creating danger for those who do not know the area, and mastery of the environment for those who do, is the location of much of the novel.

Here, the Ferryman family are part of the lower echelons of the hierarchy that exists even well removed from the royal court and London. They have the keeping of the ferry, together with the associated house, as part of their tenancy, handed down through the male line. Ned is the ferryman, his sister Alinor having married, lives in a poor cottage nearby with her children, Rob and Alys. Alinor has been deserted and must fend for herself with a mixture of relief that she is no longer the recipient of drunken blows, and fear that her and the children’s earnings will not keep the family.

The political and personal plotlines are established at the beginning of the novel, and intertwine throughout, neither gaining ascendancy in this multi-layered story. On Midsummer’s Eve, 1648. King Charles 1 is in enduring and erratic conflict with the parliament, under Oliver Cromwell. Ned has fought for Cromwell and remains politically committed. Alinor has avoided a political commitment but becomes involved on a personal level when she protects an emissary for the king on Midsummer’s night. Her strongest passions are for her independence from the control exerted by men, class and poverty and aspirations for her children.

The societal divisions are an integral part of the plot. However, with her meeting in the graveyard, Alinor asserts her independence of these divisions through her language and attitude towards Father James. He has been thwarted in finding safety in his journey to Sir William Peachey with information about the king. He must depend on Alinor’s silence and assistance. At the same time, Alinor cannot risk her mission being linked to witchcraft, always attendant on women who, like Alinor, are ‘wise women’ herbalists, healers, and midwives. The two are dependent on each other for silence. Their story works alongside that of Alys’s marriage plans; Rob’s ambition to join the East India Company; the miller’s wife’s uneasy position, socially above the two beautiful women, Alinor and Alys, but below Sir William Peachey, which results in her bullying, greed, and anger, pivotal to the plot.

There are glimpses of Charles 1, the despair his supporters endured through his vagaries and arrogance, and the resulting failures of plans leading to the trial and execution. The conflicts that remained over religion are also dealt with through personal and political storylines, the role of Father James becoming an important part of Alinor’s story despite class differences. Women’s dependence on men for their living, and the uneasy acceptance of their skills, even when they are lifesaving, are an essential part of the story. The nature of the work, hours spent with little rest, only to begin again early the next morning, become as real as the lives of the court in Gregory’s other work.

Like Gregory’s contemporary novels, Tidelands opens yet another world. Philippa Gregory excels here as she does with her more well-known historical works. I enjoyed reading Tidelands and was pleased to see that the story continues in Dark Tides.

"The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “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, who cannot bear to conform to the life that lies before her.

Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, England is in the grip of a civil war between renegade king and rebellious parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even the remote tidelands - the marshy landscape of the south coast.

Alinor, a descendant of wisewomen, trapped in poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband. Instead, she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.

Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbors. This is the time of witch mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.

It is dangerous for a woman to be different."

I love nothing more that Philippa Gregory and her cunning women!

This sweeping new series from Gregory is a wonderful novel of the strength and power of women. It takes place in 1648, and we meet Alinor, a woman who is left alone with her two children on Sealsea, a remote island where most live in poverty. Alinor's children are given opportunities that allow them to rise above their station. This story covers forbidden love, the love of a mother for her children, The story is so compelling that I immediately needed the next book to see how the story progressed. A great read!

My dad is a big fan of this author, but this was the first book of hers that I've read! I enjoyed it! The historical detail is amazing, I found myself getting frustrated by so many character decisions, which is always a good sign that I'm invested! Can't wait to read more from Gregory.

This was my first Philippa Gregory book and it will not be my last. I am eagerly waiting for a chance to sit down and read Dark Tides. I half read/half listened to Tidelands and thought the narrator was just perfect. Alinor's life will draw you in and you will want to know the rest of her story. I love learning about history as I sit and while away an afternoon in my cozy chair.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Treason and treachery invade a small island community when the views of the loyalists and the futurists collide.

Unfortunately, I didn't finish this title. I found it hard to get into and didn't really connect with any of the characters. I know a lot of people loved this -- it just wasn't for me.

I found Philippa Gregory in high school and devoured all of her books that I could get my hands on. I knew she was a good author, but being as that was nearly 15 years ago, I had forgotten just how incredible she was.

This book is a stunning, rich tapestry of storytelling. It entrances you from the first page and leaves you mesmerized. Gregory blends historical fiction and fact so completely that it becomes hard to know where one stops and the other begins.

This book tells a story of a woman who seems like such a minor character, only to transform into a personal friend. I became enmeshed in her story, desperate to know what would happen to her, and if she would turn out all right in the end.

