It is 1648 and England is at war from within. The king has fled and Parliament has taken over. In the midst of civil war, the Tidelands at Sealsea Island are not just a mix of land and water, but also a mix of those loyal to the king and those supporting parliament. It's a turbulent time. Alinor goes to the church one night to look for the ghost of her husband, who disappeared at sea the year before. Instead, she meets a priest who is hiding and helps him, not realizing this act of kindness will bring about changes to the rest of her life. In a turbulent time, people begin whispering about traitors, witches and spies. Alinor has to survive the turbulent times, her own precarious position as neither a widow or a wife, and protect her children. It isn't an easy existence by any means.

This story starts out slowly as Philippa Gregory sets the scene and describes what living during those years were like. The details are so interesting and vibrant! Then the action kicked in and I was totally sucked into the story. The ending felt a bit abrupt but definitely has me eagerly awaiting the next book!

I found portions of this book hard to read. Not because of the author's writing, but because I felt so sorry for the main character. She lives in a time where women rely completely upon men for their support and place in society. A woman alone is suspect, and often a victim of all sorts of whispering and condemnation. Alinor trying to survive alone after the disappearance of her husband becomes a target.....and there is nothing she can do. How many women were arrested, tried, victimized, even executed for being alone, acting as a healer, being intelligent and outspoken?? It makes that entire period a difficult one for me to read about. Awesome book.....very difficult period in history.

What a turbulent time! Great start to a new series!

**I read a review copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The tidelands on the south coast of England is neither land nor sea, but an otherworldly blending of two which makes the location almost a character itself in TIDELANDS. Alinor, neither widow nor wife, ekes out a living here during the English Civil War (1648-9) by growing and selling herbs, midwifery, fishing, spinning--anyway she can. She meets a mysterious stranger whose attentions plunge them both into suspicion, superstition, and danger.

I will definitely recommend this title. It is very well thought out and imaginative. I can't wait for more titles by this author.

3.5 Stars

This is my third try to read Philippa Gregory and though I had a genuine interest in the period (Commonwealth/Cromwell era England) and the rigid gender expectations for women, I felt frustrated by the men in the story who felt too one dimensional.

Goodwife (Goody) Alinor Reekie is a woman abandoned by her husband, struggling to raise her children in a era in which clever women are presumed to be witches. Alinor is a gifted midwife and practitioner of herbal medicine. Her beautiful daughter Alys is following in her mother's footsteps, while her son Rob mourns the disappearance of his father, Zachary. Alinor is despised by Goody Miller, who manages to spread enough rumors about Alinor to lead to her being tried as a witch. Alinor falls in love with James, who is posing as a tutor and secretly aiding the campaign of King Charles to retake the throne. Alinor's trial as a witch is inevitable and we spend the entire book building toward that inevitability. Gregory managed to make me dislike every male character other than Rob, who is a child. I was, however rooting for Alinor and Alys all the long day.

I'm sure that there are many who will find this a perfectly suitable novel of historical fiction, but it just wasn't my fare.

I received a Digital Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic advance readers copy of Tidelands by Philippa Gregory from the publisher (Simon & Schuster) in exchange for an honest review. Tidelands is scheduled for release August 20, 2019.

Tidelands is the first book in a new series (Fairmile). The story takes place in 1600s England, and follows Alinor, a woman who is barely managing to survive. Her husband has been gone for about a year (unknown if he is dead or alive), leaving Alinor to keep their two children alive on her own. Alinor works as a midwife, and does anything else she can to scrape together the best possible life for herself and her children.

A woman with no man to supervise her who also dabbles in mysteries that most people can’t fathom is highly suspicious to a rural community. When Alinor’s luck shifts, her son landing a position with a wealthy family that may lead him into prized positions, and her daughter finding love with a land owner’s boy, her neighbors begin to question what exactly Alinor has done to get her perceived riches.

