Gardening Novel Review: Earthly Joys

I have to confess to using Amazon.com for purposes other than those intended by the company. I use the “Recommendations” page to plan my library check-outs. After I then read the book (for free), I check the “I own it” button, rate the book, and get updated recommendations! I also search the reviews to further guide my library choices. After finishing The Other Boleyn Girl and Wideacre (both from the public library), I used Amazon to find another Philippa Gregory novel to read. Earthly Joys was not highly recommended, because it lacks Gregory’s typical female lead. (I gather that most of her readers are female.) However, despite the protagonist’s gender, I noticed that he was a GARDENER. A historical novel about gardening combines two of my favorite subjects (or is that three?)! I put it on hold, picked it up a few days later, and read it backstage during our run of Fiddler.

I knew I was on the right track in the first chapter when John, the gardener, is walking with Cecil, his lord, through the gardens. As Cecil babbles on and on about political intrigue, John’s thoughts keep drifting to the garden around him and improvements to be made. John is daydreaming about “creamy tossing heads of gypsy lace and moon daisies encased by hawthorn hedging in its first haze of spring green,” when he realizes that he has neglected to attend to his master’s conversation. With a heavy heart, he returns to a discussion of the state of England’s monarchy. That moment captures my gardening mania perfectly. I often find myself drifting away from the conversation at hand to appreciate the flowers out the window or the virtual garden in my head. I suddenly snap to reality and realize that, while I’ve been in a dreamland of hot, summer sunshine and lazily droning bees, the person next to me is expecting a response, and I have no idea what was just said. Throughout the novel, John takes both mental and actual trips away from the political and military business of his lords to indulge in his love of plants. I suspect that Philippa Gregory is either a gardener herself, or married to one!

Besides the too accurate portrayal of a dedicated gardener, there are other aspects of the book to recommend it to the gardening crowd. The description of the tulip speculation in Holland is a great bit of background for all of us that can grab a 6-pack of red and white variegated tulips for $5.99 at Home Depot. I also enjoyed recognizing the “exotic” species that John and his son collect in Europe and America for introduction to the English garden. The greatest “aha” moment, though, was when I connected John’s last name (Tradescant), with the Latin name for spiderwort, Tradescantia. Our hero, John Tradescant, was an actual gardener and plant collector (hence “historical” novel?) and, buggery aside, I assume much of the book is based on the actual events of his life. He continually refused to name any of his discoveries after himself, but the genus Tradescantia was later named to honor him.

I recommend this book to all gardening junkies for the lush garden descriptions and fascinating plant histories. It’s definitely a book to add to your bookshelf between the gardening tomes and catalogs, to pull out when inclement whether keeps you indoors and away from the actual garden. It’s almost as good as daydreaming.

*I just discovered there is a sequel to Earthly Joys, Virgin Earth. I’m adding that to my reservation list now!