Phillippa Gregory is a wonderful author. She has the ability to create compelling characters who are in situations that we want to read about. Gregory's research is excellent. I've read several of Gregory's books over the years, and they have all been page-turners. Tidelands is another that falls into the same category. Many thanks to NetGalley and this publisher for a free copy in exchange for my free review.

2.5 ⭐️ (Rounded up) Being a woman is hard. Especially in the mid 1600s England in the midst of political strife. Even more so if you are poor and your husband has abandoned you and your children. The situation for Alinor and her children is bleak.  Alinor works doggedly, but it’s never quite enough. Somehow magically, opportunities seem to unfold allowing her children to rise out of poverty. 

Being a woman, I was infuriated over Alinor’s situation. The harsh judgment she constantly met, most of which was because of situations she had no control over, made me want to rally to her aid.  But Alinor is not a character needing of aid. She exemplified great inner and outer strength throughout each ordeal, revealing the ultimate power of love. 

I found the first half of the book to be incredibly slow in pace with an immense amount of superfluous details.  The last part of the book picked up pace and gave a satisfying ending, answering enough questions while leaving a few in place so that the author can continue this story in the sequel. 

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and give my honest review.

I ha e read a few of Gregory's previous books and was looking forward to reading this one. Let me tell ya, it was a doozy!

I love how she fleshes out her characters and brings out the complexity of their relationships with the people around them all while navigating the rough history unfolding before them. 

I can't wait to read the next book

Another great read from Gregory. History buff will love the characters built around real historical figures and events.

I remember reading the other boelyn girl back before all the hype. It quickly came one of my favorite books and Gregory one of my absolute favorite authors. Her books are like comfort foo hot chocolate on a cool day, when you just want to snuggle up and read a really good book they're really good storyline by an excellent author. To me that's pretty much every single one of her books and this is no exception. No matter the time. The subject matter or the characters Gregory always delivers

Alinor is the daughter of the ferryman, married to Zachary Reekie but Zachary has disappeared. One night she is in the cemetery hoping to connect with his spirit so she knows he is dead but instead has a chance encounter with a spy for the King. Due to the secrets she agrees to keep her son is given a position in Sir William's home to be a companion to his son. Her daughter falls in love with a local farm boy and plans to marry. The book started a bit slow for me but it was so beautifully written. The Tidelands sounded miserable. The land was ever changing depending on whether the tide was in or out. It felt like a gigantic mud pit. Sometimes there were roadways to walk and at other times they would be under water.

The plight of being a woman in 1648 was being the lowest on the social ladder, especially one whose husband is missing. If she didn't have her brother, Ned, things would have been a lot worse. Without a husband to support her she kept a garden, spun wool to sell, made cheese, canned fruits, worked for the miller's wife and was a midwife. Her daughter also worked for the millers and that is where she met Richard, her future husband. There was a bit of a love story between Alinor and the spy, James, but I didn't care for him very much. He didn't have a spine to really stand up for the things he believed in. Her daughter, Alys, was bitter and hated being poor. She was determined to marry the farmer and raise her status in life.

The ending was a little abrupt but it was as it should be. I found the last quarter of the book to be quite suspenseful and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.  Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite authors - in fact it was Philippa that got me hooked on historical fiction and I own everyone of her books on The Tudors and The Plantagenet's.  

This book is not at all like those and I knew that going in but couldn't' 'resist just the same.  The book started out a bit slow for me but then by a little more than a 1/4 of the way through I was hooked.  I found myself fully invested in Alinor and love her character.  Philippa does such a great job in her writing style that reading along to the hard work of Alinor's day I found myself taking a deep breath as it made me feel tired and all I was doing was reading.

I can't wait to read the sequel Dark Tides.  Don't be put off that this is not what you typically read by Philippa Gregory - it's worth it!

Immersive piece of, historical fiction set in medieval England.  The story of a young woman raising her children during a time of religious and political turmoil  Phillipa Gregory does her research and does a fantastic job of depicting the complex relationships and social constructs of the time period.  The beginning of the novel slowly works toward building the foundation of the story while the ending is a bit abrupt in preparation for the sequel to this saga. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. Recommend for lovers of historical fiction.

"Tidelands" is the first Philippa Gregory novel I have read in many years and it did not disappoint!

It takes place in 1648. England is on the brink of civil war with King Charles II and his supporters against Parliament and their supporters.

The main character is Alinor- "neither wife nor widow" to a man who has disappeared at sea. She lives on Sealsea Island in the Tidelands of the southern coast of England. She is a midwife, healer, and gifted with herbs. It is a time of witch hysteria and rumour has it, she may be a witch. She is destitute with 2 children, both of whom help out how they can.

One night she comes across a man in need of shelter and decides to help him out. Little does she know this will change the rest of her life.

This novel is atmospheric, mysterious, dramatic, and historical.

If you like Philippa Gregory's other novels, you will like this one too!

I instantly fell in love with the characters. I even loved the ones I hated because they made me want to keep reading!

This was very well done and extremely well written. The author had clearly done a tremendous amount of research on the time period. It is an intriguing story about love, religion, and politics. The ending was very abrupt, but I realize there is a sequel. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I enjoyed Tidelands and look forward to the next installment from Philippa Gregory's Fairmile series. 
Four stars.

I absolutely loved this book!  Gregory did massive amounts of research which made the story authenic.  I always learn something by reading her books and to a reader that is a gem of a book when it can also educate you.

