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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Don’t let a three star review throw you. It’s a good book, with an exceptional narrator. Philippa Gregory is a master storyteller of historical fiction based in English history; usually I’m enthralled by the chosen setting, yet this one kept me interested with a romantic plot and witchcraft instead.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think I can definitely say Philippa Gregory is not for me. This is the second book I've read of hers and I will not read another. The first was slow but interesting but omg this one was impossible. It was so slow, so boring, the romance was horrific to read and by the time anything interesting happened it was just randomly over. Two stars only because it was a nice description of the historical period.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Abortion
As I understand it, [a:Philippa Gregory|9987|Philippa Gregory|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1560883006p2/9987.jpg] deviates a great deal here with Tidelands from her normal attention directed towards the people in and of the royal courts. Tidelands, my first novel by Gregory, is centered on one English woman and a short period of her life from mid-1648 to January 1649. Alinor Reekie, the mother of a girl named Alys and a boy named Rob, has been abandoned by her husband nearly a year prior. On Midsummer's Eve, Alinor goes out under the moon to try and see her husband's ghost—to know whether he is alive or dead. Hoping him dead. He was brutal and unloving—even encouraging rumors and adding his own that his wife is a witch and knows of enchantments, magic, and that his children were actually faerie children. Instead, Alinor meets a man named James lost on the marsh and in need of concealment, and Alinor hides him for the night.
Gregory pumps this book full of quiet atmosphere. The tidelands, where Alinor lives in a small Sussex village called Sealsea Island, is a magnificent setting. Mysterious, harsh, and unpredictable in and of itself, the marshy southern terrain lends feelings of isolation and desolation for the people of the village. I could nearly feel the chilly superstitions whispered on the pages. And for Alinor, a herbalist, healer, and midwife from a line of wise-women, every slight is laced with warnings and premonitions.
Despite the wonderfully atmospheric pages detailing lives of ordinary people against the backdrop of a tumultuous time in England's history, there was very little actually happening in this story. And all that did happen was incredibly predictable. Alinor and James are immediately drawn to each other, each because the other is so different from what they've known or assumed in the past. Then one thing after another happens that can be named before its appearance on the page (or in my ear, as it were). The exciting history being made in England during this six or seven month period is mostly happening off-page. And, understandably enough, really has little effect on the people of Sealsea Island.
Yes, they talk about the news and happenings and political unrest and civil war...but this has the feel of the author running all through it, rather than organically feeling like part of the plot as laid out in this book. Some of the more pointedly handled sections sadly felt like a drop of an essay from Gregory instead of story—and here is how terribly women were treated (by men, government, and other women) during this time period. In that, Alinor—the heroine of the story—is admirably stoic. However, it's this same stoicism and quiet nature (by way of self-protection) that makes her rather dull and lifeless. In fact, no one really changes in this book in any traditional way for a novel. Alinor, above all the others, should have changed, but was an incredibly static character.
An interesting concept to write about ordinary people during a monumentally historic time, and what seems to be the beginning of a series, Tidelands was just rather slow and methodical until the last 10% of the book. Even then, it was easy to predict what would likely happen—aside from that droplet of an ending that only can lead into the next book.
Audiobook, as read by [a:Louise Brealey|3873297|Louise Brealey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Quite simply, Brealey's performance elevated this dull book. Brealey managed to go from impassioned dialogue to quiet, steady narration in a breath. Her voice was crisp and warm, able to puncture through the veil of sameness that permeates this novel.
Gregory pumps this book full of quiet atmosphere. The tidelands, where Alinor lives in a small Sussex village called Sealsea Island, is a magnificent setting. Mysterious, harsh, and unpredictable in and of itself, the marshy southern terrain lends feelings of isolation and desolation for the people of the village. I could nearly feel the chilly superstitions whispered on the pages. And for Alinor, a herbalist, healer, and midwife from a line of wise-women, every slight is laced with warnings and premonitions.
Despite the wonderfully atmospheric pages detailing lives of ordinary people against the backdrop of a tumultuous time in England's history, there was very little actually happening in this story. And all that did happen was incredibly predictable. Alinor and James are immediately drawn to each other, each because the other is so different from what they've known or assumed in the past. Then one thing after another happens that can be named before its appearance on the page (or in my ear, as it were). The exciting history being made in England during this six or seven month period is mostly happening off-page. And, understandably enough, really has little effect on the people of Sealsea Island.
