Virgin Earth: A gripping historical romance from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (Epub)

Description

Sequel to the outstanding historical novel Earthly Joys, and written by the bestselling Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The Virgin’s Lover.

John Tradescant the Younger has inherited his father’s unique collection of plants along with his unerring ability to nurture them. But as gardener to Charles I, he confronts an unbearable dilemma when England descends into Civil War. Fleeing from the chaos, John travels to the Royalist colony of Virginia in America. But the virgin land is not uninhabited. John’s plant hunting brings him to live with the native people, and he learns to love and respect their way of life just as it is threatened by the colonial settlers.

In the new world and the old, the established order is breaking down and every family has to find its own way of surviving. For the Tradescants, through the upheavals of the Commonwealth and the Restoration, this means consolidating their reputations as the greatest gardeners in the country.

User’s Reviews

From Publishers Weekly In the stand-alone sequel to her Earthly Joys, Gregory follows royal gardener John Tradescant the Younger back and forth across the Atlantic between colonial Virginia and war-torn England. When John first travels to Virginia to collect exotic plants in 1638, his guide is a beautiful young Indian girl named Suckahanna. After transporting his specimens to England, he plans to return and marry her, but once at home, he learns that his father has died, leaving a letter suggesting that John marry the efficient Hester Pooks. Needing someone to care for his two children by a previous marriage, as well as for the Tradescant collection of rare objects and the Ark, the family’s famous garden, John weds Hester. Meanwhile, the foolish, tyrannical King Charles I is dragging England into a civil war, and John, as a trusted servant, is pulled unwillingly into his service. To avoid having to fight for a cause he does not believe in, John returns to Virginia and Suckahanna, leaving Hester and his children back in England. In Virginia he tries to start a plantation, but having no idea how to live off the land, nears death before he is rescued by the Powhatan, Suckahanna’s people. Once again John must choose sides in a war, this time between the Powhatan and the English. John is torn between them, just as he is torn between the two women in each of those separate realms. This hefty epic illuminates the conflicts of the 17th century with clear prose and a believable cast of characters, and will draw in casual readers and lovers of history alike. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From Library Journal Set in 17th-century England and Virginia, this saga begins as John Tradescant the Younger, Charles I’s gardener, sails to the New World in search of rarities for his gardens. Not only does he find exotic plants, but he also glimpses unimagined freedom. His father’s death leads John to a marriage of convenience in England. Unwilling to fight for Charles I, he returns to Virginia, where he joins the Powhatan and finds a wife. But eventually John loses his place in the tribe because of his inability to kill settlers. Determined to maintain a commitment to his English family, he goes home to a country buffeted by civil war. John strives to keep his family safe, but his gift for survival ultimately rings hollow. In fact, this novel is tepid compared with its predecessor, Earthly Joys. Readers who enjoyed that volume will want its sequel, but others may find it hard to care about a character whose loyalties shift so readily and so often.-Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., MN Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From Booklist In an attempt to flee his troubles in civil war^-torn England, John Tradescant the Younger, royal gardener to the king, sails to the fledgling colony of Virginia. He enlists the help of Suckahanna, a blossoming Powhatan maiden, to guide him in the forest, where he collects native plants to take back to his famed gardens. Despite his determination to remain unaffected by her, he finds himself promising to return. Back in England, however, he ends up proposing to Hester Pooks, a pragmatic woman with a sizable dowry. Suckahanna quickly becomes little more than a memory, until political upheaval once again forces John to escape and journey back to the New World. This time, he nearly dies in the wilderness. He is rescued by Suckahanna’s tribe, yet still his tribulations continue as he struggles to determine where his loyalties lie. Gregory’s fascinating account of one man’s life in two different worlds displays a comprehensive and impressive knowledge of botany, early American colonization, and seventeenth-century royalist England. Deborah Rysso –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review A tale of forbidden love set against the turmoil of a country in chaos. — “New York Times Book Review”Readers will marvel at this historical fiction masterpiece and once more thrill to Ms. Gregory’s skill as a storyteller.– “RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!)” –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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:

⭐ Superb novel about John Tradescant, the royal gardener who traveled to Virginia during the early days of the Jamestown colony and brought many of the native plants of the “New World” back home. At least one Virginia plant is named for him: “Tradescantia Virginiana.” There are wonderful descriptions of the early days of the Jamestown colony, the Powhatan who were quickly wiped out by the European settlers, and the brutal English Civil War. The divided loyalties of the main character both in Virginia and back home are a persistent theme throughout the novel. There is much drama on both sides of the Atlantic during this period and the author makes them all come alive. As a gardener myself, I found the descriptions of propagation, royal gardening, and the challenges of transporting Virginia species over the Atlantic on multi-week journeys in the 17th century fascinating. I gave this book to my landscaper in Virginia, who also loved it! There also many descriptions of the Tradescants’ collection of “rarities” which were shown to the public (for a fee), eventually becoming the basis of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amulets/tradescant/tradescant00.html

⭐ Not her usual. I would skip this book, which is frustrating and unsatisfying, and read The Wise Woman orThe White Queen – both excellent. I love most of her work except for the Red Queen and this. Wonderful writer but so many great ones just not these.

⭐ I really enjoyed this book, it’s full of historical events and the passion of one mans flight from home and his finding his true self..he journeyed to Virginia’s and back to England..and his love of three woman..his hardships in surviving the wildness and finally coming to terms with his political views in England…he had the guts and determination to find his way to survive all.

⭐ I love all of Philippa Gregory’s books, but though this one did not seem like it would measure up to her later ones about English royals, it was a wonderful surprise. Beautifully written and detailed, it explores the joys of nature and the great power of love. It is one of my top favorite of Philippa’s books and without giving the story away, suffice to say it is unusual and may not be for everyone, but it is extremely touching and it haunts me still….

⭐ I enjoyed both books in the series…. until the last few pages. I’ve never been so annoyed with an author! Incredibly, horrifically, terribly ridiculous stupid conclusion. I regret buying and reading these two books. I was such a fan of hers, and suppose I still am but I don’t think I’ll buy another of her books. I’d be too afraid of another ending like this one.

⭐ I had read this book years ago and looked up all sorts of information about the main character——the book is based on a real person. When I looked it up on Amazon and found it available at a reasonable price, I ordered it as a gift for my sister, who is a really serious gardener. My husband and I re-read it before we gave it to her and liked it just as much as the first time we read it. Fascinating history of gardening and realistic portrayal of people, even though it is fiction. If you are a gardener, and like the history of gardening, this is a “must read”.

⭐ The characters much to my surprise are real. I did not find this out until after I read the book. So it stands as interesting on many levels. It also helps to make the period of Charles I to Cromwell and then to Charles II inteligible and interesting in a period of history that is hard to follow. Happy reading.

⭐ Author doesn’t give a great story. Her books are a dull read. Would be a better read with some variety in her writing.

⭐ This novel was the perfect sequel to conclude the Transdescant story. I found it completely captivating.

⭐ While the story is about, I hate to admit, a period of English history I knew little of, I loved the characters and would recommend it gladly to any historical fiction buff. However, it could have easily been edited down by a half of its current length without any compromise to plot, character development, historical background or atmosphere. It is extremely repetitive and I found myself just skimming through long sections in order to reach something the author had not already covered.

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