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    Earthly Joys
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    Earthly Joys
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    Earthly Joys
    Audiobook17 hours

    Earthly Joys

    Written by Philippa Gregory

    Narrated by David Rintoul

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    ONE OF THE TIMES’ 25 BEST AUDIOBOOKS

    A sweeping historical novel from Philippa Gregory, the internationally best-selling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

    A brand-new recording available as an unabridged digital audio edition for the first time.

    A traveller in a time of discovery, the greatest gardening pioneer of his day, yet a man of humble birth: John Tradescant's story is a mirror to the extraordinary age in which he lives.

    As gardener and confidant to Sir Robert Cecil, Tradescant is well placed to observe the social and political changes that are about to sweep through the kingdom. While his master conjures intrigues at Court, Tradescant designs for him the magnificent garden at Hatfield, scouring the known world for ever more wonderful plants: new varieties of fruit and flower, the first horse chestnuts to be cultivated in England, even larches from Russia.

    Moving to the household of the flamboyant Duke of Buckingham, Tradescant witnesses at first hand the growing division between Parliament and the people, and the most loyal of servants must find a way to become an independent squire.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 7, 2019
    ISBN9780008299033
    Author

    Philippa Gregory

    Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of historical novels. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. Works that have been adapted for television include A Respectable Trade, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool. The Other Boleyn Girl is now a major film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Philippa Gregory lives in the North of England with her family.

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    Reviews for Earthly Joys

    3.5/5

    310 ratings16 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Exquisite. From start to finish, simply exquisite. I know nothing about flowers or gardens but my imagination took over with such beautiful descriptions. I enjoyed this one
    • 5/5
      Wonderfull Beautifully read
      So detailed I shall listen to this audio again
    • 5/5
      History and plants. Nothing better. Absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to read the next one.
    • 5/5
      While mysteries and suspense are my favourite genres, I do enjoy historical fiction as well. I've often had patrons at the library recommend Philippa Gregory to me. Earthly Joys is the first book I've read by Gregory.Earthly Joys opens in 1603 with the death of Queen Elizabeth and the succession of her cousin King James VI of Scotland - the beginning the Stuart reign of England. Earthly Joys is written through the eyes of and life of gardener John Tradescant. It was only on further investigation that I learned that Tradescant is an actual historical figure. He was gardener to the aristocracy , a traveler, a collector and much, much more.Gregory's research is detailed and her fictionalization of Tradescant's life is fascinating. He is a strong personality, but loyalty, honour and duty drive the decisions in his life. I quite liked him to begin with, but found my opinion often changed as his life progressed. And that was true of many of the characters, including his wife Elizabeth and son John. They are not as mercurial as John the Elder, but I applauded their views, beliefs and hopes for a different society. There are some particularly vile characters - notably the Duke of Buckingham.Tradescant's love of plants and trees and his skills are so vividly depicted that I felt I could 'see' his garden. Rich detail is woven throughout Gregory's narrative clearly illustrating both time and place.Now, this isn't a time period I would normally gravitate to, but I chose to listen to Earthly Joys, which made a huge difference. I felt drawn into the story, could make sense of what political machinations were afoot and the characters sprang to life for me.The reader was David Rintoul and he was absolutely wonderful. He has a powerful voice and uses it well. He captured the character of John the Elder perfectly, using his voice to interpret Gregory's work and bring it life. His tones are rich and sonorous with a lovely gravelly undertone. He uses a softer tone for the female players that works just as well. His voice is pleasant to listen to and easy to understand. He matches his voice to the tenor of the tale. Listen to an excerpt of Earthly Joys.Earthly Joys covers the whole of John the Elder's life. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Tradescant story continues in a sequel titled Virgin Earth with John the Younger taking the lead role.
    • 4/5
      Another wonderful book written by Philippa Gregory, This is a story of the historical account of England in the 17th Century as told through the words and work of the Royal Gardener, who is very much involved in the lives of the King and his advisers. Interesting and fun reading for those who enjoy British history be it historical fiction or factual. Philippa Gregory never disappoints me. I learned much as I follow John Tradescant in his quest for rare and exotic flora to bring to the King's grand gardens.
    • 4/5
      I love Philippa Gregory. She's gifted writer and has the wonderful ability to make her characters come alive. I think there's a sequel to this story so I'm going to look it up!
    • 3/5
      It was interesting to read about the intricacies regarding gardening for royalty, but the plot lines outside of that were rather operatic.
    • 3/5
      Another very well researched historical novel that teaches as you read and are entertained. The main character is a royal gardener in England during the reign of King James. I had no idea the gardens were so elaborately planned - at each castle! I was continually amazed, and grew to love the characters.Will read again.
    • 4/5
      This book mixes great storytelling with a brief education on 17th Century England, definitely a great time to read about. The writing was a little bit florid and I think sounded a bit contrived, but I loved reading about gardening, something which I never would have imagined, as much as I loved reading about corrupt government: some things never change!Another thing which I was a bit weird about was the blind loyalty the gardener had to the monarchy. I know that many people did (maybe even still do) have such servile patriotism to their government, but it's something I could never imagine, and frustrated me to no end!Oh, and the title, as well as several scenes throughout the book, read like book porn.
    • 5/5
      Historical account of England in the 17th Century as told through the eyes of the Royal Gardener, who is very much involved in the lives of the King and his advisers. Interesting and fun reading for history buffs, as well as gardeners as they follow John Tradescant in his quest for rare and exotic flora to bring to the King's gardens. Very good reading.
    • 4/5
      This was my first Phillipa Gregory book, and I am hooked! I love historical fiction and I love this setting and time period. The book is a "biography" of John Tradescant, a talented and sought after gardener. The book follows John's life as he creates and tends fabulous gardens, works for various noble and royal houses, marries, travels, goes to war for his country, and more. The details are wonderful. I did not read this book straight through, as it is not a "page turner", but I really enjoyed picking it up and escaping into the life of someone else for a time
    • 4/5
      This was the book that started me on historical fiction; because it was gardening-related, I thought I'd give it a try. The result was that I found a whole new genre that I enjoyed.
    • 3/5
      Well written and well researced. Perhaps it's unfair bt I was put off by Tradescant's persistent wrong-headedness.
    • 2/5
      Not as captivating as her other works. We get to see how Charles' reign affected England through Tradescant the gardener. There is a lot of information on plants, flowers, and trees. And the information of the stock market of tulips is fascinating too.
    • 4/5
      John Tradescant was a real man, an extraordinary gardening pioneer and collector who transformed the English landscape by the introduction of trees and plants which we now take for granted. This fictional account of his life gives some idea of his background, the times and society in which he lived, and of his legacy - including his Collection which formed the basis for the Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford, and which should in my opinion have really been named after Tradescant.
    • 4/5
      As with her other books, I just love this book!!! I hope she comes out with another one soon! LOL!