Yes, they talk about the news and happenings and political unrest and civil war...but this has the feel of the author running all through it, rather than organically feeling like part of the plot as laid out in this book. Some of the more pointedly handled sections sadly felt like a drop of an essay from Gregory instead of story—and here is how terribly women were treated (by men, government, and other women) during this time period. In that, Alinor—the heroine of the story—is admirably stoic. However, it's this same stoicism and quiet nature (by way of self-protection) that makes her rather dull and lifeless. In fact, no one really changes in this book in any traditional way for a novel. Alinor, above all the others, should have changed, but was an incredibly static character.
An interesting concept to write about ordinary people during a monumentally historic time, and what seems to be the beginning of a series, Tidelands was just rather slow and methodical until the last 10% of the book. Even then, it was easy to predict what would likely happen—aside from that droplet of an ending that only can lead into the next book.
Audiobook, as read by [a:Louise Brealey|3873297|Louise Brealey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Quite simply, Brealey's performance elevated this dull book. Brealey managed to go from impassioned dialogue to quiet, steady narration in a breath. Her voice was crisp and warm, able to puncture through the veil of sameness that permeates this novel.
Slow, so very slow. And I was unaware this was going to be a series - honestly, I should have known since it’s a Philippa Gregory book - so the ending was not satisfying at all. Having said that, I will most likely read the next one to see what becomes of the Ferrymans.
I love Philippa Gregory. This book is slow and atmospheric, bleak (appropriate for the time), and immersive. It’s a little slower than usual for even her books so it’s not a five star for me, and I hate James. Being a woman sucks in every timeline I guess.
Enjoyable vacation read, if a bit fluffy. Will read the next one, though.
An easy read with many familiar Philippa Gregory moments. A history of a normal woman and her family rather than a monarchy. Annoyingly the first of a series.
I got an advanced copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and being a Philippa Gregory fan, I was more than pleased to delve into another well-written, well-researched story about a time period I have limited knowledge of.
Gregory provides a captivating story and clearly illustrates the dramatic divide of gender inequality and social classes of the time. While I found this to be a well-written story with an interesting story line, I wasn’t impressed with a few things.
I found the main romance forced and unconvincing. Overall I found the characters one-dimensional and largely unlikable, including the main characters who seemed to change their colors in the blink of an eye.
I also struggled with the writing. The first 100-plus pages didn’t show much plot development, rather just day-in-the-life narrative that I found overdone. I’ve noticed in some of Gregory’s books, especially later ones, that they could have been much shorter, as often there’s overly descriptive scenes and repetitive inner dialogue segments.
Because of the style of writing throughout, the abrupt ending feels almost like a mistake, like the writer ran out of time or space so just ended it with an unsatisfying cliffhanger. I was so disappointed in how this played out, hoping that at least one person would have a happy ending or even just an ending!
I’m so disappointed in the ending that I don’t think I’ll be scrambling to read the next book in the series. I guess I prefer Gregory’s books about real people whose stories aren’t a complete mystery - or cliffhanger.
Gregory provides a captivating story and clearly illustrates the dramatic divide of gender inequality and social classes of the time. While I found this to be a well-written story with an interesting story line, I wasn’t impressed with a few things.
I found the main romance forced and unconvincing. Overall I found the characters one-dimensional and largely unlikable, including the main characters who seemed to change their colors in the blink of an eye.
I also struggled with the writing. The first 100-plus pages didn’t show much plot development, rather just day-in-the-life narrative that I found overdone. I’ve noticed in some of Gregory’s books, especially later ones, that they could have been much shorter, as often there’s overly descriptive scenes and repetitive inner dialogue segments.
Because of the style of writing throughout, the abrupt ending feels almost like a mistake, like the writer ran out of time or space so just ended it with an unsatisfying cliffhanger. I was so disappointed in how this played out, hoping that at least one person would have a happy ending or even just an ending!
I’m so disappointed in the ending that I don’t think I’ll be scrambling to read the next book in the series. I guess I prefer Gregory’s books about real people whose stories aren’t a complete mystery - or cliffhanger.
Yet another absolutely fantastic book by Phillippa Gregory. The writing is beautiful, the story is gripping, and her characters are multifaceted and robust. This author paints a picture that you can’t help but see in your mind. I started out reading her Tudor series which included “The Other Boleyn Girl” which is well known. Since then I read everything that she writes, and I have never been disappointed. This is a specially high praise coming from someone like me who has absolutely no interest in history