Gregory does a great job of creating the time and place of this story. I was very much with her in 1648 rural England, feeling the pull of the tides, and the rough rope against my hands. Everything about the story’s setting felt very accurate and very real.

I struggled more with the characters she placed in this setting. Gregory clearly has things to say about the haves and the have nots, about the connections between ancestry and gender and a person’s worth. There were times in the story where this modern view of these issues felt out of place laid over these ancient characters. Characters seemed to bounce between what Gregory thought they should do to better themselves and what they might have really done at the time.

I especially struggled with Alinor in the last 20% or so of the book. She sets a sequence of events into motion, and then is merely carried along for the remainder of the book. I wanted her to have an arc that felt complete (for now), even though this is clearly the first book in a series. Instead, her motives and growth just stopped, while other characters stepped in and took the story into a completely new direction heading into book two.

I also struggled with a character presented as a love interest in the story (I won’t tell you for who…). This character was presented as a good person, someone the reader was intended to like, to respect, and to grow to love along with their partner. Toward the end of the story, this changed, the love interest was suddenly full of nasty, manipulative behavior that didn’t seem to match who he was earlier in the story.

Overall, Tidelands was a mixed bag for me. I would probably read the second book, because I am curious where the story is going to go from here, and which character might be the driving force of that second book. I would not be surprised if it was not Alinor, given how Tidelands ended, but I do hope that Alinor’s arc continues to its completion.

The book that I have been most looking forward to reading this year is Tidelands by Philippa Gregory. While Gregory has quite a reputation for her historical fiction about royalty, my favorite has long been The Lady of the Rivers, who is just the mother of a queen. I was hoping Tidelands would be more like The Lady of the Rivers, and I am delighted to say that it was.

There are two things that make Tidelands unique among both historical fiction and Philippa Gregory books. First is the setting, which is 1648, or the middle of the English Civil Wars, which is not a popular time period for historical novels, but it is an interesting one. We have King Charles I imprisoned and England being ruled by Parliament. There are still secret Catholics and Royalists, like the Peachy family in this story. And there are people who are interested in a government without a king and who believe in the tenants of the Puritan religion, which is now the official religion in England, which is most of the poorer people who are either tenants of the Peachy family or freeholders.

The second thing that makes this story unique is the main protagonist, Alinor, is a poor woman. She isn’t a begger or living on the support of the parish, but she is barely getting by with two children and a missing husband. I love how Gregory goes to a lot of description of what Alinor needed to do to survive, and how hard it was for her to do that alone. Alinor is also a midwife and a woman with knowledge of healing herbs. In the Puritan age of England when behavior was tightly regulated and when fear of witches was common, this makes Alinor a little bit suspicious. There are many rumors about her and her mother and grandmother among the local people, including those spread by her absent husband.

What I liked most about this story is the sense of the place and time that Philippa Gregory does so well. I could see the tidelands clearly in my mind, and I felt like I knew Alinor and her children well. Even her brother’s dog was a memorable character. And the plot about these people isolated at the end of the country was interesting as it intersected the political world. One of the main characters, James Summer, was a spy for the Royalists and we see King Charles I as a character, though only briefly. I liked the fact that even though the main character is a poor woman, we are still learning about what is going on in politics. And how those things effect all people and can unite and divide them. And I am excited that this is going to be a series about the ordinary people that most of us call our ancestors.

Overall, Tidelands is a very quiet story, in that there is not really all that much that happens, and yet, so much happens. My main criticism is that there are things that get repetitive, Alinor especially repeats things all the time. Sometimes for Alinor it is a means of rehearsing good things, or reinforcing an important narrative. But sometimes the repetition with nothing added gets to be a bit too much and you wish for something new to happen in the plot, instead of just waiting, waiting. A second criticism is that the chapters are very uneven (at least in my ARC, maybe they fixed that in the final version). There were chapters that would take 2 minutes to read and one that was 2.5 hours long on my ebook reader. I couldn’t really understand the chapter divisions, and the 2.5 hour long one seemed like an editing error.

