Tidelands

By: Philippa Gregory

Narrated by: Louise Brealey

This New York Times bestseller from “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, living in a dangerous time for a woman to be different.

A country at war
A king beheaded
A woman with a dangerous secret

On Midsummer’s Eve, Alinor waits in the church graveyard, hoping to encounter the ghost of her missing husband and thus confirm his death. Until she can, she is neither maiden nor wife nor widow, living in a perilous limbo. Instead she meets James, a young man on the run. She shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marshy landscape of the Tidelands, not knowing she is leading a spy and an enemy into her life.

England is in the grip of a bloody civil war that reaches into the most remote parts of the kingdom. Alinor’s suspicious neighbors are watching each other for any sign that someone might be disloyal to the new parliament, and Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her as a woman who doesn’t follow the rules. They have always whispered about the sinister power of Alinor’s beauty, but the secrets they don’t know about her and James are far more damning. This is the time of witch-mania, and if the villagers discover the truth, they could take matters into their own hands.

“This is Gregory par excellence” (Kirkus Reviews). “Fans of Gregory’s works and of historicals in general will delight in this page-turning tale” (Library Journal, starred review) that is “superb… A searing portrait of a woman that resonates across the ages”(People).

Critic reviews

"A new series from Philippa Gregory is always a chance to do a happy dance. Louise Brealey's exceptional narration gives this title the life it deserves. In 1648, after his defeat in England's Civil War, King Charles is exiled to the Isle of Wight. Superstition and religious persecution permeate the tiny town and desolate tidelands of the region. One of the inhabitants is wise woman, herbalist, and midwife Alinor, whose husband, a fisherman, is missing. Looking for a spiritual sign, she goes to a cemetery, where she encounters James, a disguised Catholic priest. It proves to be a life-altering meeting. Brealey makes each of Gregory's incredibly detailed moments believable—from the treacherous tides and deadly intrigues to the dangers of just being human."

Not Just a Romance

Wow! I'm not much for romance novels but the solid history and the continuous tension in this book made the pages fly by and left me breathless and longing for a sequel. The narration was so well done that I felt I was inside the story and it was so real. Thank you, Phillipa Gregory for a glimpse of the actual people in this tiny wet English island community and how they thought and lived.

Love it!

I love how Philippa Gregory brings history to life. This book was as great as any of her others and better than some. The historical references were very interesting and the fictional story was a great tie into the times.
The audible version was excellently narrated.

How can I wait until Book 2?

Fantastic book. Characters richly drawn. Villagers and Tidelands came to life for me. Story so believable and interesting. I hated having it end. Great. Read.

One of her best

I’ve loved many of Gregory’s novels but had mostly given up a on them after the last few had been disappointing. This one was different. A welcome departure from the known history of Tudor England with fictional but believable characters. The best part was the descriptions of the world of the tide lands where the characters lived. Gregory puts you in that world as she’s hasn’t done since “The Other Boleyn Girl” and “The Queens Fool”. I’ll definitely be waiting for the next book in the series.

Does not disappoint!

I love Phillipa Gregory’s attention to historical detail. Tidelands is an excellent read and hard to put down. Here is another woman struggling against the constraints of her time. Strong character development and plot keeps you wanting more. I can’t wait for the sequel!