A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, Big Magic, and City of Girls In The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the … eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life.
Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, The Signature of All Things soars across the globe—from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who—born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution—bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers.
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Alma Whittaker is the main subject of this story, but before we get farther into her life there is a sentence that stated: __how her father came to be in possession of such great wealth is a story worth telling here, while we wait for the girl to grow up and catch our interest again.__ I love how the author used this sentence to begin telling us about the fathers life and how he came to be the well known figure that he was, and thus how Alma became the way she was.
This is a story of a life long search of knowledge, unending ambition and even desire. Each of the interesting characters have this same desire of knowledge and each approaches it in their own distinctive ways, but all are obsessed by their own chosen subjects. It was fascinating to me to read the in depth details of the authors research, as I had little knowledge of Botany, but this story made me want to learn about it a bit more.
As I traveled through Alma’s life with the choices she made and places she visits, I became more and more invested in the way she thought. What a great and satisfying read.
The Signature of All Things is an elegantly written period piece mingling fictional and historical figures. It emphasizes the strength and intelligence of women in a time when they recognized for neither. In parts it is long and somewhat tedious in that the only story here is Alma’s life, told in excruciating detail. I think readers who enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love will also enjoy this novel. This was a book club read for me and with 20 ladies, the reviews were evenly divided between those who enjoyed the book and those who did not.
This is an unusual and captivating fiction that reads like a biography…a really, really good one!
Gilbert draws you into the life of Alma so deeply that you find yourself mentally talking to her like watching an intense movie on TV. Yet, unlike a normal fiction novel, Gilbert puts so much information into the setting and the character that you have to check yourself from Googling to find out if this is a real person in history.
The book is long and takes a few meandering turns at times but always keeps you captivated. Be sure to block out a good portion of time to read it because you won’t want to put it down.
I wrestled with how to rate this book. For the first quarter of the book, I was utterly blown away – the writing was beautiful (which I expected after loving Big Magic), the story was nearly fairy-tale-like in quality but with endearing historical realism, and I was captivated by the young girl determined to be a scientist in her small universe of inquiry and botany in her father’s estate. The details of her father’s life and her own youth were so thoughtful and tangible that Alma and the characters around her felt real enough to step off the page. I loved her mother and the strange, silent adopted sister and the friend ebullient with joy at every moment. I couldn’t get enough of the unique cast of women.
However, after about 25%, the story took a sharp turn and devolved a bit – many of the things that Alma started to experience seemed derived from decisions that seemed far from her character. She was supposed to be a sharp, smart woman with a curious mind, and for much of the middle of the book, I was constantly frustrated by her terrible, sometimes pointless decisions and the lack of focus on her scientific work. I couldn’t stand the entire section of the book where she wanders off to Tahiti – it felt wholly unrealized for a book of historical fiction, and I was grasping for the same historical detail that the early pages of Henry Whittaker’s explorations had offered in spades. But I did love the ending and (slight spoiler here) the return to Alma’s scientific roots. This book was largely inconsistent, but Gilbert’s writing is so lovely throughout, I would pick up another book of hers without hesitation, even if this one wasn’t perfect for me.
I continue to be a big fan of Gilbert’s books. Her ability to engage with the oddest of characters, her ability to go from the carnal to the spiritual, and the depth of her research all make for incredible writing.
I was totally enthralled with this book..it absolutely drew me in & did not let go! Right up there with ‘Gone With The Wind’ as a read that captivates and satisfies!
Beautifully written and a compelling character and plot.
Excellent read! Highly recommend!
I really like Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing style. I thought the “story” of Alma’s life unfolded seamlessly——-I felt that through Alma, I was able to travel from England, (I especially enjoyed reading about her father’s hijinks at Kew Gardens!) ,to Philadelphia, to Tahiti, to Amsterdam, whew!! All without a current passport and no fear of Covid!! ….and I learned an awful lot about botany as a bonus!!
Happy to have read this book…..what more can one want??
I was interested in how the author brought together the social, scientific, and religious movements of the 19th century in this story of a woman scientist whose personal relationships over her long lifetime caused her pain, joy, angst, and finally satisfaction.
Inspirational message …. who you are is within yourself.
Well-written and very informative; difficult to put down.
One of the strangest books I’ve ever read, but kept my interest throughout.
Wonderfully complex characters and story line, filled with facts and insights into the intensive period of scientific discovery in the 19th century. Main character is a complicated and brilliant woman breaking new ground in botany and evolution.
This is my favorite book by this author. Her descriptive writing and the variety of settings makes it a page turner. I’ve read it several times.
This is a book with high-literature aspirations that just doesn’t quite make it. You can almost see the sweat on the brow of the author as she makes literary allusion after literary allusion that all add up to nothing. Very disappointing.
Reading this book has been such a joy! Although I thought EAT, PRAY, LOVE was just okay, I think this book showcases Elizabeth Gilbert’s true genius for storytelling.
On the simplest level, THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS is the story of one woman’s unfolding life during the 1800s. But that doesn’t really do it justice. Because there are so many rich stories contained within. It’s much more an adventure story of someone trying to understand life.
Alma Whittaker, the protagonist, is a child of science who never follows the role expected of a traditional woman during her day. Instead, Alma remains devoted to her passion for knowledge. Her focus is the world of books, especially those related to her lifelong fascination with botany. But there is also her father’s rags-to-riches story — from poor boy with ambition to seaman to tyrannical tycoon. There is Alma’s beautiful adopted sister who remains a mystery for much of the book. And Alma’s dearest friend, who lives on the edge of madness.
Alma travels the world — from Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and we readers discover new and absorbing stories in each location. Stories representative of the dynamic 19th century with abolitionists, Christian missionaries, scientific research, whaling ships, Charles Darwin, and spirituality. All the while we are wrestling to understand concepts like humanity, love, and self-sacrifice. I found myself eager to turn every page and unsure what drama would unfold next in Alma’s life.
Consequently, I highly recommend this novel — for its variety, adventure, and creative writing style. You’re in for a real literary treat.
I truly liked this book. Elizabeth Gilbert gives us much to admire in the construction of the story, its beautiful language and its surprising, dry sense of humor. I was enthralled to read work from Gilbert that shows us yet again, another dimension to her fully realized talent. In this novel, Gilbert hands us the life of Alma Whittaker, an over-educated, homely, heir to a fortune wrung from the hands of a working-class, English, father who taught himself everything there is to know about botany, and who came to corner the pharmaceutical business in America. Alma, whose mother is oppressively Dutch, is raised as a grown-up from a very early age, and lives a sheltered, isolated life studying plants, which suits her intellect and personality completely. There is a twist half-way through this book that sets Alma on an unpredictable course( which I won’t give away.) Bring a dictionary to the task of reading this creative book; it’ll be worth it!
It was easy reading
Strange, interesting, give it a try. This is not a book for everyone.