Tidelands
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
Tidelands is set in 17th century England, the king has been sent into hiding because of political unrest. Throughout the whole of the kingdom even in the smallest annexes the people are divided on wanting the king back on the throne and wanting to rule themselves. Most of those wanting the king back on the throne are those that have lands and properties to their names, they have servants and tenants that work and produce for their properties. They have much to lose if the king is overthrown and the lower class people are allowed to rule themselves. Of course, those that have nothing and have worked their fingers to the bone and watched their mothers and fathers do the same want the opportunity to be able to make their own decisions and own their own properties without fear of not being able to provide for their families.
Our main character Alinor is from a small annex outside of London. Alinor has worked all of her life so is no stranger to hard work and does not shame away from working for everything she has. She is a mother of two children and has an estranged husband that has disappeared to sea. The novel opens with Alinor going to the local churchyard to meet the ghosts of what she hopes is her dead husband. Alinor's husband, Zachary, has been nothing but a thorn in her side since their marriage. The only two things that he ever did for Alinor was give her her two children which she tries to take care of all on her own. He was cruel and never contributed anything to their small family unit. Alinor hopes to meet his ghost in the churchyard so she can finally write him out of her and her childrens' lives forever, but instead she meets James. James is a priest that is travelling through London and local annexes trying to rally up support for getting the king back on the throne. Alinor forgets looking for the ghost of her dead husband in order to see James to his destination safely. James professes to Alinor that he has fallen deeply in love with her and Alinor takes him at his word. The reader is enveloped in a Romeo and Juliette type romance that is beautiful. At first you feel that this may be a break for Alinor. Maybe she can have happiness through James? Maybe she can find love again in James? Sadly, during the birth of their relationship James is called back to his duty in getting the king reinstated and leaves Alinor with hopes, promises and something that neither of them realizes upon his departure...
One quote from the book that I feel best described Alinor's character is this, "She thought that the one thing she had learned in this life, which had so many troubles and so few joys: she had at least learned to survive." Alinor's life is an unfortunate one and a picture into the life of a lower class woman in the 17th century. All that Alinor focuses on daily, what keeps her going, is to get her children grown and see them make something of themselves no matter how hard she has to work to get them there. I feel that mothers of any age can relate to Alinor, we all just wish for our babies to be better and do better than we have. I believe that Phillipa created a beautiful picture of the true feeling of a mother's heart. Alinor is constantly sacrificing herself for the benefit of others around her especially her children. She is the epitome of selflessness.
Tidelands is a beautiful story about the relentlessness of a loving mother to see her children into happy lives even if that means sacrificing herself in the process. It is also a testament into how we as a society can forget to help those less fortunate around us. Sometimes situations aren't always as they seem and a little compassion and understanding can make a world of difference to someone that is down on their luck.
Thanks so much to Net Galley and Atria Books for and advanced reader copy for an honest review.
For Purchase: Tidelands
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