Tidelands: A Novel

I have been a fan of Philippa Gregory’s work for many years beginning with her novel The Other Boleyn Girl and continuing through to her 2016 novel Three Sisters, Three Queens. It has always been a joy to read about female characters which generally never see the light of day except as a set piece or accessory to the main character. I was very excited to start Gregory’s Tidelands having read the short synopsis. What could be more interesting than a woman living outside of history? We are given Alinor, a poor healer, living in the tidelands, a woman truly “other.” She is not part of the village but is often called upon to take care of their sick or deliver their children. She knows, however, no matter how much good she does, her life is always teetering on a precarious edge. At any moment that goodwill can turn and the word “witch” will be spoken aloud with dire consequences.

Unfortunately, Gregory decides to veer away from the well-researched historical fiction she does so well and bogs the storyline down with quickly developed romance, followed by a historically unbelievable ending. If I didn’t know she plans this to be a series, I would be very worried.