Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Virgin Earth
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 25 hrs and 40 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Virgin Earth
Buy Now for £19.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
The sequel to the outstanding historical novel Earthly Joys, by the internationally bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory.
A brand new recording – available as an unabridged digital audio edition for the first time.
John Tradescant the Younger has inherited his father’s unique collection of plants along with his unerring ability to nurture them. But as gardener to Charles I, he confronts an unbearable dilemma when England descends into Civil War. Fleeing from the chaos, John travels to the Royalist colony of Virginia in America. But the virgin land is not uninhabited. John’s plant hunting brings him to live with the native people, and he learns to love and respect their way of life just as it is threatened by the colonial settlers.
In the new world and the old, the established order is breaking down and every family has to find its own way of surviving. For the Tradescants, through the upheavals of the Commonwealth and the Restoration, this means consolidating their reputations as the greatest gardeners in the country.
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘Subtle and exciting.’ Daily Express
‘Written from instinct, not out of calculation, and it shows.’
Peter Ackroyd, The Times
‘For sheer pace and percussive drama it will take a lot of beating.’ Sunday Times
‘One of Gregory's great strengths as a novelist is her ability to take familiar historical figures and flesh them into living breathing human beings. The Constant Princess is a worthy successor to her previous novels about the Tudors.’ Daily Express
What listeners say about Virgin Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jacqueline Howard
- 19-10-24
history brought to life
The two books in the series are the ones I have enjoyed most so far from Philippa Gregory. I have read so many of her books but I have been totally blown away by the life story’s of the characters and the political & religious difficulties at that time, and, how they affected real people. I have learned so much! Constantly looking up and researching further, some of the situations and things that arose in the books! Thank you Philippa for teaching me about some wonderful people that we mustn’t forget and the things that have been left for us.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- JohnF
- 10-01-21
A great read!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and marvelled at the research that must have gone into it.
it was well performed and it has encouraged me to reflect anew about many aspects related to this important period of our nations history.
I am happy to recommend it and the author to other listener.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-05-22
Gardening and history
The narrator made this book interesting. Phillipa Gregory has done her research well. Like the first book Earthly Joys, if you enjoy gardening and have a love of history then listen to this book. I learnt so much from it. Not sure that I could have read it as it seemed very long but the narrator read it so well I was hooked right from the beginning.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-05-22
not her best work...
Disappointed at this sequel. The main character was a disaster. The ending was worse than a rush job... it just ended. Characters were killed off with no hint of a reason why. It felt like a blockbuster sequal that just ran out of money and steam.
The performance was poor, no continuity or research into the first performance, some effort into character distinguishing but a flat reading overall. I'm gutted to leave this review as I love this author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- fair minded Maggie
- 30-11-22
Revealing story.
So interesting to discover that the famous Ashmolean Museum was founded to some extent by the trickery of Ashmole. We gardeners should inform ourselves as to the genius of John Tradescant and his incredible contribution to our gardens through his legacy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jacqueline Rawlins
- 27-11-20
Escape to another time
I listened to this book on audible and really enjoyed being transported to another time. Engrossing and emotional. Lovely book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- eGJ
- 16-01-24
Not as plant based
Not so concerned with plant gathering as Earthly Joys, but as fascinating as it covers many of the lesser skirmishes of the Civil War and the events in the New World. The narrator’s attempts at accents often grates, but the story keeps you want to keep listening until the sad ending.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- evelynkh
- 06-01-24
Reader not as good as Earthly Joys.
I enjoyed the prequel so much (the story, good writing and an excellent reader who brought it to life) that when I finished it I immediately started listening to Virgin Earth. Unfortunately, David Thorpe is not as a good a reader and despite John The Younger being from Kent, he gave this character’s voice a touch of South West, a mistake repeated so often it began to grate (and this is a long book). So a good story and good writing let down by the reading not as good as the prequel’s.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Celeste
- 02-09-24
Riveting sequel
This book is sadly not as good as the first ‘Earthly Joys’ but it’s still captivating.
The narrator is not the same as the first book & although he tells a good yarn & is certainly skilful, the voices he selected for the main characters turn the story into a farce at times. The writing is much lazier than in the first book & im afraid to say the main character completely lacks any virtues, so mustering up empathy for his plights is a task. Still it’s well worth a listen & if there was a 3rd book even if it was of this calibre I would still buy it.
Hester came to a sticky end in real life…an end that is worthy of investigation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs F Barrow
- 17-04-19
Loved every minute
Excellent listening and extremely well read.
I will recommend to all my friends
Thank you
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful