Secrets of the Tides

May 23, 2012 Kirsty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review, bookgeeks-and-nudge, advanced-review-and-proof-copies, read-2012, read-for-review, best-of-2012, beautiful-covers

Secrets of the Tides is Hannah Richell’s debut novel. It begins with a gripping prologue where an unnamed character launches herself into the Thames from a bridge. We do not know who she is, but her story and the reasons for it become apparent as the novel progresses.

Chapter one moves to the present day. The character of Dora Tide is introduced, a young woman living in a flat in Hackney with her boyfriend Dan, an artist. The couple have recently found out that she is expecting a baby, a fact whi...more Secrets of the Tides is Hannah Richell’s debut novel. It begins with a gripping prologue where an unnamed character launches herself into the Thames from a bridge. We do not know who she is, but her story and the reasons for it become apparent as the novel progresses.

Chapter one moves to the present day. The character of Dora Tide is introduced, a young woman living in a flat in Hackney with her boyfriend Dan, an artist. The couple have recently found out that she is expecting a baby, a fact which Dora is increasingly unsure about. She feels incredibly guilty about the way in which her family has been ‘torn apart so completely’, a foreshadowing of a pivotal event in the lives of the Tides which the reader knows nothing about at first.

Chapter two then goes back sixteen years in time and focuses on Helen, Dora’s mother. Her sister Cassie, eleven years old when she is first introduced, is concentrated upon before Richell presents Richard, the father of the Tide girls. This past perspective sees Helen and Richard taking the girls to Clifftops to spend Easter with Richard’s parents, a family tradition.

Richard’s parents, Alfred and Daphne, reside at the romantically named Clifftops, a sprawling house set in the Dorset countryside. Clifftops was Richard’s own childhood home and he and his daughters adore spending time there. In comparison, Helen has a rather tempestuous relationship with Richard’s mother, a difficult woman who overrules the decisions which Helen makes regarding her children. Daphne seems to delight in undermining her daughter-in-law, causing Helen to feel like an insignificant cog in the wheel of the Tide family.

When Daphne and Alfred are killed in a car accident, the Tide family is prompted to move down to Dorset and call Clifftops their new home. Among other things, this move causes Cassie and Dora to grow closer together in some ways and further apart in others. Once they are settled in their new lives, one late summer day tears their entire world apart, fracturing the Tides irreversibly. Loss, grief and sadness are then woven throughout the book.

Richell portrays the family dynamic incredibly well. Flashbacks to earlier periods are woven throughout the story. The use of different time frames captured in the narrative adds another dimension to the story, allowing the reader to understand the complexities of the characters. As the title suggests, the Tide family is fraught with a wealth of secrets, all of which become apparent as the storyline unfolds.

A third person narrative perspective is used throughout, allowing Richell to focus on each character in turn. As their lives are all intrinsically linked, both by familial ties and events which occur throughout the book, this is a technique which works very well. Richell’s dialogue is a definite strength in the novel, and exchanges between her characters are reminiscent of real-life conversations.

The absorbing prose really helps the reader to understand the characters from the outset. So many details have been used to build up realistic personalities, particularly where Dora is concerned. Richell’s descriptions work well. They are informative and written ably, but in no way do they seem overdone.

Secrets of the Tides is an impressive debut and an engrossing novel. It is a sensitively written account which portrays the sheer complexities of one family as they grow and develop. The story itself is sad and unsettling in places. The characters grow, both physically and emotionally, both towards one another and apart. The unexpected twists and turns throughout make Secrets of the Tides one of the must-read debut novels of 2012.

(Originally published at www.bookgeeks.co.uk).(less)

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Mar 19, 2012 Gill rated it 5 of 5 stars

This debut novel kept me gripped from the first page to the last.

It is a vivid and visual family saga covering three generations of women . It deals with the complex relationships which can ensue from the struggle women frequently deal with (even in contemoporary times)of being true to themselves, and yet at the same time creating strong and enduring relationships.

