Earthly Joys tells the story of John Tradescant, gardener to gentry and royalty during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I. Following his life as he serves one lord and then another, Gregory offers a very interesting insight into life during the tumultuous time in England after Queen Elizabeth I died.
Tradescant's family are exploring their own faith outside of the newly formed and established Church of England, at a time when the royalty seem to be backlashing into catholic ways. The tension for John is that he staunchly believes in the great chain of being--god ordained the king who ordained the gentry who ordained their servants, etc. He can't seem to understand how his family can question this way of knowing the world, and thus all of John's decisions are based on what he believes he should do to serve is Lord.
I wasn't crazy about Earthly Joys, but I did like it. I really liked the perspecive Gregory takes by looking at life from a garderner rather than from a gentry or royal person. But I really didn't like how Tradescant so stubbornly held to his service to his masters despite the fact that he knew logically he shouldn't. I also didn't like the section in the middle of the book when Tradescant was serving the Duke of Buckingham. I finished the book with a strong curiosity about the sequel, so plan to read that one at some point in time
If you are a big fan of Gregory, I recommend it. If you like historical fiction, I say give the book a read and see if you like it...Otherwise, I don't know.
No comments:
Post a Comment