Virgin Earth: A Novel (Earthly Joys)
by Philippa Gregory
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Book Summary Information
Author: Philippa GregoryEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-03-21
ISBN: 0743272536
Number of pages: 661
Publisher: Touchstone
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780743272537
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Virgin Earth: A Novel (Earthly Joys)
Book Review: "When a man is ready to promise himself to us he finds in us a loyal master."
Summary: 4 Stars
Gregory's sequel to Earthly Joys is a continuation of the Tradescant family saga, gardeners to the Kings of England for generations, John Tradescant, Jr. off to the New World to avoid political tensions and to gather fresh varieties of plants for the botanical collection at the Ark, where the family displays flora and fauna, treasures and curiosities from all over the world. After the death of his beloved wife from the plague, John leaves behind two children, Johnnie and Frances, in the care of his elderly father. It is 1642 and almost two decades of John's life will be riddled with indecision and controversy, a man who cannot find a home for his affections or his loyalties, both continents embroiled in territorial wars. In Virginia, the settlers cling tenaciously to their new land, unable to sustain themselves without goods delivered from English ships. Stubbornly they plant their crops, failing to learn the basic survival lessons of the indigenous people, determined that the English way become the law of the land.
In England, Charles I is fighting for his place in a changing society. Married to Marie Henriette, sister to the King of France, Charles' attentions to the Queen's papist beliefs are the cause of great unease in the Protestant country. Charles refuses to accept the authority of Parliament, spurred to injudicious alliances through his wife's advice, while his citizens rise up against a king who taxes them beyond reason, indulging his excesses and those of favored nobles, refusing to hear the will of the people. While in Virginia, John has met a young Powhatan, whom he plans to marry, but on returning to England, his intentions are forgotten in the chaos of civil war and his father's death. John accepts a marriage of convenience arranged by his father, Hester Pooks an exemplary stepmother and caretaker of the family treasures as John returns to Virginia to avoid service to Charles I. There he begins a double life, taking a Powhatan bride, accepted as one of the People, only to fail when he refuses to take up arms against the English.
For those who enjoyed Earthly Joys, filled with the same love of gardens and plants stewarded by the Tradescants, history dominates, the simple pleasures of dedication to service replaced by the need for each man to claim his own birthright, reshaping the beliefs of centuries. Social upheaval tears the fabric of the Tradescant family asunder, John particularly affected by the duality of his life and an inability to own either past or present. For this reason, Tradescant is as uncomfortable and uneasy as the mid-17th century he inhabits, his character fraught with conflict. He does service to no one, save his work, mired in contradictions. Aside from the noble Powhatans, none of these characters are particularly likeable, their lack of nobility reflecting their circumstances, shredded by the attrition of war and insecure political ideology. John and Hester face an uncertain future, having survived their marriage and civil war, mending the remnants of lives driven by expediency at the price of joy. Luan Gaines/ 2006.
Summary of Virgin Earth: A Novel (Earthly Joys)
As England descends into civil war, John Tradescant the Younger, gardener to King Charles I, finds his loyalties in question, his status an ever-growing danger to his family. Fearing royal defeat and determined to avoid serving the rebels, John escapes to the royalist colony of Virginia, a land bursting with fertility that stirs his passion for botany. Only the native American peoples understand the forest, and John is drawn to their way of life just as they come into fatal conflict with the colonial settlers. Torn between his loyalty to his country and family and his love for a Powhatan girl who embodies the freedom he seeks, John has to find himself before he is prepared to choose his direction in the virgin land. In this enthralling, freestanding sequel to Earthly Joys, Gregory combines a wealth of gardening knowledge with a haunting love story that spans two continents and two cultures, making Virgin Earth a tour de force of revolutionary politics and passionate characters.Historical Books
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