It's a entrancing historical novel set in England in the 1600s during Oliver Cromwell's rule.  The plot intertwines love, history, religion, and politics.  What was once considered normal in England is now banned and some of the citizens are having difficulty with this change and want someone else as the ruler!!  The love story part of the plot comes when Alinor, the main character, meets James, a priest who needs help crossing the marshlands.  Eventually Alinor becomes pregnant with James' baby, but instead of feeling joy, there is heartbreak.  You will fall in love with Alinor and root for her throughout the book.  

The story flowed well and the character building was top-notch as only Gregory can do!!  I would recommend this book and look forward to book two in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
#NetGalley #Tidelands #PhilippaGregory #AtriaBooks

Unfortunately, as a fan of Ms. Gregory, I found myself struggling to read this book. It unnecessarily dragged on. It was mostly boring and not much like her other books. The romance between Alinor and James Summer seemed to develop overnight. I couldn't understand the sudden attraction between the two and the confessions of love gave me second hand embarrassment; they were immature and lacked imagination at best. The ending couldn't come soon enough, and even when it finally arrived, it was quick and lackluster and predictable. She creates great imagery of Sealsea Island and the life of the people there, but beyond that, this book was not worth the struggle to finish. Based on this alone, I don't feel like I will miss out by not continuing to read the series when I can just look it up on Wikipedia, which will be a greater and faster read than this novel was.

‘#Tidelands’ was on my list months ago. A novel by #Philippa Gregory her name is bigger than the title. That’s all that’s really is needed to sell her books. She has and will be one of my favorite authors. My full review is on Instagram under Maddie _approves_book_reviews and please take a glance.

Thank you,
#Netgalley,#Philippa Gregory and #Simon&Schuster

Consider the year 1648 and what it means to a woman trying to survive with her young children after her husband runs off. Also consider the ages...Alinor is 27-years-old when her daughter gets married. Do the math there & consider the age of her daughter.....It’s really very amazing to stop and consider how women, once upon a time, were treated as basically worthless humans and/or nothing more than a tool in the tool shed or a work horse in the barn! They were expected to only serve their husbands.  It’s also interesting how easily friends and neighbors would turn on one another believing in condemnation without proof (she’s a witch!). If these historical topics are of interest to you, this book will definitely provide many of the intricacies of the time. 

Poor Alinor, main character, is a herbalist, midwife, and would do anything for love and her children. She works to serve her community in the midst of war despite her own tribulations.  She suffers ordeal after ordeal and never stops trying to persevere and is as honest as a person can be, even when her life is on the line. 

Thank you to Netgalley & atria books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ona midsummer eve night in England in 1648 at the very southern coast, known as the Tidelands, Alinor Reekie, a poor abandoned fisherman's wife, and midwife and local healer goes to the graveyard to find out if her husband is truly dead.  At that same time she runs into a stranger to the area who is lost and has originally come to the area to meet with the local lord, Sir Walter Peachey who is not home at the time.  Since it is too dangerous to cross over the marshland at night, Alinor provides the stranger who happens to be a priest and supporter of King Charles a fishing shed to spend the night in.  This is the beginning of a strong attraction between the two despite all their differences.  The next day James Summer, the name the priest uses, returns to the lord's home to tutor Walter, the son and Rob, Alinor's son is offered a job as companion as well as tutor companion to Peachey's only son until the boy goes off to Cambridge and Rob is then apprenticed to an apethecary in London.

There is so much political intrigue and history intertwined in between the pages of this love story.  Eventually Alinor becomes pregnant with James son and at the very first thinks to get rid of it through the use of herbs but changes her mind and begins to love the child within her more and more.  Unfortunately for her by the time Parliament captures and put King Charles on trial and subsequently executes him.  James has become a changed, cold hearted rake who wants her to abort the child immediately.  He claims he cannot give up his position in society for a bastard.  Then he even has her accused of being a witch when some money is missing, hoping that that will solve his problem.  She survives and leaves him forever and I can't wait for the second in the series.  Thank you Net Galley and Atria and most of all Ms Philippa Gregory for her marvelous book.

PHILIPPA GREGORY. THA'S ALL I NEDD IT TO KNOW TO KNOW 100% THAG I WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK.

I love this author work , so I might me a bit biased , but this was a incredible read. 
I loved the writing and the characters and the story. I have nothing bad to say about it. And I definitely recommend. 

And if you haven't read "the white pricess" and "the white queen" by this author you definitely should because the book are amazing.

This was FANTASTIC. Such an immersive and well-crafted, and obviously well-researched, historical novel set in England in the 1600s, during Oliver Cromwell’s rule. 

It focuses primarily on Alinor Reekie, a twenty-seven-year-old woman living with her children on a mire—an ever-changing land that only they know how to navigate—and their daily lives, in a small village where everyone knows each other’s business. But it’s more than a simple story of a poor family. Gregory layers in religion and politics and loyalties, all these tricky relationships that play into England’s state of turmoil. What was once the norm is now banned, and some people have strong ideas about who the ruler should be. Even the residents of a small village are affected by what’s happening beyond.

I absolutely adored this novel. The beginning was a bit slow, as the world and characters were introduced, but I tore through the second half of the novel. The story and characters, the history and social constructs and religion—it all tied so well together. As far as historical novels go, easily one of my favourites.

I love Philippa Gregory. Her Tudor books are some of my absolute favorite. So I was disappointed when this book just didn't grab me the way her other books have. As always, Gregory has done a ton a research and it shows. What I had a problem with was I just didn't connect with the characters.