This book has it all. Every point of good storytelling (for me, at least). Magic, history, intrigue, romance, and family loyalty. I'm grateful to the author and the publisher for a copy of this book for review, as I am now eager to go devour more of Gregory's books the same way I did as a teenager.

Philippa Gregory created one of my favorite books, The Other Boleyn Girl. It helped ignite my passion for reading. When I had the opportunity to preview her next book, I jumped at the chance.

Gregory creates full worlds within a historical backdrop. Her writing is engaging and fast paced. The world in Tidelands was so well crafted that I could imagine standing there amongst the characters.

Although this story was suspenseful, it was a bit predictable. I found myself wishing that the characters would make different choices in order to maintain that suspense. Overall, I enjoyed Tidelands and would jump at any opportunity to preview one of this talented author’s books in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for the opportunity to preview Tidelands. This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another great Philippe Gregory always great on details the story kept me interested and I can't wait for the next one.

I've been sort of hesitant in jumping on the Philippa Gregory bandwagon, I love historical fiction but always tried to shy away from books that relied too heavily on actual historical figures and most of her books seem to do this that. But boy, have I been denying myself some great reads, Tideland is an interesting book set during the English Civil War in a small coastal town of Tideland centered around Alinor, a beautiful midwife who's husband is missing, and James a stranger in town hides a great secret that could get them both hanged.
Tidelands is a steady read where even though I had an idea that was going to happen I was still surprised by how it happened and the tiny cliffhanger that makes you want to grab the second book but at the same time would still leave you a bit satisfied if you couldn't get your hand on the second book soon enough.

My first by this author but certainly not the last.

Although the beginning was a little slow to me, most great historical novels are in order to set up the story and characters. If it follows suite of the series I have read before now that the stage is set, the sequels will pick up where the one before ended and take off.

I love historical fiction and this one doesn't disappoint.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

This is a fascinating look at life in England at the end of the English Civil War. It's a long book—600 pages—but I didn't think the pace ever dragged. I did find the ending disappointing, though. After putting so much time into it, I feel like I deserved a more fleshed-out ending. I'm not sure whether I'm interested enough to read the sequel. Maybe eventually. But it's a dense book, and I've definitely had enough for now.

Maybe I'm unusual in that cliffhanger endings make me less likely, not more, to read the next book in the series. It feels like a betrayal on the part of the author. If the ending of this book didn't satisfy me, why would I expect the ending of the next book to? It may just be that this author is not for me. She seems to habitually take the reader on long, emotional journeys, only to abandon them unsatisfied at the end. A journey like this deserves a decent denouement..

I loved this book! It took me for ever to get use to her writing something other than king Henry’s time but I loved it!!!

I really enjoyed this book! Historical fiction based in Historical Fact! I could picture myself on Seaseal Island with Ailnor, hernkidsy, brother Ned and the man who steals her heart, James. Philippa Gregory has a way of dropping you in a point in time and you feel if you are there. You can smell the smoke from the fires, the wet from tidelands, spinning of wool, making cheese, and working at the mill.

After a visit to the church to see if she (Ailnor) sees her husband's ghost, she runs into James who is hiding and needs a place to lay low. Ailnor takes him back to her cottage and hides him until he can meet who is coming to see.

This book is based in the time of King Charles I, during the English Civil War. The King is imprisoned and James is a spy who is trying to get the King free and to France so he can be with his family.

Once Ailnor and James meet, the attraction is immediate...the problem is James has given himself to God, and Ailnor is still "married"...her husband has either left her or is dead.

The author tells a wonderful story full of interesting characters and then leaves you hanging at the end. I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and Philippa Gregory for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My first exposure to author Philippa Gregory was the Other Boleyn Girl which I loved. Tidelands is the start of a new series. It is steeped in historical research of the time period 1648. Set on Sealsea Island we meet Alinor, a wife or widow, we don’t know as her husband is missing. She is a healer and has gifts that her mother and grandmother had. This is a period of unrest in England between the Parliament and King Charles II. One night in the summer she is at the church and happens upon a young priest who is in hiding. Thus starts a story of forbidden love. At times, it seems the book gets bogged down in detail and other times moves very quickly. This is not my favorite Philippa Gregory book but I definitely want to continue with the series.

Alinor is a fisherman's wife, midwife and herbalist. 1648 is the year, Alinor's husband has left her in poverty with 2 children. A story of belief, faith and endurance, Alinor learns about trust most of all, and who deserves it. A deep enriching story that pulls you in and beautifully written you can see every little aspect Ms. Gregory describes to you. The characters have so much depth you feel you know them. This is a well written story for the period description and storyline. This is a meaty one so ENJOY!