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