Tuesday 1 April 2014

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert


Alma Whittaker is born in the very first year of the nineteenth century, a time of great change as the world opens up and scientific discoveries abound.  Growing up in a family that encourages her to have an open mind and better herself through intellectual development, Alma devotes herself to botany and the study of mosses.  However, she is unprepared for society in general and her personal life suffers through comparison with her beautiful adopted sister, Prudence.  A panoramic of Alma's life and the nineteenth century in general, A Signature of All Things examines the difference between intellectual and personal fulfilment, and the contrasting roles of science and spirituality.

The Signature of All Things is a very difficult book to summarise as it's an ambitious, epic book.  Alma may be the centrepiece and the main story-teller, but the book is about big topics such as science, spirituality, marriage, missionaries, the abolition of slavery, the discovery of evolution and the role of women. Gilbert has certainly aimed high, and for the most part the novel is very successful.  None of the themes felt rammed down my throat at any point, and the panoramic view of Alma's times reminded me a bit of Dickens.  Gilbert does a great job at conjuring up the ethos and atmosphere of the times, when botany was truly an exciting career and it felt as though scientists were uncovering the mysteries of God.

Although Alma is an interesting and easy to relate to main character, I found myself most drawn to the story of her adopted sister, Prudence.  Despite being very intelligent herself, she isn't quite in Alma's league and so suffers in a different way to Alma.  I enjoyed reading about her becoming drawn to the abolitionist movement, and the waves in society she was prepared to make for her beliefs.  In a similar vein, I enjoyed the latter sections of the novel, when Alma journeyed to Tahiti and came into contact with a different way of life to her own.  I love that whole nineteenth century explorer theme in historical fiction, and the meeting of different cultures.

On the whole, I really enjoyed The Signature of All Things. It was one of the titles I was most excited to read from the Baileys long-list, as the theme of women scientists was always going to draw to me.  However, it's a hard book to review as I could pretty much sum up my views by simply typing "I liked this book."  There was nothing I disliked about it, but neither did it grab me and worm it's way into my heart as a favourite.  It's simply a very well written story about a topic that engages me, and I'm glad I spent several nights with it over the last week.

Source: Library
First Published: 2013
Score: 4 out of 5

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14 comments:

  1. I cannot say I'm very eager to read this one though in my case, it is mostly influenced by the author's first book. I did not really imagine that this one could appeal to me, but I think it's looking better now in my head than before I read your review.

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    1. I've never read Eat Pray Love and managed to avoid all the discussions about it, so I went into this one fresh.

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  2. I can only echo Athira's comment. I started Eat, Pray, Love and only made it a few pages so I have been completely uninterested in this one. But your review makes it sound much more enticing!

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    1. I've never read Eat Pray Love, so I'm not sure how it would compare. But this wasn't cheesy at all.

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  3. I didn't think I would enjoy Gilbert's books, but this one seems to cover such a vast array of topics and themes, I think I just may need to try it. I love reading all these Bailey's long-list reviews, by the way -- they're really helping me narrow down which ones I want to read, as I'm certain I won't get to as many as you!

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    1. The longlist is so good this year! I'm taking a short break from the books, but I'll be reading Burial Rites next.

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  4. I've heard people rave over this book, but your review is the most detailed. Thank you.

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    1. I'm not sure it's a book to rave over, but it is a very good book.

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  5. I (perhaps wrongly) wrote this book off before even looking into it. Not really the best habit to get into as I should probably give things a chance, particularly as this does seem to be worth a go.

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    1. I wrote it off too, until it made it on to the long-list and I decided I might as well give it a chance. I'm glad I did.

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  6. I like your review. I have been a bit wary to read this book (Eat Pray Love, yeah...), but since the subject matter is very different from that of Gilbert's first books, I'm happy to give it a go. It does sound pretty good I must admit.

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  7. The Signature Of All Things is the book of choice for my book club this month... I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous/dubious about this one. It sounds like a great read, I just don't know if it's for me... I guess time will tell.
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

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  8. This is one of those books I'm really interested to read. It sounds unique, and I do love that!

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  9. I am not a fan of Eat Pray Love but the combination of the subject matter of this book; women and science in the 19th century, and some strong positive reviews by reviewers I trust lead me to purchase a copy. After EPL I did not think I would ever have an interest in an Elizabeth Gilbert novel but as I said strong reviews convinced me, I still have to get around to reading it though. One reviewer said that fans of EPL will buy this novel and probably hate it, while the kind of readers who like intelligent fiction will probably give it a wide berth which is a pity because it is really a good historical fiction read. That is the kind of remark that convinced me to give it a go. As always Sam I read your review with great interest as I find you are a consistently good guide to what is worth reading.
    I like the way you have connected it to Remarkable Creatures, another novel I read because of the subject matter which I found fascinating.
    Look forward to your thoughts on Burial Rites, a friend just lent that one to me, another novel that has been the subject of considerable discussion on Aussie arts media.

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