The Signature of All Things

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Gilbert

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed

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 18th and 19th 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 listeners.

©2013 Elizabeth Gilbert (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Gilbert's triumphant return to fiction is matched by Juliet Stevenson's lyrical reading. Both author and narrator capture the listener from the novel's opening words.” (AudioFile)

"A rip-roaring tale...unlike anything Gilbert has ever written.... Its prose has the elegant sheen of a nineteenth-century epic, but its concerns...are essentially modern." (The New York Times Magazine)

"With this novel about a young, nineteenth-century Philadelphia woman who becomes a world-renowned botanist, Gilbert shows herself to be a writer at the height of her powers." (O, The Oprah Magazine, "Our Favorite Reads of the Year")

"The most ambitious and purely imaginative work in Gilbert’s 20-year career: a deeply researched and vividly rendered historical novel about a 19th century female botanist.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Room for Miracles

I loved reading this book! It appealed to me because of its compelling plot, but I also appreciated the spiritual aspects of the book. It took a look at how science and a love of the natural world interact with the aspects of life that can’t be explained scientifically, such as kindness, compassion, altruism, and self-sacrifice. Several of the characters in the book believe, “There is a supreme intelligence in the world that longs for a union with us and that nothing short of a divine being could have created the human mind.” The name of the book relates to this theme. “The Signature of All Things” means basically that “all the natural world is a divine code, containing proof of our Creator’s love.” This is why so many medicinal plants, according to this theory, resemble the diseases they were meant to cure, or the organs they were able to treat. For example, walnuts, shaped like brains, were supposed to be helpful for headaches. At one point Ambrose put it like this:

“…and yet Boehme said that God had PRESSED Himself into the world, and had left markers there for us to discover.”

The book is an exploration, through the life story of Alma Whittaker , of scientific values that still leave a sliver of room for miracles.

I loved the sex parts, too ☺ That binding closet was a kick! And the scene with Tomorrow Morning was great!

Perfectly read

A Tour De Force read with perfection by Juliet Stevenson, as ever. Elizabeth Gilbert has an incredible imagination and has researched her subjects well. A slow and gentle unfolding of the wide-ranging tale of one woman's life.

New American Classic

Would you consider the audio edition of The Signature of All Things to be better than the print version?

They are totally different experiences. Given the beauty of Juliet Stevenson's narration, I have to say I preferred the audible edition. Now that I have enjoyed it, I can hear it in my head as I read. The best of both worlds.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and no. It was hard to stop listening, yet I didn't want it to end, so I had to pace myself.

Any additional comments?

It is very hard to believe that this book is fiction. The characters become so real and so dear that on some level one is certain that they must have existed; in fact, that they were probably part of one's own history in some strange way. This book is one that stays with you long after you finish it.

incredible, but requires stamina

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I highly recommend this book. However the author continues on and on and on forever and ever about scientific data. I almost gave up, but glad I persevered because the journey of the main character is unpredictable and so well devised.

Wonderful read!

This is one of the most amazing reads! Beautifly narated and totally enthralling. I had great difficulty putting it away and found myself impatiently looking forward to the next moment I had to hear more. I highly recommend this book.

Astounding--I listen over and over

Gilbert's 3 1/2 years of research are evident, along with her captivating imagination and her beautiful and vivid writing (someone is "blisteringly rich"). Alma, the central character, will become important to you, during the book and afterward. She is someone worth knowing and holding close. This is a completely absorbing, epic tale--a restorative exit from every day life. Should have won the Pulitzer or the National Book Award.

Great!

What made the experience of listening to The Signature of All Things the most enjoyable?

The narrator is fantastic. As a woman of science, I found this book wonderful. I wished I had been able to meet Alma Whittaker

wow

so good I'll listen again!! great story. great performance. captivating. wide breadth. I loved it.

18 HOURS AREN’T ENOUGH

This book is long but immediately after starting it, I knew this was going to be a great adventure.

The story is a grand sweep through the 19th century.

I could not get enough of the heroine, I wanted her to be my best friend forever.

The audio performance was perfection.

I may very well listen to this all over again.

Highly recommend

Loved this book! Perfect read especially during a pandemic. Juliet Stevenson’s narration brings the book to life