In summary, if you are looking for a book with a lot of excitement and action, this isn’t the book for you. There is some tension throughout the book, which is what kept me reading, so I wouldn’t call it boring, it just isn’t high drama. So, if unplugging and enjoying history is your jam or you are already a Philippa Gregory fan, this is a good one.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alinor and her children, Alys and Rob, live on Sealsea Island, which is on the southern coast of England. It's mostly marshlands and their lives are ruled by the tides. Alinor's husband has left months ago on a fishing expedition and never has come back. This is a problem as his livelihood is a main source of income for her family, but Alinor isn't too sad he is missing as he was abusive to her and an all around horrible guy. She has made her living working with herbs and as a midwife on the island, so her family has just made enough to get by, but they are still very poor. Alys helps the family out by working for the Millers who run the mill and while there she meets a local boy whom she immediately falls for, but they aren't in the same social circles to say the very least. Then there's the fact that Alinor's husband is missing; this starts a lot of gossip within the villagers; plus, many people are suspicious of Alinor, her knowledge of herbs and they are jealous of her good looks. One night Alinor meets James, a man on the run who is disguised. Sparks fly between these two right away, but her relationship with James changes her life in so many ways. It's a dangerous time in England currently as Cromwell has taken over and dethroned King Charles who is now exiled on the Isle of Wight. Lines are being drawn between between the two opposing side and things are about to get serious and very complicated for Alinor and the people of Sealsea. Philippa Gregory's Tidelands is excellent historical fiction featuring strong female characters. The book examines how dangerous it was for women who stood out from the crowd or were slightly different.

I really loved Alinor from the first page of Tidelands. She reminded me a bit of Outlander's Claire Fraser, but not as outspoken and more even tempered. Like Claire, she was knowledgeable of herbs, delivering babies, women's problems, illnesses...you name it. Essentially, she was the village's healer, but with this title, it brought a lot of speculation as her mother was considered a wisewoman. When people don't understand women during this time period, especially knowledgeable ones that are beautiful, they often get scrutinized and even referred to as witches. This is a problem for Alinor despite the fact that she doesn't dabble in any supernatural stuff, even when villagers ask to! She garners attention from Sir William, the local lord, and thankfully he is able to offer her son a decent future and education. But villagers question this relationship, especially Sir William's patronage. Nothing is for free, right?

Then there is her relationship with James in Tidelands. At first, I really liked James. The more we got to know why he is disguised and on the run, the more I became intrigued. His relationship with Alinor started off with sparks, but as she learned more about him, I decided I didn't trust him and I really didn't like his choices. I don't want to say too much, but he truly disappointed me during the second half of the book.

Lastly, there's Alys, Alinor's daughter, in Tidelands and she proved to be an important character. At first, her storyline was a bit derivative. Girl meets wealthier boy and boy and girl want to be with each other despite the fact that he should marry someone who has more to offer. Alys isn't meek and mild in Tidelands. She truly kept me on my toes and definitely frustrated me with her impulsive behavior, but nonetheless, she made for a very entertaining character. She's a strong female, so I was rooting for her despite some of her questionable choices.

Be forewarned, Tidelands does start off very slowly. So slowly that I almost put the book down, but as a big fan of Gregory's novels, I knew I had to trust her and stick with it. Thank goodness I did, because the second half of the novel is very, very good. During the firs half of the novel, Gregory was spending a lot of time with world building and in turn, she created an excellent sense of place in the Tidelands. It was so very well done and atmospheric.

So, if you love a good historical read in the summer, check out Tidelands. I love that Gregory is branching out from writing about historical figures and focusing on everyday women during a dangerous time period, such as the English civil war. It really made me think out what life was like for women who could easily be considered witches just for standing out, being knowledgeable, or even upsetting a man in charge. I can't wait to continue this series as Gregory left us with a major cliffhanger in Tidelands.