The secret, which is at the centre of the maelstrom in the lives of the Tide family, is at the heart of this story. I loved the femal...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Silvia Liotta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dora ha un buon lavoro e un uomo dolce di cui è follemente innamorata al suo
fianco, cosa può volere di più dalla vita? Quando scoprirà di essere incinta
la sua reazione non sarà di gioia ma di paura e i ricordi del suo passato
legati alla sua famiglia si faranno ogni giorno più vividi e la terrorizzeranno.
L'unico modo per andare avanti è quello di ritornare a casa dai fantasmi di
quel passato che non ha mai smesso di tormentarla. Nonostante la traduzione
italiana del titolo che l'ha reso totalmente...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Lthelibrarylover rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the type of book that I LOVE! It looks goes between the past and present in a way that adds mystery, yet isn't too confusing. It also adds another layer of meaning and depth to the story to have two sets of events in the reader's mind at the one time. It shows how the past can influence the present and how history often repeats itself within a family unit.

Mother Helen, father Richard and daughters Cassie and Dora move into the family estate after a death in the family. Helen does not fe...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012books

Every family has its secrets. Some are small, like telling a white lie or snooping through a private drawer. Others are more serious like infidelity and betrayal. And some secrets are so terrible they must be hidden away in a deep, dark place, for if they ever came to light, they would surely tear a family apart.

The Tides are a family full of secrets. Returning to Clifftops, the rambling family house high up on the Dorset coastline, youngest daughter Dora hopes for a fresh start, for herself and...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. I expected it to be silly and to have a sickly sweet ending. It did not. The writing is wonderful and conjures up perfect imagery. For example:

"It’s a treat not to be in the office. Most people, she knows, will be safely stashed at their desks by now, beginning the daily grind, staring at computer screens, talking into telephones, doing their deals, making decisions. She doesn’t get to experience this side of London very often, the hours when elderly people creep out...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mainstream

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

I’ve always wondered how much truth there was to Tolstoy’s assertion that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way. It seems to me as though there’s a common thread in the misery of the average family: the fact that a group of individuals are forced, thanks to the umbrella of familial connection, to remain in each other’s lives, no matter how desperately they wish to be elsewhere. Even if there is distance involved–whether...more This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

I’ve always wondered how much truth there was to Tolstoy’s assertion that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way. It seems to me as though there’s a common thread in the misery of the average family: the fact that a group of individuals are forced, thanks to the umbrella of familial connection, to remain in each other’s lives, no matter how desperately they wish to be elsewhere. Even if there is distance involved–whether spatial distance, generational distance, or ideological distance–family members seek each other out, picking at the scabs of their shared histories until they bleed and fester.

The ambivalence and inescapability of the family connection is starkly, frankly examined in Hannah Richell’s superb debut Secrets of the Tides, a novel whose slightly twee title belies its depth and insight. Told across two time periods and the points of view of three of the Tide family members, the novel is rather like a cobweb in design: a broad swoop of threads that gradually knit together until they meet in a thickly wound conclusion, the central revelation of the plot.

When Dora Tide learns that she is pregnant, she is beset by a bevy of concerns, all of which have roots in the tragic, complicated past of her family. She is struck by the fear that having a child may mean giving up the intellectual endeavours and career she has worked so long for; by the niggling suspicion that her love for her partner may be something fleeting; and by the terrible dread that she is incapable of safely, lovingly raising a child.
These troubles are all traceable to her childhood, a frayed and tangled thing of misspent time and misguided silence, of uprootings and shifts, of judgement and betrayal. And, of course, of one event in particular whose influence has been like that of a rock tossed into an already unsettled pond: ripples crashing into each other, interrupting and dispersing into a maelstrom of emotion and disjunction. As the circumstances behind this event are slowly revealed, Dora’s ambivalence over her pregnancy becomes understandable to the reader: when we learn of the circumstances behind her mother’s first pregnancy we can see that Dora is terrified of a history that is beginning to repeat continuing to do so all the way through to a reenactment of the terrible conclusion with which she is still unable to cope. But it’s only in reaching out to the past that Dora can hope to set things right for the future.

