Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

This novel came out in August 2019, if it slipped by you, get yourself a copy.

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.