Gregory is an awesome writer who can immerse you into her books. Sadly this book didnt do that for me. I found it boring. I did not finish it because I fell asleep multiple times while trying to read this.

2 stars for just not catching my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. This is an honest review.

Once again, Philppa Gregory succeeds in transporting me back to a far away place and fascinating time in history. It’s 1648 England and not an easy time to be a woman. The country is in the middle of a civil war between the king and parliament. Alinor’s future is unsure since her husband has disappeared yet she is not yet considered a widow. She lives on remote Sealsea Island and is suspected of possessing powers and being a witch by her fellow villagers. She meets James, a priest and Royalist spy. Alinor helps him to safety and this single action sets off a course of events that will affect Alinor’s life forever. She is deeply devoted to her children and supports their desire to make a better life for all of them.

This book was fascinating. I loved learning about the archaic customs of the time and learning more about the British Civil War. There were times where the book dragged on a bit, but others where I couldn’t put it down. Alinor such a strong and fearless character and she had such tremendous love and dedication to her children. She lives in difficult times when being a beautiful woman without a husband can bring on many problems and the suspicion of her neighbors. The tidelands and surrounding areas were described so vividly. The book ends leaving the reader wanting to know more and set up well for the next book in a series.

Philippa Gregory can do no wrong in my eyes. She is the Queen of historical fiction. "Tidelands," definitely has a different vibe because there's not much court drama, but the sumptuous details that Gregory is known for is still present, and the engrossing plot is there too!

Thank to Philippa Gregory, NetGalley, and Atria Books for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Philippa Gregory is the QUEEN of historical fiction, hands down. I truly loved the change of direction she took with this one--from writing about royalty to writing about ordinary folk. She just has a way of bringing a historical time and place to life. I absolutely fell in love with Alinor and her story. I was absorbed by this book from the get go, and after that ending, I am clamoring for the next installment already.

As always, you can tell that impeccable research was done by Gregory. I did not previously know much about this time period, so I did what I usually do, which was to do a bit of Wikipedia research, before reading this. And the thing I love about Gregory is that she brings that history to life by showing you to the people of the time--their daily habits, their worries, their joys, their living conditions, their socioeconomic classes, their relationships, etc. She really shows what it was like to have lived back then.

The novel itself ebbs and flows--there were times I couldn't flip the pages fast enough and there were others where the story slowed down. To me, even that reflected what life would have been like. Plus, I got the feeling that Gregory was taking the time to truly establish the setting, as this is the first installment of a series.

And with Alinor--I so appreciated that she was a strong, independent woman who knew and stood behind what her beliefs and values were. However, this did not make her invincible. She very much had her own thoughts about things, but she realistically her own position would have been at the time.

As far as the other characters go, I can't wait to see how their stories will play out--they've become so dear to me. Obviously, I grew pretty attached to Alinor, but her children, Rob and Alys also became favorites of mine--Rob, because I love watching his character grow from a child into a young man and Alys, because she took after her mother but with an added dash of ferocity. Some characters were a little more one-dimensional, like Ned or Mrs. Miller, but I also enjoyed (and am looking forward to) seeing the change in England's politics played out in Ned's character. And let's be honest, it was just plain easy to dislike Mrs. Miller, and I can't wait to see what (hopefully) despicable things happen to her. James was a character who was a little less black and white for me. I loved James and Alinor's romance--I swooned! But when his true colors showed him to be a man of his times, I couldn't help but feel betrayed and disappointed (in him, certainly not Gregory).

And can we talk about that ending?! The lingering sense of foreboding I had for Alinor finally came to fruition, and everything went from 0-60, and now I'm here dying for the next book. My husband thinks I'm crazy because my reactions to the ending went something like this: "What? What?! Alys, wtf! No! Now you, too?! Oh, you jerk! I liked you! Noooo! Omg. Omg. ALYS! YES! Fistpump!" And now I'm here wondering what I'm even going to do while I wait for book #2.

