The Place of Tides is a gentle but fascinating book about the author’s spring season spent on a very remote island in Norway's Vega Archipelago, with Anna ‘a duck woman’. Anna has spent much of her life caring for flocks of eider ducks who come to the islands, just south of the Arctic Circle, each spring to nest, breed and leave behind their incredibly soft down which is a much sought after resource. The down is a bonus as the real point if Anna's hard work is the welfare of the ducks and carrying on the work in the traditional ways her family has done for generations.. Now 70, this is her last visit to the island and she agrees to let the author, James Rebanks, accompany her to help and write about that she does. Anna’s friend Ingrid also joins them.

The three spend weeks cleaning up the previous season’s damp and used nest made from seaweed before making hundreds of new one in anticipation of the ducks returning. This is all carefully monitored and logged and once the ducks come Anna is on hand with her rifle and keen eye to protect the ducks from prey such as mink, otters and sea eagles. After the ducklings fledge and the ducks leave for warmer climates, Anna and her helpers spend weeks meticulously collecting and cleaning the down before it can used.

The account is slow and meandering with much detail of their days which are long and repetitive but good for tired and weary souls, including the author himself who was taking time out from his own life to help his mental health. The author also tells the story of Anna’s background and family life although I didn’t feel I’d fully grasped that by the end and would have liked to know more and see photos of Anna, the island, her friends and family and of course the ducks. The names and some events have been changed to preserve anonymity so I don’t think that will ever be possible.

I’m still not sure why humans go to so much trouble to clean and re-build nests each year and don’t let the ducks do this but the tale was quite mesmerising and good for the soul. With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press for a free copy of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting account of the work of women in the north of Norway, working to collect eider down from the nesting ducks. The facts and the musings of the writer are interesting and new to me, but the book moves along very slowly and very little happens apart from the work with the ducks. This is clearly the point of the book but i did find it dull at times. Much of the work and the days are repetitive with little change day to day. The writer clearly finds this a huge change in his life and finds himself changed because of it. He plans to return to his life with an altered perspective on his family relationships and on the work that has to be done.
I am fortunate in having visited the Lofoten islands and can picture the environment, even though the islands in the book are more remote.
While interesting, i found it difficult to engage with the characters.

Without this book I would never have known about the duck women in Norway. Incredibly well written, a powerful story that left me feeling a little sad about what we are doing to this planet and its wonderful wildlife. Definitely worth reading.

This is an absolute treasure of a book, beautifully written and thought provoking. It tells the extraordinary tale of an exceptional woman determined to succeed in her quest. The descriptions of the landscape, wildlife and living conditions of the Vega Archipelago are remarkable, Most definitely a book to savour.

James Rebanks meets Anna, a Norwegian duck woman, as part of his conservation research work. Some ten years later James, struggling with his mental health, returns to the region of Helgeland to share Anna's last season as she provides a safe haven for an island's population of eider ducks. The book describes in glorious detail how, against all the odds, Anna revives ages old traditions. Enabling the ducks to nest and hatch their eggs, leading to the collection and cleaning of the feathers to make eider quilts. Anna's grit, determination and outlook inspire James and his process of healing begins.

This book would have likely passed me by without NetGalley. My upmost thanks to them and Penguin books for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

I am a big fan of Rebanks's but if I am honest In was not sure this would be for me when I read the plot description. I soon got proven wrong!
Rebanks tells the story of Anna, a duck woman, who has dedicated her life to the ducks. In this book we go on a physical journey to beautiful, isolated places and a metaphorical journey of discovery. This is a very powerful book and it got me thinking about all sorts from my own life to the climate and farming and the role I play in life. I found this to be a truly beautiful read. I enjoyed learning about Anna and Rebanks tells her story exceptionally well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for an advance copy.

After a brief insight into the world of a woman who tends eider ducks on a remote Norwegian island, James Rebanks can’t stop thinking about this ancient practise that is slowly fading into the past. He decides to reach out to Anna - an experienced ‘duck-woman - to see if he can join her for her final season on the island.

This book gave me an insight into a world I didn’t know existed. Anna’s way of life is the polar opposite to the life many of us live, and I was fascinated by how she has absorbed the knowledge of centuries of women before her. Reading how Anna provides safe nests for eider ducks to then be able to harvest the delicate feathers they leave behind was actually quite moving. Her love for these birds, and the islands, shines throughout this book.

It’s a gently told tale, with barely a wasted word, and it really conjures up a sense of place. An absorbing and transporting book, The Place of Tides is beautifully and gently written and I would definitely recommend it. The perfect read comfort read for a dark autumn night.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First read from this author and requested as arc just to broaden my reading genre. I found this a mesmerising book full of very detailed scene setting of Norway. The story was a pleasant easy read and I would read happily read more of this authors work in the future.

James Rebanks has written a beautiful book a compelling story of a woman named Anna an Island her life and all she shared with him.I’ve read all his books and found each one to be unique with a story that stayed with me .#netgalley #theplaceoftides,

I love Rebanks’ books so I metaphorically bit the hand off when offered this one. It did not disappoint. Beautifully written and full of natural wisdom, this is not to be missed.

James Rebanks writes about a season - spring to late summer, he spent on a group of islands in the north of Norway, mostly alone with two 'duck women', women who patiently harvest the down left by eider ducks in their nests. A traditional occupation, but one that has recently declined, along with the number of eiders nesting on the islands. One of the women is Anna, now 70, but a quiet hero who has spent much of her life both encouraging the eider to return and holding the government to its promises to support this traditional work.

Rebanks is a lyrical writer who delights in describing nature. Not a lot happens - they sail to the island, wait for good weather, mend nesting boxes and dry seaweed, then wait for the ducks to arrive and lay and hatch their eggs. After the ducks have left then the eider down can be collected and cleaned. All this work resulted in around 60 nests and collections - enough to make one duvet, which explains the price I saw when I curiously looked up the cost of one eider down duvet- £15,000.

Rebanks is changed by his experience, and the book is a tribute to nature, to Anna, to vanishing crafts and to living a life in tune with nature. I enjoyed it a lot and thank Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

This was interesting read but I was not as gripped by it as much as other readers. I did struggleto continue reading it. The writing was excellent with great descriptions, but just was not my cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc.
This is not a book I would typically choose, but I was intrigued by the description.
I really enjoyed it and found it very beautiful and inspiring.
A great read that I would recommend.

'The place of tides' is a beautifully written story that shouldn't be rushed when reading. James Rebanks has used his skills to masterfully present us with importance of keeping up with the tradition and trusting in process. It also shows us that sometimes the best thing to do is to stop and appreciate what we have.
"(...) the first rule of living is to live. To see, hear, smell, touch, and taste the world."
Remarkable read