What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hungry Tide #1
The Hungry Tide
As the sea claims the land, can she claim the love she deserves?In the old fishing town of Hull, Sarah Foster's parents have been fighting a constant battle with poverty, disease and crime. When her father Will, a whaling man, is involved in a terrible accident at sea, their lives became even harder.But Will's good deeds of the past pay off as John Rayner decides to rescue the Fosters. John provides them with work and a house on the estate owned by his wealthy family. It is at this new home on the crumbling coastline of Holderness that Sarah is born - and grows into a bright and beautiful girl, and a great source of strength to those around her.As John grows closer to Sarah, he becomes increasingly aware of his love for her. But could these two very different people ever make their love story truly work?If you enjoy books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.
482 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
55 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Val Wood
45 books94 followers Valerie Wood
Since winning the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction for her first novel, The Hungry Tide, Val Wood has become one of the most popular authors in the UK. Born in the mining town of Castleford, Val came to East Yorkshire as a child and has lived in Hull and rural Holderness where many of her novels are set. She now lives in the market town of Beverley. When she is not writing, Val is busy promoting libraries and supporting many charities. Find out more about Val Wood's novels by visiting her website: www.valeriewood.co.uk
Since winning the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction for her first novel, The Hungry Tide, Val Wood has become one of the most popular authors in the UK. Born in the mining town of Castleford, Val came to East Yorkshire as a child and has lived in Hull and rural Holderness where many of her novels are set. She now lives in the market town of Beverley. When she is not writing, Val is busy promoting libraries and supporting many charities. Find out more about Val Wood's novels by visiting her website: www.valeriewood.co.uk
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 8, 2014
I was sent this book by the publishers Random House UK.
Val Woods has been one of my forever best authors, my reading life began with her and Catherine Cookson, along with Danielle Steel.
I found I had read this book back in 2011.
Sarah`s father was involved in a terrible accident loosing his leg. They were living hand to mouth as it was, now this lead them deeper into poverty.
Based around Hull and around coastlines, whaling ships and fishing boats were families bread and butter, literally.
John comes along and falls in love with Sarah, but he's way out of her class. Wealthy, owner of a whaling fleet. Just what is going to happen?
Val Woods has been one of my forever best authors, my reading life began with her and Catherine Cookson, along with Danielle Steel.
I found I had read this book back in 2011.
Sarah`s father was involved in a terrible accident loosing his leg. They were living hand to mouth as it was, now this lead them deeper into poverty.
Based around Hull and around coastlines, whaling ships and fishing boats were families bread and butter, literally.
John comes along and falls in love with Sarah, but he's way out of her class. Wealthy, owner of a whaling fleet. Just what is going to happen?
August 10, 2016
I grabbed this book because I wanted a cheesy romance. The book's not bad, per se, but the story described in the back cover really only starts on page 320, and the real romancey stuff only at page 400. So if you, like me, are hoping for a cheesy romance to pass the time, this isn't your book.
December 3, 2017
Brilliant book that I really enjoyed. Recommended.
May 15, 2019
Audible 16 hrs 39 mins, Narrator Anne Dover.
This is the second Val Wood book I’ve listened too. Once again outstanding story and narration.
I truly felt I was in Hull, at Gaston Hall, with the sea battering the cliffs. The descriptions of the daily lives, from working on the whaling boats in the freezing artic, the everyday lives - working in Hull and the hardships which where described felt so real. I lived the lives of the characters and cried at the end for a Will. I’m glad Sarah and John meet at the end and I can imagine their happy ever after, I would have loved an epilogue but I’m wondering if this author wants us to imagine ourselves what happens after.
I’m going to listen to more of her books as Anne Dover does such a good job of reeling you into the story - outstanding narration.
This is the second Val Wood book I’ve listened too. Once again outstanding story and narration.
I truly felt I was in Hull, at Gaston Hall, with the sea battering the cliffs. The descriptions of the daily lives, from working on the whaling boats in the freezing artic, the everyday lives - working in Hull and the hardships which where described felt so real. I lived the lives of the characters and cried at the end for a Will. I’m glad Sarah and John meet at the end and I can imagine their happy ever after, I would have loved an epilogue but I’m wondering if this author wants us to imagine ourselves what happens after.
