Earthly Joys: A Novel (Tradescant Novels Book 1) by Philippa Gregory (Epub)

Description

John Tradescant’s fame and skill as a gardener are unsurpassed in seventeenth-century England, but it is his clear-sighted honesty and loyalty that make him an invaluable servant. As an informal confidant of Sir Robert Cecil, adviser to King James I, he witnesses the making of history, from the Gunpowder Plot to the accession of King Charles I and the growing animosity between Parliament and court.

Tradescant’s talents soon come to the attention of the most powerful man in the country, the irresistible Duke of Buckingham, the lover of King Charles I. Tradescant has always been faithful to his masters, but Buckingham is unlike any he has ever known: flamboyant, outrageously charming, and utterly reckless. Every certainty upon which Tradescant has based his life—his love of his wife and children, his passion for his work, his loyalty to his country—is shattered as he follows Buckingham to court, to war, and to the forbidden territories of human love.

User’s Reviews

Review “When it comes to writers of historical fiction, Philippa Gregory is in the very top league.” — Val Hennessy, Daily Mail

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Tradescant Sr. was a well known English gardener to kings who became famous for importing and introducing foreign plants into England. This well-told story of his life includes a good background on the gradual development of the English Civil War.

⭐ What a unique way to present the times and courts of James the First of England and Charles I. Comparisons are made between the courts and the country that was left by Good Queen Bess and the waste and profligacy of the Stuarts. And so much knowledge about importance of flora and it’s introduction to England. Not the least of its appeals is the understand of human nature and diverse personalities and the way in which culture and especially religion impacts and develops such persons. Great read.

⭐ John Tradescant, gardener to the aristocracy, is a different type of protagonist from those Philipa Gregory usually places at the centre of her work. In her historical sagas such as ‘The White Queen’ and ‘The Red Queen’ and her Tudor works, women and gender relations are centre stage. In Earthly Joys’ women’s position is not neglected, but we are drawn into the life of a man whose loyalty to his master and a hierarchial way of looking at the world are examined.The novel did not resonate with me as immediately as Gregory’s female centred works. However, Tradescant’s period with William Cecil introduces the reader to the political wisdom of Cecil and Tradescant’s own views as well as the development of Cecil’s garden and, even his need to concur with his master, the king, when forced to relinquish his estate. With Cecil’s death Tradescant acquires a very different type of master, and Gregory explores this period with with great sensitivity. Tradescant’s last master, the king, comes into his life when he is beginning to question his adherance to hierarchy, echoing some of the views of his son, J.Elizabeth and Jane Tradescant, wives to John and J, present alternative views to John, and the usual feminist strand of Gregory’s works is drawn through Frances, his grand daughter.The Kindle version of the novel suffers from poor editing. I is often used instead of J for John’s son and this is disconcerting. However, despite this flaw, I was keen to read to the end and to reconsider my initial reluctance to become embroiled in a man’s life instead of those of the female protagonists so familiar in Gregory’s novels.

⭐ Describes the Stuart monarchs through the eyes of a landscaper. Not comfortable with the descriptions of the homosexual activities, but did learn some things about George Villiers, King James, King Charles I, and other notables of that time

⭐ Over written. Starts out fairly interestingly but loaded with page after page of garden design and limited character development. Did not finish.

⭐ I usually love Phillippa Gregory but this was soooooo boring I suspect someone else actually wrote it.

⭐ Who would have thought a book about a gardener to William Cecil and King James would be so enlightening? Philippa never ceases to amaze me.

⭐ We are gardeners so it was fascinating to us. Gregory’s descriptions seem effortless yet convincing.

⭐ Read in conjunction with Virgin Earth. A story of life during these times Cromwell/Charles, through the eyes of Royal gardeners, their trials and tribulations and struggle to remain loyal to the Court at the same time remaining true to their own values. Most enjoyable read. Their deep love and understanding of plants is the backbone of these two books.

⭐ I love Phillippa Gregory, but I did not like this book. She introduced an entirely unhistorical sexual preference for the major charcter that was conjecture only. Without the unnecessary fiction, it was an interesting book

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