The nature of Secrets of the Tides makes it a challenging book to review: tugging at all on the thread of its narrative will cause it to unspool until all of its secrets are laid bare. But it’s a beautifully constructed book, intimately written and elegantly plotted. We see certain events through each point of view character’s eyes, but Richell does so in a way that avoids redundancy, which takes a good deal of skill. The use of the contrasting settings of bustling London and the lost country manor of Clifftops to dichotomise the family members, their dreams, and their different ways of grieving is also worthy of mention, and is instrumental in creating and maintaining the schism between the key characters. The plot relies heavily on parallels and circularities, but bar the awkward prologue, this generally works well, without the heavy-handed overtness that can often result from such an approach.

The Secrets of the Tides quietly written book that takes its dialogic cues from nineteenth century epics and those of setting from the gothics, and with these inspirations and more behind it it’s no surprise that the outcome is something eminently readable and tragically moving.(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Look at that cover. Looks kinda chit-litty and dare I say it, crap, doesn't it? Well you know what they say, don't judge a book by it's cover because this was really quite an amazing piece of storytelling. A little rough in places due to my copy being an unedited manuscript but even then a brilliant read.

The book opens with one girl throwing herself off a bridge and the next chapter introduces our leading lady Dora, who is pregnant and dealing with some pretty big family issues. What kind of iss...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Sharon Thomson rated it 5 of 5 stars

The very brief synopsis on the book cover makes you think that this may be a Maeve Binchy type of book. Think again.

This is a tale of a family, a home that has been in the family for a couple of generations and the sad tale of one summer day. Each chapter is seen from a different character’s perspective and also from a different period in time. At first this can be a bit disorientating until you get to know the characters and are drawn in by their story.

Each chapter is also split into readable...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The cover is so inviting … but wait until you see what is inside!
This is a story about one family, the Tides, and the incidents and consequences of family life … and certainly not your average family.
I often shy away from books that jump back and forth along timelines. However, this one does it rather seamlessly and I am never left wondering ‘who is she?’ or ‘what period is this’. The connectedness is wonderful.
Chapters are written from varying character viewpoints … once again, you find yoursel...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Victoria Watson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had been putting off reading this debut from Hannah Richell as I thought it was going to be a typical chick-lit nonsense but ‘Secrets of the Tides’ goes way beyond any usual chick lit. This is a modern family saga with plenty of drama.

Dora is a career woman with a great boyfriend. She’s just discovered she’s pregnant – sounds perfect, eh? But this is just the beginning: Dora’s not sure she wants the baby but she’s finding it difficult to explain why she’s so conflicted. What unfolds is a drama...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Kathryn Laceby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

The cover of this novel doesn’t even hint at the strong dramatic story within the pages! I picked Secrets of the Tides up on whim on my last visit to the UK and am so pleased that I did.

We begin with a young woman taking a solitary train journey to London and then throwing herself into the river so for the first half you’re trying to determine who this woman is and how it ties into the story. While you’re busy trying to work that part out you’re slowly exposed...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Catriona Forbes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another 'read in 2 days' for me. Each time I put the book down my mind would wander considering where the story would go next and what the next flash back would reveal.

Admittedly I felt some of the present day chapters were so full of the past they may as well have been a chapter detailing the past and the ending felt too rushed. It seemed forgiveness came far too easily to ensure it could all be wrapped up nicely.

