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stefhyena's review against another edition
3.0
.Well written, complex historical fiction; this book did a lot to call into question things like heteronormativity and the gender order and showed some problems associated with the gender order and with class. That was all to the good.
What I didn't enjoy was spending quite so much time with the unlikeable John Tradescant who could be servile with his "masters" and quite dismissive and emotionally stingy with his wife. Wives seemed in the book to be less human beings than resources to be exploited...John got Elizabeth's dowry, her labour and her womb and what did she get in return? Mind you her mother treated her badly so being shut up in his house like one of his curiosities was meant to be OK compared to that (arguable).
To discuss all the pros and cons adequately I would need to give examples, that would be "spoilers, if you like historical fiction you should probably read this yourself and see what you think. It was longish but had enough movement (just) to get away with it. I got annoyed toward the end when John who was now all domesticated was portrayed as the ideal family man and a hero, one of the characters going so far as to glowingly paint him "the greatest man of our age". Oh please!
I liked aspects of John's "big love" but the narcissism of the person was as infuriating as John's neglect of everything and everyone apart from them (in a sort of misplaced narcissism of his own). I felt deeply sorry for all the characters in the book, even a little for the bimbo queen who was just a less successful (because female and not pretty) version of Buckingham.
I did like that men were referred to consistently as "beautiful". I suspect that ws faithful to the time but also a refreshing way to remember how discourse changes.
This one is worth a look if you like historical fiction- it's not all gowns and coquettry there is some real content here.
What I didn't enjoy was spending quite so much time with the unlikeable John Tradescant who could be servile with his "masters" and quite dismissive and emotionally stingy with his wife. Wives seemed in the book to be less human beings than resources to be exploited...John got Elizabeth's dowry, her labour and her womb and what did she get in return? Mind you her mother treated her badly so being shut up in his house like one of his curiosities was meant to be OK compared to that (arguable).
To discuss all the pros and cons adequately I would need to give examples, that would be "spoilers, if you like historical fiction you should probably read this yourself and see what you think. It was longish but had enough movement (just) to get away with it. I got annoyed toward the end when John who was now all domesticated was portrayed as the ideal family man and a hero, one of the characters going so far as to glowingly paint him "the greatest man of our age". Oh please!
I liked aspects of John's "big love" but the narcissism of the person was as infuriating as John's neglect of everything and everyone apart from them (in a sort of misplaced narcissism of his own). I felt deeply sorry for all the characters in the book, even a little for the bimbo queen who was just a less successful (because female and not pretty) version of Buckingham.
I did like that men were referred to consistently as "beautiful". I suspect that ws faithful to the time but also a refreshing way to remember how discourse changes.
This one is worth a look if you like historical fiction- it's not all gowns and coquettry there is some real content here.
ryner's review
4.0
John Tradescant (the elder) was one of the most skilled and famous gardeners in English history. He originally makes his mark creating gardens for Sir Robert Cecil before moving to Essex to work for the infamous George Villiers, favorite of kings James I and Charles I. Eventually, John’s talents are requested once again – this time by King Charles himself. Philippa Gregory brings John’s love for gardening and botany, as well as his yearning to discover and procure new species of flowers and trees, to life in such a way that the reader can easily share in John’s pride and fulfillment in his humble occupation.
My one complaint about the story is that John seems to step wholly out of character when it comes to Villiers, becoming decidedly wishy-washy and taking leave of his senses in a way that seems otherwise incompatible with his personality, even taking into consideration their lord/servant relationship. Despite this, I’m eager to read the sequel, which focuses on John Tradescant (the younger).
My one complaint about the story is that John seems to step wholly out of character when it comes to Villiers, becoming decidedly wishy-washy and taking leave of his senses in a way that seems otherwise incompatible with his personality, even taking into consideration their lord/servant relationship. Despite this, I’m eager to read the sequel, which focuses on John Tradescant (the younger).
iwishbeautifulthings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookishreadsandme's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
knit_purrrl's review against another edition
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
cleocleveland's review against another edition
4.0
Once I got into this book I couldn't put it down. One thing Gregory does really well is to portray characters who, while not noble, still get caught up in Court intrigue. Earthly Joys is a good example of that.
miss_tricia's review against another edition
1.0
I finished reading it, but that's about the nicest thing I can say. It felt like the story wasn't going anywhere for the first 2/3 of the book. A lack of plot might be forgivable if the writing was gorgeous (it isn't) or if the book had some message about the something of greater significance than one guy's life (it doesn't). Add to that the distasteful bits: John's first sexual encounter with his wife gets 1 sentence (which is about right), and his first sexual encounter with Buckingham gets 3 pages (clearly more than necessary). All in all a disappointment. I won't be revisiting Gregory.
brandie185's review against another edition
4.0
As with her other books, I just love this book!!! I hope she comes out with another one soon!
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