I’m going to listen to more of her books as Anne Dover does such a good job of reeling you into the story - outstanding narration.
September 10, 2021
Well.... this was her first book, I believe, so some consideration should be given for that. And yes, it's all right, but not mind blowing and honestly, very predictable. And it falls into that category which my other half calls grannie porn. * How Kind*. Historical family saga/melodrama/cheesey romance. Perhaps I am a little disappointed given where I got the recommendation from I was expecting a lot more from this. I wanted to read it, as said, as it had been recommended and also as it's set in East Yorkshire. I've just been on holiday there so the setting was relevant (although the actual places a lot of it takes place at have since washed into the sea!) and I'm curious about that corner of the county, as one of my favourite writers set her books there (Winifred Holtby). Let's not get into a competition here, but Holtby is a far superior writer.
Anyhoo. Set in the second half of the 1700s, starting in the slums in Hull, this follows two generations of the Foster family. There's Maria and Will and their kiddies. He works on the whaling ships but is forced to give it up when an accident at work means he loses a leg. Back in the days before "where there's blame there's a claim" the family has to figure out another way to earn their crust. Lucky for Will Foster, he'd been saving the ship owner's nephew at the time, and so the family are offered jobs on the Masterton's new estate out in the countryside on the Holderness Coast. Will is some kind of farmer/land agent, and Maria works as a housekeeper. Ma Scravyn, one of the most interesting characters in the book, is the head of the housekeepers, and a herbal wise woman of the district. On arrival Maria gives birth to another daughter, Sarah, and shortly afterwards Masterton's wife Isobel has a daughter, so these two girls grow up together, although the older they get the more the social hierarchy of the times come between them. Which is a particular problem for Sarah, who is educated alongside Lucy, and ends up finding she doesn't really fit in with either class.
The cheesey romance element doesn't come in till the end of the book, so you've got to be here for the history and the saga. And honestly, it's a bit lukewarm, there's no real build up or passion. And for me there was something a touch creepy about it. I know there were big age gaps in marriage back in the day and that farm girls married young, but we're talking a young teenage girl and a man in his thirties, and the creepy bit... well, he was there at Sarah's birth so he's almost fawning over her from word go. He feels more like he should be older brother/father figure, and for her to suddenly "love" him.... I don't know.
The characters are all the stereotypes you'd expect, with the poor being a mix of cheeky rogues and thieves, and very earnest, honest hard working folk. The rich are benevelant (surprising to read of sympathy for the French Revolution from that class) and the women are emotionally immature, materialistic and cold... A lot of the dialogue is written in local dialect which I am always ambivilant about. I get that it shows a class difference between the rich, whose speech is written as plain English, and the uneducated working class who speak in dialect. But still, personally I am not a fan of it.
It's a domestic drama in a lot of ways with a lot of joy in having babies and keeping house. Which doesn't make for exciting reading. There's moments of thievery and scoundrals, but they're all neatly dispatched so that you never feel much of a sense of injustice or seeing much bad or unfair happen to anyone. Not that I want to read about people having a bad life and a miserable life. I suppose I'm saying this hasn't really been my cup of tea. But if you're wanting something nice and bland, a quick read with no nasty shocks hiding, it's fine.
Anyhoo. Set in the second half of the 1700s, starting in the slums in Hull, this follows two generations of the Foster family. There's Maria and Will and their kiddies. He works on the whaling ships but is forced to give it up when an accident at work means he loses a leg. Back in the days before "where there's blame there's a claim" the family has to figure out another way to earn their crust. Lucky for Will Foster, he'd been saving the ship owner's nephew at the time, and so the family are offered jobs on the Masterton's new estate out in the countryside on the Holderness Coast. Will is some kind of farmer/land agent, and Maria works as a housekeeper. Ma Scravyn, one of the most interesting characters in the book, is the head of the housekeepers, and a herbal wise woman of the district. On arrival Maria gives birth to another daughter, Sarah, and shortly afterwards Masterton's wife Isobel has a daughter, so these two girls grow up together, although the older they get the more the social hierarchy of the times come between them. Which is a particular problem for Sarah, who is educated alongside Lucy, and ends up finding she doesn't really fit in with either class.
