“Tidelands” is the tale of Alinor, a poor but proud mid-wife in an age of accusations, paranoia and judgment. Its set in 1648 England, which is in the middle of a civil war between the King and Parliament, turning neighbors against one another in an already miserable time. Philippa Gregory does a good job of making you feel as though you’re right in the middle of it all. Her characters are well-defined, the landscape and living conditions are described vividly, and there are plenty of villains and heroes in this story, which is the first of a series. This isn’t my usual genre, but I really enjoyed it; I look forward to reading Book Two and beyond. Disclaimer– I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!! Definitely recommend! 🤩🤩🤩🤩

I selected this book because I've been a fan of most Philippa Gregory's historical fiction books and I was curious about this first book in a new series. The location and time period are written well, as I've come to expect from her novels, but the characters weren't great. The characters didn't really pull me in and I found myself to be a bit bored with reading this.

Set in 17th century England, Tidelands tells the story of Alinor Reekie. Alinor, abandoned by fisherman husband, struggles to raise her children in the poor tideland coastal area of the country. King Charles has been dethroned but there those plotting to bring him back.

I found this to be a refreshing change to Gregory's medieval queens series. Her descriptions of life and customs during are enthralling, as usual. I'm looking forward to the next in this series.

Philippa Gregory is the first person to come to mind when thinking about the genre of historical fiction. Her works never disappoint and this one is no different. Its amazing to find an author which you enjoy, and then are able to fully immerse yourself in their multitude of works. Great job!

Wonderful book. Beautifully detailed and haunting. I love all her books. Can't wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel. Regardless of the way I acquired the novel, the thoughts, opinions, and views stated in this review are completely unbiased and one hundred percent my own.

I love Philippa Gregory's writing. I realized when I picked this up from the library (because it's a backlisted ARC, and I prefer to read physical copies of books) that I had actually only read one of Gregory's novels prior to picking up this one. Which is such a shame! If you haven't experienced her writing, and you're interested in historical fiction that most of the time errs on the side of historical and less fiction, her work would be perfect for you.

I sat down to begin this review literal minutes after finishing this novel. My thoughts are so fresh, my emotions so raw, I knew I couldn't wait until the next day before putting down this review.
I loved the first half of this novel. Gregory's writing is the most immersive, and descriptive I've ever experienced. Each of her books transports you to their time period, and to their location. I felt wet and cold the entire time I read this story, and it didn't help that it was raining constantly where I live while I was reading.

It felt so good to be back in a Gregory novel, until I was harshly reminded of how horrid this time period was for everyone, especially women. Oh my gosh, it was horrific when the Lord of these tidelands casually suggested that his preteen-aged son take any girl(s) of his choosing around back and have a quick romp with her. And he said this to those girls fathers, no less! Those men were forced to laugh along, as if it was all such a big joke, because he owned every single person, their land, and everything they made or crafted themselves. It was absolutely disgusting learning about the abuse our main character, Alinor, suffered at the hands of her drunk husband, who to her great fortune and even greater misfortune, abandoned her and her two children.

The first half of this novel was a breeze to read. There were minimal mentions of these saddening and deplorable acts. Instead we were able to learn more about the tidelands, Alinor and her children's daily lives, and we watched as Alinor fell in love for perhaps the first time. As she found love she found courage, and throughout the novel we see her unyielding strength grow with each calamity that befalls her.

I really didn't know what to expect when it came to her love interest, James. James was a priest, or a spy, or all of the above, and vowed to never love anyone but God. That was, until he met Alinor. I rooted for James, who struggled to learn what was the right thing: fighting for the woman he loved or the religion he'd been bred for. In the end, he fought for neither, and I was earnestly disheartened by his lack of action.

Then came the second half of the book. This was not an enjoyable experience for me, at all. It was like being in an emotionally abusive relationship, where the thing you loved would deliver a blow to the gut, and then you would make up and forget how much they had hurt and betrayed you. The second half of this novel was betrayal, followed up by courage and strength, not to be overshadowed or outdone by an even worse betrayal. It was honestly rough to read. I even skipped to the last page, just to see if Alinor made it out of this novel alive.