The story had me hooked and was emotionally charged, pushing me to just read 'one...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Tracy Harper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excuse the pun but I was rather swept away by this novel. The book flips between Dora's childhood and the present day which is very effective. Also the use of different narrators also works well in that you are left unsure as to what has become of Dora's family members. At one point, they are all 'missing' in some sense with the exception of Dora and her mother and you want to know what has become of them. I was completely engrossed and cared about each of the characters. Raised some interesting...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Book Bazaar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoy novels with this structure - twin stories, one set in the past, one present - and Richell has done this well. THe characters in this novel are engaging and full of real imperfections, not to mention the guilt that they all share over the disappearance of a family member. The small secrets and lies that are part of family life loom large in this novel, as does Clifftops, the family home perched on the coastline of Dorset. Richell writes the English setting and sensibility well and it is E...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Chris Barlow rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is so beautifully written that you can't get enough of the characters. It was heartbreakingly sad but I couldn't stop reading, I need to know more and to find out how they all fared after such a horrible tragedy. It's like morbid curiosity I know but I really wanted there to be a happy ending! All through I just knew little Alfie wasn't going to reappear but I kept hoping anyway. It's a bittersweet ending but I can't imagine any other type of ending for a family who've gone through thi...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Katy Noyes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: newbooks-reviewcopy

Surprisingly good. I was sent a free copy from newBooks to review and my heart stopped when I saw it. I hadn't fancied this one, it didn't appeal, it sounded run-of-the-mill and insipid.
Glad to be proved wrong.
Really addicted by the story and characters, I wept buckets for little Alfie several times, I found Dora a moving and realistic narrator. The theme of guilt was very well handled, with revelations over the back-and-forth narrative built up well.
Only occasionally did it feel trite, a few...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Maxine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: light-reading

I would give this book 3 1/2 stars if that were possible. It is a moving story that managed to hold my interest most of the time. I did find it a little tedious in parts but overall a worthwhile read. The characters were well defined especially Dora. The storyline believable, without being over dramatic. I liked the way Helen was portrayed even though I did not particularly like this character. A sad story that leaves the reader pondering on how life can change in a instant and how we are define...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I just couldn't put it down. I felt so strongly connected with the women in this book & the suspense as to what had damaged their family is built so powerfully that I just had to keep turning the pages to find out.

This is great summer reading; contemporary characters that feel like friends, an idyllic setting, tragedy & redemption. I sobbed through the middle chapters but felt so uplifted by the end.

A brilliant debut, I'll be looking out for other books by Hannah Ric...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Marcia - Book Muster Down Under rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewing-by-request

The Blurb
“Every family has its secrets. Some are small, like telling a white lie or snooping through a private drawer. Others are more serious like infidelity and betrayal. And some secrets are so terrible they must be hidden away in a deep, dark place, for if they ever came to light, they would surely tear a family apart.

The Tides are a family full of secrets. Returning to Clifftops, the rambling family house high up on the Dorset coastline, youngest daughter Dora hopes for a fresh start, for h...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Isabel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 13, 2012 Sharon Goodwin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Before our journey with Dora begins, the prologue intrigues the reader. We know someone is in enough pain they want to gain the ultimate freedom but we don’t know who it is or when it is. I had the prologue in the back of my mind so when the ‘clue’ comes I was able to place the character although we are still left waiting to find out the reason.

***

We begin with Dora in the present day and how she feels about being pregnant. We know her panic is related to her family. She feels she doesn’t deserv...more Before our journey with Dora begins, the prologue intrigues the reader. We know someone is in enough pain they want to gain the ultimate freedom but we don’t know who it is or when it is. I had the prologue in the back of my mind so when the ‘clue’ comes I was able to place the character although we are still left waiting to find out the reason.

***

We begin with Dora in the present day and how she feels about being pregnant. We know her panic is related to her family. She feels she doesn’t deserve a family, Dan or happiness – she is to blame for the family separation. It is not until a quarter of the way through the book that clues are dropped as to what has precipitated those feelings.

“Like a tiny hole in a tightly woven cloth, was it the move to Dorset that had tugged loose the first thread and begun to unravel the fabric of their family?” Dora reflects while visiting her mother at Clifftops.

The Tide family structure comes alive during the chapters in the past with Helen (Dora’s mother) as the focus. As the years pass we get to know more about their characters through Cassie (Dora’s sister) as well. Amongst this timeline is Dora in the present day, trying to find a way she can live with herself and find peace. The third person narrative suits the different timelines and allows the reader to experience family life from different perspectives.