The cheesey romance element doesn't come in till the end of the book, so you've got to be here for the history and the saga. And honestly, it's a bit lukewarm, there's no real build up or passion. And for me there was something a touch creepy about it. I know there were big age gaps in marriage back in the day and that farm girls married young, but we're talking a young teenage girl and a man in his thirties, and the creepy bit... well, he was there at Sarah's birth so he's almost fawning over her from word go. He feels more like he should be older brother/father figure, and for her to suddenly "love" him.... I don't know.
The characters are all the stereotypes you'd expect, with the poor being a mix of cheeky rogues and thieves, and very earnest, honest hard working folk. The rich are benevelant (surprising to read of sympathy for the French Revolution from that class) and the women are emotionally immature, materialistic and cold... A lot of the dialogue is written in local dialect which I am always ambivilant about. I get that it shows a class difference between the rich, whose speech is written as plain English, and the uneducated working class who speak in dialect. But still, personally I am not a fan of it.
It's a domestic drama in a lot of ways with a lot of joy in having babies and keeping house. Which doesn't make for exciting reading. There's moments of thievery and scoundrals, but they're all neatly dispatched so that you never feel much of a sense of injustice or seeing much bad or unfair happen to anyone. Not that I want to read about people having a bad life and a miserable life. I suppose I'm saying this hasn't really been my cup of tea. But if you're wanting something nice and bland, a quick read with no nasty shocks hiding, it's fine.
May 10, 2017
Really enjoyed this book, told the story really well of love between the different classes and how they overcame this, and the story leading up to the couple falling in love, great story telling from Val Wood will definately be reading more of hers.
April 25, 2012
great piece of historic writing - local to Hull so extra interesting
September 1, 2015
A bit disappointed with this one looks good on the back cover took ages to get into it.
May 10, 2023
Extremely well written - back when authors took the time to craft sentences, research history, and explore the subtleties of human psychology. The book would have been 5 stars, except for the ending, which is a little disappointing after reading 478 pages. The ending is melodramatic without being fulfilling. In fact, the heroine causes the death of her faultless fiancee and her disabled father (who is really the hero of the first half of the book), and then feels guilty, but, like whatever. The ending only makes sense once you close the book and look at the cover at the title, "The Hungry Tide", which isn't just a throwaway title, but in fact THE ENTIRE BOOK; and once you realize that the main character of the novel is none from the two generations of humans, but in fact the waters of Monkston, Hull, and the frozen north, then it all comes together. But it's just too bleak for me.
(Also, the heroine supposedly has these mystic powers, but they don't work all the time. It's very inconsistent.)
(Also, why doesn't John go back after he learns that Mr. Masterson wouldn't disown him if he married Sarah? That doesn't make sense!!!)
(Also, the heroine supposedly has these mystic powers, but they don't work all the time. It's very inconsistent.)
(Also, why doesn't John go back after he learns that Mr. Masterson wouldn't disown him if he married Sarah? That doesn't make sense!!!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2025
I enjoyed the journey of this book. Fans of Catherine Cookson will approve! It kept me wanting to read.
Three things to know before you embark on this read:
1 - the romance is a touch ick. There is a laaarge age gap that is made ick by two factors. One - he was there as a 16 year old at her birth. Two - he starts being physically attracted to her when she is 13 and he is 29. I wanted to believe but couldn’t get past the paedophile vibes.
2 - the romance doesn’t start until the last quarter of the book.
3 - it’s a huge book for a whiplash ending. I felt like I was owed more of a wrap up at the end. I loved the characters but was really disappointed in the selfishness of our girl Sarah on her wedding day were she kind of causes two good men’s deaths.
Three things to know before you embark on this read:
1 - the romance is a touch ick. There is a laaarge age gap that is made ick by two factors. One - he was there as a 16 year old at her birth. Two - he starts being physically attracted to her when she is 13 and he is 29. I wanted to believe but couldn’t get past the paedophile vibes.
2 - the romance doesn’t start until the last quarter of the book.
3 - it’s a huge book for a whiplash ending. I felt like I was owed more of a wrap up at the end. I loved the characters but was really disappointed in the selfishness of our girl Sarah on her wedding day were she kind of causes two good men’s deaths.
June 29, 2017
I enjoyed the story and the language used, though it was initially difficult to figure out the conversation. The story was set in the old English days and is more than just a love story, but a piece that reflected the struggle of the lower class. In fact I found the love story component was probably the weaker point. The love between Sarah and John just seemed to have happened without much build up. The love was described more like lust in my opinion. Nevertheless it was a good read.
