"From Restoration London to cut-throat Venice via a mistress of manipulation, and across to the New World, this sizzles with secrets, ambition, desire and duplicity."
Continuing the immersive, suspenseful story began in Tidelands, Philippa Gregory’s Dark Tides is a sweeping family saga that takes in the poverty and wealth of Restoration London, decadence and distrust in Venice, and hope and unrest in the New World.
It’s 1670, 21 years after the events of Tidelands, and Alinor now runs a humble wharf warehouse in London with her daughter Alys, while her grandchildren Sarah and Johnnie are apprenticed to trades. The arrival of two visitors shakes their existence. Firstly, James, Alinor’s former lover who once failed her and now comes offering to share his wealth. And secondly beautiful Venetian Livia, widower of Alinor’s beloved son Rob, who comes in a whirlwind of glamour and ambition. While Livia and Alys form a close bond, and Livia promises to transform their lives if they’ll help her transport valuable antiquities from Venice, wise woman Alinor doesn’t believe Rob is dead, and so sends Sarah across the seas to discover the truth.
Thousands of miles away, in the New World, Alinor’s ferryman brother Ned isn’t enjoying the new life he’d hoped for. A former New Model Army infantryman, he’d hoped “to get away from all the money-making and grabbing from each other.” Unlike his fellow Britons, he’s respectful of Native Americans, and with growing conflict between indigenous communities and the settlers, Ned might have to choose a side.
I especially enjoyed Sarah’s sojourn in Venice - her voyage of discovery in this “city of spies” where “imaginings can come to life” takes as many twists as the tangled streets of Venice itself. She’s a fabulously adventurous character, determined not to “get stuck here, hoping for a man to rescue me." The narratives of London, Venice and America unfold with delectable drama, driven by the characters’ desires, and underpinned by a tremendous sense of time and place.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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London, 1670. Two visitors. An unlikely alliance. A story of greed, deceit, lies and fraud.
I have read and enjoyed Philippa Gregory's books before and was delighted to be able to read and review this one. It didn't disappoint and I was swept away by the end of the first page. It is the 2nd part of a series but easy to follow without having read the first part.
Set in 1670 in London, Venice and New England (America), the beginning of the story sees two visitors arrive at Reekie Wharf.
The first, Sir James Avery, wishes to right past wrongs but is not well received after a 21 year absence.
The second visitor is a beautiful Italian woman with a baby who claims to be the wife of the deceased son of the family's matriarch. These two characters form an unlikely alliance.... Read Full Review
A great follow-up to Tidelands which Philippa Gregory fans are sure to enjoy!
Dark Tides is a 17th-century tale set in restoration England, New England and latterly in Venice. A sequel to Tidelands, it follows the story of Alinor, Alys, Ned and James Avery, but the main protagonist is the beautiful widow, Livia who arrives from Venice with bad news for the family and gradually tries to change their lives.
It helps to have read Tidelands but the back story is briefly explained in this book. The honest but poor family are largely overwhelmed by the personality and drive of the Italian noblewoman as she encourages them to think big, takes risks and back her new venture and she manipulates her way through their lives.... Read Full Review
A richly populated story of the choices one family has made in the name of love and how deceit can tear it apart.
Dark Tides is the second book in the Fairmile series and is set in 1670, twenty-on years after the well received Tidelands. We pick up with Alinor, and her daughter, Alys who now has children of her own, Sarah and Johnnie. When Livia, a beautiful young from Venice, arrives with her son, Roberto, she has earth-shattering news. Alongside Alinor's story runs that of her brother, Ned, who is now making a life for himself in the New World in a time of growing conflict.
A tapestry of societies is richly woven into this novel with Philippa Gregory's usual commitment to the historical backdrop. Ned's story, although fascinating, appears to be a little disconnected from the rest of his family, but that might be addressed in the next installment. For me, the outstanding character is Sarah.... Read Full Review
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