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msjoanna's review against another edition
4.0
Philippa Gregory knows how to make all these old British folks seem to be having a rocking good time. I have no idea whether there's any real historical accuracy here, but this book is fun. There's illicit affairs, tulip fever, and clashes between old feudalism and more modern thoughts bubbling out of the "new world." I gobbled this up and will likely read the sequel to follow this family into the next generation.
judenoseinabook's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Fascinating story of a real person, John Tradescant, a gardener to the nobility and eventually Royalty.
He lived in very turbulent times, Elizabeth 1, James 1& 6, then most of all Charles 1. His loyalty devided between family, his gardens and his employer and eventually his king. Look forward to reading the follow up story of his son.
He lived in very turbulent times, Elizabeth 1, James 1& 6, then most of all Charles 1. His loyalty devided between family, his gardens and his employer and eventually his king. Look forward to reading the follow up story of his son.
lukadu's review
3.0
I just finished this book by Philippa Gregory. In my opinion it was not her best work. My favorite of hers would be "The Other Boleyn Girl". However, the theme was very interesting. The book is based on the story of a head gardener for the king Charles I of England and previously to several other important historical figures such as the Duke of Buckingham and Sir Robert Cecil. He was a most respected gardener who was also a botanist and traveller and who introduced many species of plants, trees and flowers from all over the world to the famous English Gardens that we know and love. What impressed me was the fact that Mrs. Gregory based her novel on a figure of such humble importance and made the book so believable and interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the genre of historical fiction, gardening, English royal history or has read other Philippa Gregory books.
aawethevenstar's review
4.0
This book is brilliant! I remember reading it at my Gran's and she ended up reading it too!
tellmeastoryxx's review against another edition
4.0
How delightful to be back reading Philippa's smooth and tranquil prose. I have a strong fondness for this authors writing and I take a lot of joy in reading her superb books so she mostly gets a high rating from me.
This book is no exception, we follow the story of John Tradescant and his journey through life and through servitude to his masters. Unbeknownst to me Tradescant was a real person from the 1570's to 1637 and served various royal courtiers/advisers as their gardener. I held off the Wikipedia search until I finished the book so I joyfully went through this novel not knowing that what I was reading was actually close to fact. I have read all the Tudor novels that Philippa has written but my history knowledge is a bit hazy after Elizabeth 1 so I was excited to read this, as to me, this is the best form of learning, and with Philippa's descriptive writing you really get sucked in and understand the sense of what it was like to be in those times.
I will now say that I am no gardener, I have no knowledge of plants or trees. I did initially think that with the main character being a gardener this would bore me, that not even philippa's beautiful writing could enrapture me. How very wrong I was. The description of each plant, scene and garden was so spellbinding I got totally lost within the story. Philippa makes you truly love the nature around you and opened my eyes to the beauty nature beholds.
Now I did enjoy this novel but there were some downers for me. The main character was an absolute fool. The decisions this character made were so frustrating. I hate it when I cannot connect with a main character, and this was difficult in the sense the writing was so wonderful but the character was so exasperating. I was conflicted throughout. I found the pace of this novel to be a lot slower than others, it just took a while for anything to get going. For instance I was looking forward to see how Philippa would integrate the Gunpowder Plot. I was sorely disappointed. This big moment in history was reduced to about a page, and I honestly think she may of missed a trick with that.
Throughout my conflicting journey reading this, I was reduced to tears by the end. Was this because finally I had grown affection to John Tradescant himself or because of how beautifully written this novel was? I will continue on with Virgin Earth and I am looking forward to the beauty of the descriptions, but honestly, I am missing the Tudor Court novels, 4 stars from me this time. :) x
This book is no exception, we follow the story of John Tradescant and his journey through life and through servitude to his masters. Unbeknownst to me Tradescant was a real person from the 1570's to 1637 and served various royal courtiers/advisers as their gardener. I held off the Wikipedia search until I finished the book so I joyfully went through this novel not knowing that what I was reading was actually close to fact. I have read all the Tudor novels that Philippa has written but my history knowledge is a bit hazy after Elizabeth 1 so I was excited to read this, as to me, this is the best form of learning, and with Philippa's descriptive writing you really get sucked in and understand the sense of what it was like to be in those times.
