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