The Signature of All Things

If I was expecting Elizabeth Gilbert's fiction to be like her non-fiction, I would have been disappointed. But since I had read the reviews and knew that it was not like her non-fiction, I had no preconceived notions, so I was able to enjoy the book on its own merits.

The novel is about Alma Whittaker, born in 1800 to the richest man in Philadelphia. Alma's parents are a poor British boy who worked hard and became a wealthy and renowned botanist, and a very intelligent Dutch girl from a good family who leaves everything to come with him to America. Alma receives a wider and better education than most boys of the time, and is soon joined in her schoolroom by an adopted sister, Prudence, the daughter of a murdered prostitute.

Alma is the central figure of the story, and all of the other characters are seen in relation to her. She is a fabulous character - outspoken, brilliant, hard-working, with a keen sense of humor. The turns her life takes - from Philadelphia to Tahiti to Holland - are slow to come but great adventures when they do. It's a very detailed book - I admit to skimming some sections that got too heavily into botanical detail, and Liz must be a demon of a researcher - but it was a very satisfying book.

The Signature of All Things

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming

Okay, so I started this book with no idea what to expect. My friend Shari said it was a really nice book, and to be honest, I didn't know if it was fiction or non before I started reading. But Shari was right, it's a really nice book.

The author, Rod Dreher, tells the story of his sister Ruthie, and along the way he tells his own story too. Rod and Ruthie grew up in a very small town in Louisiana, a place where family and community are everything, and where hunting, fishing, and little league are the activities of choice. Ruthie loves small-town life, but Rod is a bookish boy who dreams of traveling the globe. Ruthie and Rod pretty much live their separate lives, until Ruthie is diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

I don't want to give too much of the book away, because a big part of it is how Ruthie and Rod live their lives, and how their lives are impacted by Ruthie's cancer. Rod's sharing of Ruthie's story is a way to tell his own story, of how he came to be the man he is, and how he has come to believe the things he believes. It's a sad story, yes, but it's also an uplifting and hopeful story. I definitely recommend it.

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming

The Last Kingdom

This is the first book in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles, and if you like historical fiction you will not want to miss this one. Cornwell takes us to the mid-800's (yes, that's 800, not 1800) for the story of Uhtred, a young English boy who is taken hostage by a group of marauding Danes and adopted by them.

I wasn't sure I was going to like the book at first. It's very heavy on war and battle, which is not particularly my thing. But the characters just grabbed me, particularly Uhtred, who is a smart kid who seems to be able to handle what anyone throws at him, and Ragnor, the violent but good-hearted and principled Dane who changes his life forever. It's also a really compelling and true story about how the Dane's picked the kingdoms of the British Isles apart until only one - Wessex, ruled by Albert - is left standing. This is basically the beginning of the birth of modern-day England, and Albert has become known as Albert the Great.

History buffs, anglophiles, and battle-lovers will all enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!


The Last Kingdom