I was equally crushed by the first novel I read of Gregory's, so I'm not sure why this pattern surprised me so much? Objectively, this is a great novel: wonderfully written, eloquent storytelling, descriptively immersive, and intriguing. Personally, this was not enjoyable for me for the last 200 pages. This was heartbreaking.

I don't think this book or the story is inherently bad. I think it's not quite right for me. I'm a mood reader. I read things depending on how I'm feeling or how I want to be feeling. Tidelands was emotionally taxing and draining for me, and it just left me melancholy. I try to avoid feeling depressed at all costs! (duh). That's why I tend to read stories about adventures, love stories, magic, and things that inherently make me happy!

While this book didn't turn out the way I was hoping, I still think a ton of people would really like it. Heck, I did really like the book; I hated the things that happened to Alinor.

This was a quintessential Gregory read. It captured the essence of time and place perfectly although subtly. It is hard to get emotionally attached to either of the main characters. There isn't really a reason to love or hate them. This book certainly provides insight to life in a lesser known area of England and how larger events of the time impacted commoners. This book doesn't have the sensationalism of either the Tudor or Plantagenet books but it will hold its own among Gregory's works.

Life in the 1600s isn't easy by any means, but even harder for a hardworking woman with a no-good (sort of) dead (beat) spouse. Many folks would look to their community and their church for support. Alinor finds little solace in either, but when a handsome stranger she helps causes her to question her life and her tenuous place in it.
Tidelands, like its physical namesake, has a steady ebb and flow of emotion and intrigue much like a dynamic body of water and is a must-read for any Philippa Gregory fan. Totally hooked.

Philippa Gregory is an amazing Storyteller! Every single book I read of hers is great! Can't wait for her next book!!

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory is the first in a new historical fiction series written by the queen of well researched and written historical fiction. Set in the mid-1600s in England and telling the story of Alinor. The plot and characters are riveting and will leave you impatiently waiting for the next installment. Read and enjoy!

I’ve always been a huge Philippa Gregory fan and was so excited to see her tackling a new time period and set of characters. There were some real bright spots in this book where I got really interested and wanted to find out more, but there was also a lot of time of not much happening in between. I’m intrigued enough that I’ll likely read the next but hope the next one has a bit more to the story and not as much repetition.

This was definitely very different from what we're used to from Philippa Gregory. It was refreshing for sure and familiar all in the same. The Tidelands felt like it's a closer narrative, I felt the setting of this story 16oos hard, the descriptions of what life was like then are superb. What I like so much about Philippa's stories is that they are an instant transport to the place she is writing. How?? I recommend it. Philippa is such an instant read for me, I enjoy her writing style.

Unfortunately, this time around Gregory failed to keep my interest. This story had all the history elements that I have come to love with Philippa's titles however the characters in this one were just meh. The story didn't keep my interest and at one point I actually fell asleep reading it. At points the characters felt to fake and the story was just to slow.

I finally, FINALLY got around to finishing Tidelands. I wanted to love this books because I've heard such amazing things about Gregory's work, but I just struggled to get into the story. I could not concentrate on it for long, and my other books would easily pull me away. The setting is absolutely gorgeous and Gregory's writing is top-notch, I just wasn't at the headspace for a slower read at the time. I'll definitely give another book of her's a go in the future, though!

Having read several of Philippa Gregory's previous novels, I think it's fair to say that this novel is a bit of a departure from what I'd expected. The main character is an impoverished woman struggling to survive in a hostile environment. 1600's England was a hard place, so when I say that the environment is hostile that includes every meaning of the word "environment" - the territory, the political situation, the cultural norms, and the attitudes of the people. As usual, Ms Gregory does an excellent job depicting this and making us care deeply about the outcome for her main character. Like other readers have said, the first third of the novel is mostly setting the scene and giving us a real sense of what life is like, so this makes for a very slow read. If you can stick with it through that first third of the book, you'll suddenly see the action pick up and you'll be rewarded in that you're fully invested by that point. That final 2/3 of the book was easy to fly through.