I will now say that I am no gardener, I have no knowledge of plants or trees. I did initially think that with the main character being a gardener this would bore me, that not even philippa's beautiful writing could enrapture me. How very wrong I was. The description of each plant, scene and garden was so spellbinding I got totally lost within the story. Philippa makes you truly love the nature around you and opened my eyes to the beauty nature beholds.
Now I did enjoy this novel but there were some downers for me. The main character was an absolute fool. The decisions this character made were so frustrating. I hate it when I cannot connect with a main character, and this was difficult in the sense the writing was so wonderful but the character was so exasperating. I was conflicted throughout. I found the pace of this novel to be a lot slower than others, it just took a while for anything to get going. For instance I was looking forward to see how Philippa would integrate the Gunpowder Plot. I was sorely disappointed. This big moment in history was reduced to about a page, and I honestly think she may of missed a trick with that.
Throughout my conflicting journey reading this, I was reduced to tears by the end. Was this because finally I had grown affection to John Tradescant himself or because of how beautifully written this novel was? I will continue on with Virgin Earth and I am looking forward to the beauty of the descriptions, but honestly, I am missing the Tudor Court novels, 4 stars from me this time. :) x
jordantaylor's review
4.0
Although I normally read books quite quickly, I stretched out my reading of this one over a few days. The vividly portrayed Renaissance England setting, the complex, familiar characters, and the interesting, steady flow of the plot line made me want to stay in this story longer than I usually do with others.
“Earthly Joys” is about John Tradescant, a gardener in the time of King James I. While other men entwine themselves in politics and charge eagerly off to war, John is content to nurture seedlings, discover new plants, and watch his beloved trees grow along with his life. John ends up becoming the loyal personal servant of George Villiers, the young and handsome Duke of Buckingham, and the king's favorite. As the years slip by, John sacrifices his family and his life for his master, viewing him at different times as a son, a brother, a friend, and a lover.
I just loved this story! There was so much complexity, so many undercurrents, so many sub-plots. Though I have certainly heard more than a few complaints about the historical accuracy of Philippa Gregory's works, this one in particular, I found this to be a very well written book.
First of all, the way that Gregory writes is just lovely. She captures everything so perfectly. Some authors write their books with a poetic beauty, some with a touch of appreciated humor, some with drama, some with characters you can't help loving, but Gregory seems to mix a bit of all these together into a writing style that just compels you to keep reading. I had to struggle to put the book down, or not read so quickly as I normally do, because despite wanting to savor this book, I also felt compelled to tear through it in one sitting.
I read a review on the back cover of another of her books that said no one has mastered Renaissance England like Philippa Gregory. I don't know if I would go so far as to put her at the absolute top, but she has definitely mastered this setting. I just absolutely LOVE books that fully transport you to another time and place, and this book certainly succeeds with that.
The only parts that I felt a lack of a setting were when John travels the world – to India, Asia, Russia, and France. Surprisingly, there is a very large lack of placement here. After being so sharply introduced to the sights and smells of England, it was a bit startling to suddenly be whisked off to another country – even if a similar one, such as France – and have no descriptions of a setting at all.
In these scenes, the author focuses on John himself, his botany, and other things that are going on in the plot. But the scenery is left a mystery, something that I felt extremely odd, considering how good Gregory is at that.
All of the characters in “Earthly Joys” and wonderful. John is a simple man, and yet, we see into his thoughts and actions so deeply that he becomes a complex, and essentially a very realistically ordinary, yet interesting man. The relationship between him and his wife was an extremely well written one, and though there was no great love story, Gregory combined fondness, duty, love, resentment, and guilt into a very believable marriage. George Villiers was another of my favorite characters. Or at least, another of the most well written characters – I hated him! Excessively arrogant, reckless, selfish, and – the reader is led to believe – a traitor and a murder.
