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Tidelands
by Philippa Gregory
I've read so many Philippa Gregory novels set around the Tudor era that it took me a little while to adjust to the setting of the south coast of England during 1648. A time of civil war when Oliver Cromwell and his Round Heads fought to remove King Charles I from the throne and rule through Parliament.
There are no royal palaces in this book but homes and businesses associated with rural England, miller, farmer, markets, ferryman and of course a Lord of the Manor.
Alinor Reekie is a midwife and wise woman who understands herbs, though some would call her a witch. A husband who has abandoned her she has to older children, they live in poverty. Her brother Ned lives nearby at the ferryhouse and operates a small ferry (think big raft!) as his father and his father before him did. Ned fought in Cromwells New Model Army, and is not for the King at all.
Alinor's daughter Alys works for the Millers, but has her heart sent on marrying Richard Stoney the only son of farmer Stoney and set to inherit the family farm. But how will pauper Alinor provide her daughter with a dowry for a good marriage.
Then a well dressed wealthy man James Summer appears in the dark of the night, looking for Sir William the local lord and landowner. Known for his loyalty to the King which he has had to turn his back on to protect is home and lands, also a Catholic but of course no one ever talks of that. What could he want with him and how can Alinor help him. This clandestine meeting triggers a string of events that will change the lives of Alinor and her family.
This book took me by surprise, no princesses or palaces but the everyday life of the poor and working people of the era. There is interaction with the wider area, London, Netherlands and France and we do encounter King Charles I.
The harsh reality of being a woman, is written and bought across to the reader in a frightening and clear way by Philippa Gregory. Give yourself chance to settle into this book, but when you do you won't want to put it down.
Looking forward to finding out what history holds for Alinor and Alys in the next novel in this series.
There are no royal palaces in this book but homes and businesses associated with rural England, miller, farmer, markets, ferryman and of course a Lord of the Manor.
Alinor Reekie is a midwife and wise woman who understands herbs, though some would call her a witch. A husband who has abandoned her she has to older children, they live in poverty. Her brother Ned lives nearby at the ferryhouse and operates a small ferry (think big raft!) as his father and his father before him did. Ned fought in Cromwells New Model Army, and is not for the King at all.
Alinor's daughter Alys works for the Millers, but has her heart sent on marrying Richard Stoney the only son of farmer Stoney and set to inherit the family farm. But how will pauper Alinor provide her daughter with a dowry for a good marriage.
Then a well dressed wealthy man James Summer appears in the dark of the night, looking for Sir William the local lord and landowner. Known for his loyalty to the King which he has had to turn his back on to protect is home and lands, also a Catholic but of course no one ever talks of that. What could he want with him and how can Alinor help him. This clandestine meeting triggers a string of events that will change the lives of Alinor and her family.
This book took me by surprise, no princesses or palaces but the everyday life of the poor and working people of the era. There is interaction with the wider area, London, Netherlands and France and we do encounter King Charles I.
The harsh reality of being a woman, is written and bought across to the reader in a frightening and clear way by Philippa Gregory. Give yourself chance to settle into this book, but when you do you won't want to put it down.
Looking forward to finding out what history holds for Alinor and Alys in the next novel in this series.