I loved the main character, her relationships with her children, and her outlook on life, and so that saves the book from the fact that I really did not like the romance aspect of it. I also loved that her relationships with her two children were such an integral part of the story and I appreciated how unique those three characters were for a novel set in this time period. So for these reasons alone, I'm rounding up to 4 stars. Since it veers so much towards romance novel territory, I'd have been leaning more towards a 3.5 otherwise (this is the one thing that really surprised me from this author).

Another reason I have mixed feelings about the book is that the ending was both satisfying and frustrating for me. It was satisfying in that I think it ended in a way that felt right for the story, but frustrating in that this is clearly a series cliffhanger so it's not really "over" - and so that story could still easily be spoiled in the next book if it veers towards romance again. More than that, I'm not sure I even want to read the next book, which makes me realize that it's not something I'd be super-quick to recommend.

I LOVED the Plantagenet and Tudor series so I was really excited to see another series from Philippa Gregory! This one seemed like it ticked all of my boxes, a historical setting, a romance and a little witch craft thrown in. I'm somewhat familiar with the witch hunts in Europe and so I was eagerly anticipating seeing this play out. Unfortunately, this one leaned too far into the "slice of life" for my tastes and the witch hunts played a very little role in this book. It was interesting to see how fast a town filled with people that had known you your entire life can turn on you and I felt like that was done very well.

Like a lot of Philippa's books, at times this one dragged and I was just skimming to get to the next exciting part. The romance was a heartbreaker, though that was actually one thing I appreciated about it. It didn't wrap up in a nice little bow.

“These were simple people: when someone told them that they had nothing to fear they knew that they were in trouble.” Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the ARE of Tidelands by Philippa Gregory! This was my first book that I had ever read by the author and I LOVED it. If you are looking for a historical fiction that will absolutely transport you to another time and place, then this is it. It will also make you appreciate not having lived the experience of being a woman during the 1600’s.

Synopsis from the publisher: 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 absolutely fell in love with main character Alinor and am excited to see where this story goes next as it. Is book one in a new series. This was my first book by Philippa Gregory but now I want to go back and read all of her other books! Have you read this one or any of her books? Which were your favorites?⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some of the stories about King Charles felt a bit like a certain leader who is always in the press these days. The rest of it was well written, what one would expect from an author of Gregory's quality. It will be interesting to see what is next.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory is the first in her new Fairmile series.

I’ve been a Philippa Gregory fan for as long as I can remember. I’ve read most of her books multiple times and they have continued to be favorites. So when I received an advancer reader copy of Tidelands I was beyond excited to get stuck into it.

It definitely took me a longer to get into, than her other books, and I found myself not really liking any of the characters very much to begin with. Once the book was released I got myself the audiobook to see if that would help me enjoy it more, which I think it did to some extent because Louise Brealey is a fantastic narrator.

The story is set in 1640s England, in the tidelands on the coast of England near Chichester in West Sussex. Our heroine is a poor woman, with two children, who’s husband has left her. She is surrounded by suspicion as the town folk think she has ‘the sight’ and that her beautiful children came from fairies.

At times I found the story frustrating because Alinor is often her own worst enemy, and I wanted to shake some sense into her. I also felt a lot of the dialogue was forced and unreal. Obviously I don’t really know how people spoke back in the 1640s but it didn’t seem natural and often forced me out of the flow of the story.

Having said all that, I still gave the book four out of five because I did think it was mostly written very well, and it transported me to another place and time, and made me think about what life would have been like then.

If you enjoy historical fiction I’d certainly add this one to your ‘to be read’ list. And I heard a rumor that the author is already most of the way through the second book, which will tell us about the next generation of the family and be set partly in London and partly in Venice.

This was an interesting read, although a difficult one. Philippa Gregory is a fine writer, so I suspect most of my problem lies with the time period. The dire poverty of Alinor Reekie, the civil unrest, but most of all, the unreliability of the men and the back stabbing of the women, I found horrific. Although somewhat predictable, with the many references to witchcraft and the constant innuendos to Alinor's magic, I found the ending shocking and sad. This good woman, with such a good heart and only the desire to be loved and to help her children, really had no one in her life she could depend on other than herself. Time and again, she was betrayed by her lover, her brother and even her daughter. I look forward to reading the sequel and seeing how, if at all, she finds love and peace in her life.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.