Something about this book that I was not expecting was how sexual it was. Gregory makes no attempt to hide all of the homosexual alliances, affairs, and romances going on at the time – in fact, she makes good use of them and even has John take a male lover as well.
All of the characters, settings, politics, and events in this book were very well written. I am looking forward to reading Gregory's new book, due out in August.
“Earthly Joys” is about John Tradescant, a gardener in the time of King James I. While other men entwine themselves in politics and charge eagerly off to war, John is content to nurture seedlings, discover new plants, and watch his beloved trees grow along with his life. John ends up becoming the loyal personal servant of George Villiers, the young and handsome Duke of Buckingham, and the king's favorite. As the years slip by, John sacrifices his family and his life for his master, viewing him at different times as a son, a brother, a friend, and a lover.
I just loved this story! There was so much complexity, so many undercurrents, so many sub-plots. Though I have certainly heard more than a few complaints about the historical accuracy of Philippa Gregory's works, this one in particular, I found this to be a very well written book.
First of all, the way that Gregory writes is just lovely. She captures everything so perfectly. Some authors write their books with a poetic beauty, some with a touch of appreciated humor, some with drama, some with characters you can't help loving, but Gregory seems to mix a bit of all these together into a writing style that just compels you to keep reading. I had to struggle to put the book down, or not read so quickly as I normally do, because despite wanting to savor this book, I also felt compelled to tear through it in one sitting.
I read a review on the back cover of another of her books that said no one has mastered Renaissance England like Philippa Gregory. I don't know if I would go so far as to put her at the absolute top, but she has definitely mastered this setting. I just absolutely LOVE books that fully transport you to another time and place, and this book certainly succeeds with that.
The only parts that I felt a lack of a setting were when John travels the world – to India, Asia, Russia, and France. Surprisingly, there is a very large lack of placement here. After being so sharply introduced to the sights and smells of England, it was a bit startling to suddenly be whisked off to another country – even if a similar one, such as France – and have no descriptions of a setting at all.
In these scenes, the author focuses on John himself, his botany, and other things that are going on in the plot. But the scenery is left a mystery, something that I felt extremely odd, considering how good Gregory is at that.
All of the characters in “Earthly Joys” and wonderful. John is a simple man, and yet, we see into his thoughts and actions so deeply that he becomes a complex, and essentially a very realistically ordinary, yet interesting man. The relationship between him and his wife was an extremely well written one, and though there was no great love story, Gregory combined fondness, duty, love, resentment, and guilt into a very believable marriage. George Villiers was another of my favorite characters. Or at least, another of the most well written characters – I hated him! Excessively arrogant, reckless, selfish, and – the reader is led to believe – a traitor and a murder.
Something about this book that I was not expecting was how sexual it was. Gregory makes no attempt to hide all of the homosexual alliances, affairs, and romances going on at the time – in fact, she makes good use of them and even has John take a male lover as well.
All of the characters, settings, politics, and events in this book were very well written. I am looking forward to reading Gregory's new book, due out in August.
debbiesummers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aditurbo's review
1.0
DNF. Not a good book, I'm afraid. Very slow, and the main character behaves in very strange and inexplicable ways. The only good thing here is the garden descriptions, but that's not enough to hold my interest or a whole novel.
oh2mdreader's review
3.0
Great for garden/flower lovers, as well as historical fiction lovers. Minus the homosexual theme, which is historically inaccurate, a great book.
tharina's review
3.0
Most of Phillipa Gregory's books are written from the perspective of female characters; it's a refreshing change of pace to read one written with a male main character. John Tradescant is a likeable guy, shown to be fairly honest and virtuous, but with his own flaws. A fascinating read, overall.