Reviews

Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory

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returne's review

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informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

dimples0508's review

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2.0

Read it to have something to read but I guess this time frame and character plot didn't really hook me for some reason and also- gardening is pretty boring.

el_elizabeth's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

literarycoffeecat's review

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adventurous challenging hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this, because I like English historical fiction and gardening, and have tradescantia in my garden. There were characters in here I was unfamiliar with (and they were pretty awful human beings) and events as well. Readable, but I think Gregory overreached to have John have even a brief sexual encounter with Buckingham.

sinimini's review

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informative lighthearted 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? No

3.0

zwyrdish's review

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4.0

I read the sequel first and this one second, but I still enjoyed this story very much, and having developed some foreknowledge of the characters didn't leave me feeling that I always knew what was coming, even if I did to a large degree - especially as I neared the end of the book. Still, given the do-over, I would read them in sequence, I think.

My mom read Virgin Earth after I did, and she was interested to learn that there was a book that preceded it. I am a little wary of passing it on to her because there is some activity I think she may find objectionable and I am afraid it will ruin the story for her. Personally, I loved the tale, recognized "Tradescant" immediately because I love perennials and have multiple varieties of tradescantia (spiderwort) in my garden, and sympathized with John's wanderlust and his tendency to be a little bit awestruck by the vivacious and capricious duke. I know that the author is a learned historian, and I am curious how much of the Tradescant's lives were taken from the pages of history, and how much from Ms. Gregory's fertile imagination. I was FASCINATED by the description of the buying and selling of tulip bulbs in "the low counties" which could just as easily have been cattle futures on Wall Street - and it came to me that the Dutch may have had their hand in the development of the stock market (or "de Waal Straat") in New York City.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it was completely satisfying, and I have not been disappointed by one of this author's books yet - so they are all on my "To read" list - unless I have already read them.