England 1648. A dangerous time for a woman to be different . . .
Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, and England is in the grip of civil war between renegade King and rebellious Parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even to the remote Tidelands – the marshy landscape of the south coast.
Alinor, a descendant of wise women, crushed by 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 neighbours. 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.
Tidelands Book Review
Tidelands was my first Philippa Gregory novel, and it definitely won’t be my last.
The novel creates a foreboding atmosphere from the start, with menacing undertones that kept the tension building throughout the story. It wasn’t a particularly fast paced plot but it never felt slow or dragged out.
The book is set during the English Civil War and showcases how the political decisions made by men in power trickle down, having a devastating impact on everyone. Poor women like Alinor, whose lives are shaped by forces outside their control, bear the brunt of these struggles.
Alinor is a brilliant main character. She’s flawed and at times makes some questionable decisions, but she’s fiercely protective of her family and incredibly brave in the face of growing danger. Her intelligence and resilience stand out as she battles personal struggles while also contending with the ever-present threat of witchcraft accusations that loom over women like her.
The setting of the tidelands is incredibly evocative. The descriptions of the shifting sands and changing tides create a haunting, almost eerie backdrop that perfectly mirrors the instability and unpredictability of Alinor’s life. It’s beautifully written, and the tidal landscape almost feels like its own character.
While witch trials and suspicions of dark secrets are central to the plot, Tidelands is about so much more than that. It’s about survival, navigating a world where women live by the rules of men, and the ever-present danger of being “different” in a time of fear and superstition.
Overall, I loved Tidelands and I’m really looking forward to continuing with the Fairmile series.
