Turn of the Tide
It is always interesting reading a sequel when you haven’t read the first book. In this case, it doesn’t really matter, as there is a four-page synopsis of it at the beginning of this one.
The first book, The Storm, told the tale of the impact on three loosely linked women of the violent storm that wiped out the fishing fleet of the Berwickshire town of Eyemouth in 1881. Picking up where the previous book left off, this book follows these women over the next twenty years, as they rebuild their lives, two in Eyemouth and one in London, struggling at times to put the events of 1881 behind them, and find happiness.
The historical background cannot be faulted – the quality of McNeill’s research is clear – but she has not given herself the space to do her story justice. Far more could have been made of the London subplot, for example. So although a story of great potential, I felt that given the brevity of the novel and the timescale involved, it left me feeling dissatisfied and wishing there had been more.
