Tidelands by
Philippa Gregory
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
A bit slow in the beginning, and I still can't believe that Alinor realizing not just the shame she would bring to her family but the mortal danger she would put them in didn't take the herbs necessary to either prevent her pregnancy or end it.
When Alinor meets a papist spy in the church yard she hides him for the night and then leads him to the Priory. At the Priory he assumes the name James Summer and becomes the tutor to Sir William's son Walter. As a reward for Alinor's help Rob (Alinor's son) is brought to the Priory as a paid companion to Walter and with the promise of an apprenticeship to an apothecary when Walter leaves for college. Things are looking up for the young abandoned wife at last. Her daughter Alys has caught the eye of Richard Stoney (the heir to a profitable farm) and is determined to get the money demanded for the dowry no matter what she has to do. Alys "borrows" the money from Mrs. Miller to show to Richard's family and with the promised dowry the Stoney's agree to the wedding and Alys puts the money back with no one the wiser and she and her family set to work to get the demanded dowry.
But it all comes unraveled when Alinor becomes James' lover. His mission to save the King fails when the King refuses to come away with him. Rob sees the Father he believes lost at sea and is dismayed when his Father reveals he is never coming home. Once he learns that his Mother can have his Father declared dead after 7 years he keeps secret the fact he saw his Father alive and well. Disillusioned by the ungrateful King James vows that he will leave the priesthood and return to marry Alinor. So when Alinor discovers she is pregnant with James' child she waits for him to return. Even though the pregnancy threatens her daughter's engagement and her son's apprenticeship.
Ned (Alinor's brother) is overjoyed when Parliament is taken over by the army (Oliver Cromwell) and the King is tried and executed. James and Ned both return from London the same day and Alinor is relived that James is finally back and can claim her and the baby. But James refuses to do so, he still wants to marry her but he insist that she end the pregnancy first, she refuses. Alys "borrows" the money from Mrs Miller again but no sooner than she is wed and on her way to her wedding feast than Mrs Miller accuses Alinor of witchcraft and thievery, when she discovers the missing money. Alys tries to speak up and confess the crime is hers but Richard prevents her. With James and Sir William preceding over the hastily assembled court Alinor is swam for a witch she survives. Richard accuses Alys of trying to pass her Mother's baby off as hers, but Alys assures him she truly is pregnant with his child, rather he believed her or she forgave him for doubting her is questionable as Alys left him. But Alys determines to leave for London with her Mother and demands that James give her the money so they can start a carting business in London.
I hope Rob doesn't lose his apprenticeship over his Mother's disgrace the book didn't say what would happen to him or what his plans were.
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Book Club Questions
1. From the opening page, the reader is immediately
pulled into the unique setting of the book. Alinor lives in an
ever-changing physical landscape known to outsiders as Foulmire. How
much does this in-between geography shape the people who live there? How
much is it a reflection of the personalities that can manage the
ever-changing conditions of the tidelands? Why do you think the author
used this setting for a book that takes place during England’s Civil
War?
People's allegiances were constantly shifting just like the tidelands. And people were often hiding secrets even their identities just like the hidden paths through Foulmire.
2. At their first parting, James tells Alinor, “‘I
did not know that there could be a woman like you, in a place like
this.’” That sentence is repeated throughout the book but with changing
meanings. Alinor even rephrases it at the moment she is considering
suicide. Ultimately, what kind of woman does James see Alinor as? How
does she come to see herself?
In the beginning James sees Alinor as too good for the place and station she was born into, eventually he sees her as not worthy of someone of his wealth and position. Alinor comes to see herself as someone special and worthy of the place she can win.
3. The story is told in the third person, but
alternates between Alinor’s perspective and James’. When King Charles
refuses to be rescued, the reader feels how deeply James is shaken,
losing his faith and his sense of purpose in life. But with the
third-person perspective, can the reader see anything James has gained?
What else can we see that he has lost by the end of the novel?
James has lost his honor first he broke his vows as a priest, then he failed to rescue the King and at the end he broke his vow to Alinor. By the end of the novel he has lost any chance of a life with her.