February 26, 2019
not my usual choice of books, but really enjoyed it
January 12, 2020
Don't want to stop reading
Loved it right to the last word. An amazing first book . You can really imagine the time and place
Loved it right to the last word. An amazing first book . You can really imagine the time and place
April 11, 2020
The Hungry Tide
A really good read. Kept my interest all the way through. I could picture every character and places as if it was a movie.
A really good read. Kept my interest all the way through. I could picture every character and places as if it was a movie.
June 21, 2021
Loved this story. I enjoy all Val Woods books.
August 14, 2023
A Good Book
This book was a very good story but I found it quite difficult to get into. Still well worth reading.
This book was a very good story but I found it quite difficult to get into. Still well worth reading.
Want to read
December 24, 2023The best book
March 15, 2024
Oh my God, what a book highly recommend to anybody that loves a love story with unexpected, surprises and twist along the way
October 5, 2024
The story was stretched beyond reasoning and it was too melodramatic.
October 16, 2024
Interesting read quite enjoyed it. Quite a bit of drama.
August 23, 2025
Brilliant book
January 15, 2017
A very good read, with romance, daring deeds, heroes and villains and everything you would expect from a book that won the first Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize. As a lover of Catherine Cookson's rags to riches romances, this ticked all the boxes for me. The story of love across the class divide, against the backdrop of the fishing industry, Will and his wife Maria have to battle with all sorts of traumas and tragedies in their lives. Will is left badly injured when he is at sea in a whaling boat, but because of his heroic behaviour in saving the life of John Rayner, nephew of the owner of the whaling fleet, he and his family are given a chance to improve their lives.
His youngest daughter, Sarah, is the main focus of this story and her love for a man of a higher social class, which is doomed to failure from the outset. This is a cause of heartbreak for her and for her love. There is no knowing how it will end, it certainly draws the reader into this very exciting and gripping narrative. The reader will find themself rooting for the lovers, willing things to work out.
I can recommend this to romance readers, especially romance with a gripping tale to tell.
His youngest daughter, Sarah, is the main focus of this story and her love for a man of a higher social class, which is doomed to failure from the outset. This is a cause of heartbreak for her and for her love. There is no knowing how it will end, it certainly draws the reader into this very exciting and gripping narrative. The reader will find themself rooting for the lovers, willing things to work out.
I can recommend this to romance readers, especially romance with a gripping tale to tell.
May 21, 2014
Val Woods rightly deserved the Catherine Cookson award. I found this story to be packed with love, desire betrayal. Maria's husband Will has had a terrible accident and lost his leg. This is set around Hull and it is a famous place for fishing especially whaling. Maria knows that life is going to be even harder because of the accident, they were poor before but now what more can befall them. Maria makes the decision to go into service. She has a daughter Sara who when she grows up becomes a companion to her employer's child. This was a lovely story especially when after being in London she returns home. You must give this one a go fabulous story.
October 23, 2015
I found this book totally absorbing on many counts. It's a family saga in that it's about Will and Maria Foster and their family after a horrific accident that results in Will losing a leg and moving to Garston Hall in the Holderness area. It's a historical novel that covers the whaling industry of Hull and the constant erosion of the coast, causing entire communities to slip into the sea. Finally, it's a touching love story between Sarah Foster, youngest child of Will and Maria and John Rayner, heir to the business affairs of his uncle and the estate of Garston. This was Val Wood's debut novel and one of her finest.
February 3, 2014
I didn't feel as though the way Hull people speak came across very well in the book. We may emphasise a i e extra but the terminlogy/words/accent in the book didn't fit in my opinion.
The plot and the book read quite well and I'd say were well written.
Being totally honest though the accent/speech issue spoilt it somewhat for me.
I would still read other books by this Author though.
The plot and the book read quite well and I'd say were well written.
Being totally honest though the accent/speech issue spoilt it somewhat for me.
I would still read other books by this Author though.
August 19, 2016
Very well written and really enjoyed this story.
January 27, 2017
Excellent book, really enjoyed it and would recommend.
April 1, 2015
Loved it.... Didn't want to put it down.... Didn't want it to end! I'm hooked on Val Wood!!!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews