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Tidelands

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Tidelands

By: Philippa Gregory
Narrated by: Louise Brealey
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About this listen

 ORDER DAWNLANDS, THE STUNNING NEW NOVEL IN THE BELOVED FAIRMILE SERIES BY INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR PHILIPPA GREGORY, OUT NOW.

'Gregory is an experienced storyteller and doesn’t let you down. Tidelands is a gripping and intelligent portrait of a woman fighting to survive in a hostile world' The Times

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.
‘The first in a planned series . . . The author crafts her material with effortless ease. Her grasp of social mores is brilliant, the love story rings true and the research is, as ever, of the highest calibre' Elizabeth Buchan, Daily Mail
‘Vivid and beguiling – Philippa Gregory at her best’ Woman & Home

'A compelling novel that shines a light on the struggles of 17th century women' Daily Mirror

'The novel's power lies in Gregory's evocative portrayal of the tidelands and the everyday lives of those who are bound to them' Sunday Express

'Philippa Gregory returns with an English Civil War novel that excels in everything she does best. Historical events are written with breathless immediacy, keeping the reader enthralled even if they know the outcome. She pays close attention to the plight of women in the past, so often unchanged despite men's wars, and gives them a voice . . . Fans will not be disappointed' Alys Key, The i

'Shines a light on the struggles of 17th century women . . . If this novel is the first sign of what's to come then readers are in for a treat' Emma Lee-Potter, Daily Express

'Tidelands evokes a world of suspense and superstition. Its fascinating fictional heroine, Alinor, is caught in a net of in-between spaces . . . I was completely swept up in this wonderful, immersive story set in the English Civil War when women who lived unconventional lives risked being accused of witchcraft' Tina Jackson, Writing Magazine©2019 Philippa Gregory (P)2019 Simon & Schuster UK Fiction Historical Fiction Royalty Marriage Magic Users
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Love Philippa Gregory books but this one was a bit too predictable and the ending was disappointing. Hasn’t put me off but it was all a bit depressing.

Helsss79

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Tidelands does a wonderful job of evoking the crushing poverty of small rural communities in the 17th century. As ever, Philppa Gregory's historical authenticity is first-rate, and her depiction of the effects of the English civil war on ordinary folk is entirely convincing. Louise Brealey's narration is clear, but sometimes it is difficult to tell the characters apart.

What lets this book down for me is the overblown and melodramatic description of people's emotional lives. There's altogether too many heaving eyes and flashing bosoms, and people longing breathlessly for forbidden pleasures, and alll that kind of thing.

Still, it's not a bad book, if you can keep the sick bucket handy.

A bit too much of a bodice-ripper for my taste

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Enjoyable listen and narrator was easy to listen to. However, the story was a little slow and lacked depth and interest and was also quite predictable, especially regarding the main character's daughter. Suspense and interest only really culminated in the last 2 chapters, if this had been a book rather than an audio book I think I could have skipped to the end and not missed much. Despite this it I enjoyed hearing about lives of poor women in the 17th century.

Enjoyable but lacked suspense for much of book

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Love the story telling at pace of the book. Wonderful added romance and historical arrack as ever! Truely enjoyable.

One of Philippa Gregory’s best! Excellent

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At last an historical fiction that really does open up the lives of ordinary people, so many say they do but quickly revert to the powerful, this however stays with it and has a good story line and brilliant characterisations. I found myself invested in the outcome and can only applaud the brilliant ending.

A fascinating book

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