Finally Alinor looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were darkened
with unshed tears I wouldn't stoop to marry a man who'd kill his own
child she said simply it's not an honor that you offer me if you're the
man who'd destroyed his own baby in the womb then you're not the man
that I thought you were and you're not the man for me.
4. Ned is a foil for James, in both his political
convictions and social status. But neither man is able to help Alinor in
her hour of greatest need. Can you defend either of their actions
during Alinor’s trial for witchcraft? Do you think either of them loves
Alinor as much as they claim?
I think Ned does, He took Rob away as she asked and he allowed her to come back to his home. Ned was very limited in what he could do. He didn't know Alys stole the money and he didn't know who the Father of Alinor's baby was, I believe he would have told if he had known.
5. When we first meet Alys, she appears to be a
good child and an obedient daughter. How does she change throughout the
novel? When she argues for Alinor to try to abort her baby, do you think
Alys makes a fair case?
Alys made a fair case in that she was stating what would happen if Alinor's pregnancy was discovered. And Alys had her own child and future to worry about.
6. Alys steals money for her dowry and lets her
mother pay for the crime. How do you think Alys justifies this to
herself? As a reader, do you find this forgivable? Do you think
contemporary readers can fairly judge a woman of the 17th century?
It's hard to judge fairly because the punishment then was so out of proportion to the crime. The thief would have been hanged. Also without the money Alys wouldn't have been allowed to marry the Father of her child and she would have been ruined. Alys was desperate and in the end Alys did try to tell them she did it.
7. Mrs. Miller is never portrayed as a kind or
generous woman. But when she finds Jane’s dowry purse filled with old
and valueless coins, is her reaction fair? Given all the events leading
to Alinor’s witch trial, is Mrs. Miller more to blame than anyone else?
I don't know that Mrs Miller was to blame, she was indeed the victim of a theft, she was jealous of Alinor and the attention her husband paid her so I do think she viewed it as a chance to get even.
8. In 17th-century England, infant mortality was
estimated at about 18 percent, and childbirth was often fatal for the
mother. But Alinor enjoys her job as a midwife. How do we see childbirth
through her eyes? How do we see the women of the tidelands as she
interacts with them?
Many of the women were superstitious and believed Alinor to be a witch. Some of the women were generous and kind to her others were vicious in denouncing her and her children behind their backs.
9. Through Rob’s placement as a companion for
Master Walter, we get to see the inner workings of the wealthiest house
on the island. How do Mr. Tudeley and Mrs. Wheatley compare to Mr. and
Mrs. Miller? Mr Tudeley and Mrs Wheatley were much nicer than the Millers and appear better educated. Although I think Mr. Miller would have been nice if his wife had allowed him to be.
Mr. and Mrs. Stoney? Mr Stoney appear nice enough but all his wife cared about was the dowry. In fact if anyone was to blame for the theft it was Mrs Stoney as she wouldn't allow Alys and Richard to marry without the money.
In a world of such rigid class
distinctions, do you think Cromwell can really bring about the changes
men like Ned want? NO
10. Characters like Sir William show how the upper
class of England had to handle the rise of Cromwell and his New Model
Army. Men like Ned believe this adherence to the Protestant faith and
new political beliefs will benefit everyone. But as we see more common
citizens of the area, is there anything to be said for the old faith? Is
the “old faith” Catholicism or something even older?
The Catholic priest visited the old and infirm no matter their ability to pay. And I do think there were even older beliefs on the island. Also the old ways were more joyous. The Protestants seemed to determined to sap all joy from life.
11. The oldest superstitions on the island help
lead to Alinor’s trial. The causes of these trials are hard for modern
readers to imagine. But given that they were described as an “epidemic”
in mid-16th- through mid-17th-century Europe, does this novel help
21st-century readers understand why?
Not really and it's very similar to what happened in America (Salem Witch Trials) superstition and jealousy could lead to anyone being accused of witch craft especially a beautiful woman who knew about herbs and healing.
12. The novel ends with King Charles executed and
parliament in power. But the political tides are still turning in
England. How do you imagine women like Alinor and Alys will fare in this
world where so much is changing? I think their fortune will be ever shifting like the tides.
