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The Signature of All Things: A Novel

Read by:
Juliet Stevenson
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Unabridged Audiobook

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Ratings
Book
88
Narrator
39
Release Date
October 1, 2013
Duration
21 hours 45 minutes
Summary
A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the #1 New York Times bestselling 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 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.
Reviews
Profile Avatar LIZ WASSMANSDORF Sep 2016

This is my "go-to" book for those times when I am asked if I can recommend something good! It is an absolutely monumental work and Juliet Stevenson as narrator is unsurpassed.

Profile Avatar Jasmine M. Dec 2019

My absolute favorite book of all time. I have listened to this more times than I can count. The story does not ever go in the direction you expect it to....Its full of unique insight, philosophy, adventure. It's clever and sharp witted, full of humor and drama.... Narration is flawless!

Profile Avatar Shar V. Feb 2022

i absolutely loved this book and the narrator was amazingly entertaining to listen to.

Profile Avatar Maureen T. Oct 2018

Amazing narration! Enjoyed hearing the characters come alive through the narrator’s interpretation. The story is lovely and clever. I had no idea I would find Alma so relatable and likeable.

Profile Avatar Janet G. May 2018

an epic story that I never wanted to end! beautifully written...

Profile Avatar Brandi T Jul 2017

Elizabeth Gilbert is absolutely brilliant! What an amazing book this is. It is long but, most definitely worth reading/listening.

Profile Avatar Lia Nielsen Mar 2017

A beautifully written story with a wonderful and unique heroine. The narrator did an excellent job.

Profile Avatar Niloufar Mobini Dec 2015

I am speechless .... How on earth did Elizabeth Gilbert find the one non-artsy subject that I am so vastly passionate about, evolution, and write a whole novel about it ...??!??!? She already had my spiritual world rocked, and now this ?! I still can't believe it !

Profile Avatar Cynthia Horta Jun 2014

Very thought provoking... A good book for women of all generations.

Profile Avatar Michelle Cordle Nov 2013

I enjoyed the characters, the twist and turns and the poetic description of time. Who knew moss could be so interesting.

Profile Avatar VerOnica Firestine Oct 2013

I loved it. I read eat pray love so was expecting something similar, or at least a novel set in this century! I felt like I was reading a Bronte novel - in a good way. This book was set mainly in the 1800s and felt accurate from the language to the science. And of course I love Juliet Stevensons calm British voice. Definitely reccmend!

The Signature of All Things: A Novel

The Signature of All Things: A Novel

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Read by: Juliet Stevenson
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