Another great story from Philippa Gregory. This differs from her other books. I liked that about it. Fans like me won’t be disappointed. I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Tidelands is another excellent read by Phillipa Gregory. This story is a departure from the normal stuff. I liked the unique premise and found it refreshing. It's a great solid read just like I expected. Fans will not be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a free, electronic version of this novel.
It’s 1648 and England is in the midst of civil unrest, with the parliament threatening to overthrow and charge the ruling King. Alinor is a midwife and healer, living in a small shack in the tidelands, with her son and daughter. Alinor’s husband has disappeared, claiming she had “seduced” him with her magical powers, and their children did not belong to him, but Alinor is determined to make it on her own. When she meets the pastor, James, one night, both of them fall passionately and deeply in lust with each other, causing great stress and emotional upheaval for them both, with James being desperately above Alinor’s station, the two cannot marry. When Alinor’s healing powers are called into question and she is tried as a witch, James soon becomes her judge and jury, but does he have what it takes to denounce the claims? Or is there more to Alinor’s healing touch than he thought?
Philippa Gregory is back with her new novel, Tidelands, the first in a new series, The Fairmile. Unlike most of her other works, Tidelands does not tell the tale of a Royal family in turmoil and fighting for the Throne (not directly anyway), but instead we hear of witch trials, forbidden love, and civil unrest.
This novel begins as sort of a historic love story, with James and Alinor meeting clandestinely and falling in love, the two being from two different worlds and unable to wed. Due to this, I found the beginning of the novel a little slow to get into. It was easy to fall in love with the character of Alinor, and her struggles and challenges of being a single mother in that time, and I immediately formed a bond that I wanted to see through to its end. Once the plot picked up, it became difficult to put down, as we are shown more of Alinor’s life as a mother and the local healer, and the problems she faces being a woman in the 17th century.
Beautiful and poetic, as only Gregory can do, Tidelands is a tale of star-crossed lovers, with a hint of witchcraft. The setting is dismal and dreary, set in the dark swamps of England, where only those who know the land would fear to tread. As the novel progresses, I soon found myself shouting at characters in the novel, and rooting for Alinor to serve some just desserts of her own.
The ending was completely unpredictable and although satisfying, it left just enough to warrant another novel (or two) in a new series. I look forward to following the story of Alinor and her children throughout the remaining Fairmile books.

Philippa Gregory was probably one of the authors I associate most strongly with my first experiences reading historical fiction as a teenager. With a few exceptions, up to that point I read fantasy/sci-fi and really that was it. But I whizzed through “The Other Boleyn Girl” and was hooked on a new genre from there on out. I read a good number of Gregory’s works over the years, and enjoyed many them. However, after a bit, I was ready to move on from her tried and true political, royal scheming stories that were starting to feel a bit stale to me. So I was excited when I heard about “Tidelands” and saw that we would be getting something outside of that wheelhouse with a story about a poor widow who comes under suspicion as a witch.

Alinor is a woman between worlds. Her husband is missing, so she is not a widow. So she’s still a wife but one without a provider, left to live independently with all of the challenges that come with it, but none of the securities that come with being a widow (mostly having to do with a woman’s honor and all of that fun stuff). But her and her children’s lives change when she runs across a priest attempting to find safety out on the ever-changing and dangerous tidelands. New opportunities are now opening before her, but with these changes come new dangers, and the watchful and suspicious eyes of neighbors are always watching.

It was nice to return to a historical fiction novel that wasn’t also a mystery. Looking back over what I’ve read the last year or so, almost all of my historical reading has been a combination of the two genres. Gregory has always impressed with her detailed descriptions of life in the time period in which her stories take place and the historical accuracy of the political and cultural experiences of those living then. This book in particular delved into the brewing tensions between the new church and the old, the new king and the old. I didn’t know a whole lot about the parties and beliefs at play here, but I enjoyed learning more about it throughout this novel. I especially enjoyed the way that Gregory approached it through Alinor’s eyes, as a common woman who has lived an isolated life away from much of the drama that is gripping the nation.