Even before the event that has secrets entwined around it, the author explores the fragility and diversity of human feelings … including the darker side that we may find difficult to claim ownership of. The secrets the Tides hold close show how one mistake can change the lives of so many and leave a family damaged and torn apart, afraid to let go and move on to a new future. The layers are peeled back until there is only rawness. Hannah Richell explores how each member of the family lives with their guilt and grief. The darkness is compelling and I was drawn into the need to feel pain and to be in control. The redemption is a coming to terms and acceptance that begins to draw the threads together again.

The author uses figurative language to weave the reader into the story – the similes, metaphors and personification bring the words to life and the resultant images bring depth and lightness to the suspense and darkness of the events surrounding the Tide family.

Secrets of the Tides is a debut novel that will draw you in and stay with you for a long time after you have finished reading. It’s a ‘keeper’ for me!

I would like to thank Louise Weir at Lovereading UK for arranging an uncorrected proof copy in exchange for an honest review.(less)

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Apr 20, 2013 Holliekins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

A novel full of family secrets and guilt. Told from different family members viewpoints in the past and present, this is a very sad and poignant story, about how little mistakes can cause a tragedy. Not the kind of book I expected it to be, but I could not put this down. Hannah Richell's style of writing is very easy to read and she expertly captures the voice of each character. Only criticism is the the ending is too saccharine for a book full of so much drama.

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May 31, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A highly emotional story about a family who suffers tragedy. Well written as we are taken along with each of the family members - flipping from present time, back to the past. A couple of times i found i just wanted to flip back to see what had happened in the past when it had gone back to the present time - but i contained my suspense and kept things going in order of the book. I have found this week whilst reading the book i have been holding on to my children a bit longer than usual........

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Feb 24, 2012 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-fav-keepers

I loved this book ....
If you want a read which keeps you turning the pages this is it, especially if you enjoy gripping family sagas with an added touch of drama, mystery, and suspense

Beautifully written, and the Tide family are great characters, who bought me to tears.

I have no hesitation in highly recommending 'Secrets of the Tides'

A fantastic debut novel one I will think about for a long time, and eagerly wait to read another by Hannah Richell ...

Had a promo copy to review, thank heavens...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Secrets of the Tides is a story about the lives of the Tide family. Richard and Helen, and their daughters Cassie and Dora. It begins when the girls are quite young, and how they visit Clifftops, their paternal grandparents' home, for holidays. The story is told with alternating chapters of present day and some years ago, when there is an unexpected arrival as well as an unexpected departure.....in more ways than one. I really enjoyed this, and look forward to Hannah Richell's second book when i...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Angela rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was incredibly disappointed by this book. Admittedly, it's not something I would normally pick up anyway, but I have read other examples in this genre that I found quite enjoyable, so I agreed to give it a go. All I can say is, give me Kate Morton or Jodi Picoult any day instead of this one - I consider it one of the worst books I've picked up this year! Cliched, overdone and full of tired metaphors, give this one a miss if you ask me!

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Sep 02, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

They say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and it's true, you really shouldn't. I thought this book was going to be a typical fluffy chick-lit (which I have been known to enjoy) but it was a tragic book with much substance. This book is absolutely brilliant and had me gripped. It's incredibly moving and very well written. I hope Hannah Richell writes some more books as this debut was fantastic.

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Mar 12, 2013 Lottie Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I did enjoy this book, I had to suspend disbelief a little bit that things can start so bad, so misunderstood and suddenly so fixed but it kept me engaged to the end. Some nicely written scenes early on, very vivid, I felt like I was a part of it. I am getting a bit old for such heart rending stories and too close to having teenagers to rest easily with story line.

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Jul 26, 2012 Kathy Bowden rated it 5 of 5 stars

We all make mistakes. We all carry guilt and many of us do not allow ourselves a full life because of this. We are all only human. And we re all trying to live with that fact every day. Ultimately a cathartic book, the absolutely terrible event at the heart of it is haunting. I finished reading this at 2:30am. Could not put it down. Highly highly recommended.

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