But with these details also comes a fairly slowly moving plot. The story takes a long time to get going and, thinking back on it, I’m not sure it ever even did, other than a very brief section near the end. Much of it revolves around Alinor’s romantic plot line, and even that moved at a fairly glacial speed. Once I accepted that that was what the story would be, I was better able to settle in, being now less focused on desperately trying to locate a plot. But even then, the story felt out of balance. It’s one thing to not have a strong plot in favor of focusing on characters and their relationships, but I was also never strongly attached to any of those either.

I also had hoped for a bit more from the fantastical elements teased in the description. I wasn’t expecting a fantasy, of course, but I had hoped for more on the witch front. Again, it took a long time to get there, and then it felt pretty rushed. The ending itself seemed to come out of nowhere and just kind of…end. It wrapped up in only a few pages, leaving several subplots unexplained and with an abrupt shift in characters’ lives, with little build up or exploration provided. This is the first in a series, so there’s room to expand on these things from here. But even with a series, each book should feel self-contained and have a natural beginning, middle, and end. Here, the end felt slapped on because the book needed to end, nothing more.

Overall, this was a bit of a lackluster read for me. While I liked many of Gregory’s early books, this one reminded me why I had stopped keeping up with her works. There is nothing technically wrong with it, but the story never grabbed me, the characters were not especially likable, and I felt like the historical details, while accurate and reflective of Gregory’s strong research, overwhelmed what little story there was left. Fans of her later work may very well enjoy this book, but it wasn’t really for me, sadly.

Rating 6: A bit too slow, a bit too detailed, and a bit off the mark at the end.

OUTSTANDING! Right up until the last pages. If that is the ending, then I am absolutely gutted. That could not have been the ending, could it? I was elated to be reading what I believed one of the best novels I have read all year, only to come to a dissatisfying end that left me wondering why I invested the time in reading such a tale. That’s probably why I am so disappointed. All I can hope, as this is a series, Philippa Gregory will continue this story for protagonist Alinore in the next before jumping to some other arc/POV for book2 and give a better resolution. In her other historical fiction series, the characters are based on true historic figures, and I expect some horrid endings because “that’s history”. With these invented characters, I was expecting at least one person to come out on top. Ugh. Not so here. Not. One. Person. Not the ending I was expecting, felt disingenuous: her lover became weak; daughter changed course; new life plan came out of nowhere. I HATE unexpected cliffhangers and this rushed ending reads like an unfinished manuscript. I kept swiping left on my kindle for more pages. Nothing! 5 stars for remarkable storytelling and beautiful prose that I have come to expect from one of my favorite historical fiction writers. 1 star for a totally pointless ending.

This was a fantastic historical fiction with great characters and rich history. I will look for more from this author in the future. The characters were well fleshed out and complicated.

Satisfying new series set in Cromwell's England.

I am still recovering from the ending of this, the first in series Fairmile. Set in 1648 at the time of the English Civil War this dramatic tale reeks of authenticity, penned by the masterly hand of Phillipa Gregory.
The cover is a satisfying reflection of what my mind conjures up as I imagine the novel's geographic description. Tidelands is set on Sealsea Island, off the Wessex Coast. With its shifting sands and dangerous waterways, the community and the Island itself reflects the swirl of place and times and becomes so much more. The tide has swung against the rule of Kings. Cromwell's parliament is in charge.
And into the Tidelands, seeking help for King Charles, comes a young priest, a spy for the royal family and their followers sequestered in France, masquerading as a tutor and known as James Summer.
Waiting in the churchyard this Midsummer Eve was Alinor Reekie. She "went to the graveyard in case [her husband's] ghost was walking, so that [she'd] know for sure that he was dead... When [she] didn’t see his ghost, [Alinor] knew he must be alive, and was choosing not to come home."
The two chance upon each other here, on this waning eve, and in that meeting their lives and those of others will change.
Gregory takes us through these desperate times when Englishmen are at odds and the monarchy is overturned.
A time when a woman skilled in herbs, must be vigilant and do nothing to have people label her a witch. A woman who seems to be succeeding on her own. Times when a woman without a husband--neither widowed or subject to a husband is a suspicious entity. But when jealousy and fear are present, when surperstitions run rife, then any previous regard for Alinor's kindnesses and skilled treatment doesn't hold sway.
I was submerged in Alinor's story, the community she dwells in and the wider unrest that will infect them. My heart was heavy as circumstances were wrenched from her control. Love and betrayal it seems go hand in hand, and the meek are definately not inheriting the earth, when rumour, resentment and anger are involved.
After declaring eternal love for Alinor, it seems James' love cannot stand the tests presented. The gulf between Alinor's sense of right and the devout James' real being, his sense of self and worth, become glaringly obvious.
A skillfully woven tale set in turbulent times opening up new possibilities.

An Atria Books ARC via NetGalley

First line: The church was grey against a light grey sky, the bell tower, like a watchtower, dark against the darker clouds.

Summary: It is 1648 in England. The country is in turmoil. Alinor is a poor woman living on Sealsea Island with two children. Her husband disappeared several months before and left his family with nothing. One night while Alinor is holding vigil at the local church she stumbles upon a man hiding in the churchyard. He asks for her help to guide him to the home of the local land owner. She learns that he is a priest who is working as a spy for the imprisoned King Charles I.

For her silence about the mysterious visitor she earns the respect of the Peachey family. As she gains favor from her landlord she also draws the suspicions of her neighbors. In this time of witchcraft and superstition, Alinor is in danger of being accused of using spells to bewitch them to advance her ambitions.

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book. It is a beautiful story. The descriptions of the land are as vivid as a picture. It is easy to imagine the small island village in the south of England where life is controlled by the tides.

Alinor is a poor simple woman but she stands out from all the other people on her island. She is knowledgeable about herbs, she can read and write. Gregory does an amazing job writing about strong and interesting women. Alinor has been abandoned by her husband but she is able to continue to survive using her own gifts.

The time of Charles I is not one that I am very familiar with. Wikipedia is one of my best friends while reading about a new era in history. I have heard of the English Civil War and the Oliver Cromwell but I have never spent much time reading about it. Gregory did extensive research in order to bring the turbulent time to life. The fear of witches, the hatred of the king and the devastating poverty are just a few issues she covers. It was a time of great change.

Throughout the novel I was constantly worried for Alinor. She is a wise woman. Many of her neighbors come to her for help in delivering babies or curing a sickness. But it is easy for people of the time to turn on women like her. I kept waiting for something to happen her. I was completely invested in her life. As I read the last few pages I was praying that it would not end. I want to know what will happen next for Alinor and her family.

FYI: Philippa Gregory is my favorite author! My favorite book is The Other Boleyn Girl.

Tideleands was the first book by Philippa Gregory I have had the pleasure to read and it most certainly won’t be the last. Set in the mid-1600s in the midst of the English Civil War in the Sussex tidelands, it tells the story of Alinor, a poor midwife who has been abandoned by her abusive husband and must struggle to survive. She dreams of a better life for herself and her two children but sees no way out of her depressing circumstances and the oppressive community in which she lives. Different than her neighbors, she is also suspected of possessing dark secrets during a time when superstition and fear of witchcraft are running rampant.

The story started off a bit slow, but I am so glad I kept with it! I found myself anxious to get back to the book to see what would happen next. I also learned a great deal about life in rural England in a different time period than I had read about in the past.

I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed but am hoping to learn more about Alinor and her family in future installments of the Fairmile series. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this unique historical fiction tale.