The Signature of All Things Audiobook By Elizabeth Gilbert cover art

The Signature of All Things

A Novel

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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. Literary Fiction Sagas Historical Fiction Genre Fiction Family Life Women's Fiction Funny Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"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 twenty-year career." —The Wall Street Journal

"Like Victor Hugo or Emile Zola, Gilbert captures something important about the wider world in The Signature of All Things: a pivotal moment in history when progress defined us in concrete ways." —The Washington Post

"A masterly tale of overflowing sensual and scientific enthusiasms in the nineteenth century." —Time, "Top Ten Fiction Books of the Year"

"Raucously ingenious... a novel of brave and lovely ideas... I found unshackled joy on every page." —The Chicago Tribune

"Alma's extraordinary life unspools like a Jane Austen novel... Here Gilbert claims her rightful spot as one of the twenty-first century's best American writers." —Outside

"Gilbert writes so wonderfully it's impossible not to swoon... Alma's drive for personal epiphany feels absolutely contemporary." —The Boston Globe

"A beautifully written, grandly expansive historical novel... Gilbert's writing is so smart and richly drawn that it does what all the best books do: it sweeps you up." —Entertainment Weekly

"Dazzling... a big-hearted, sweeping, unforgettable novel... If you don't think science or historical fiction can be bright, funny, and engaging, this novel will quickly prove you wrong." —The Miami Herald

Featured Article: The Best British Narrators


If you're looking for an audiobook in an accent, check out these listens from our favorite British narrators. Authenticity is something many listeners value in their audiobook experiences, and that often boils down to narration style and accents. Although so many audiobooks are narrated by many talented actors with wide ranges, sometimes it's just nice to listen to an audiobook performed by someone in their native accent. If you're searching for the best British narrators, look no further. We’ve done the tough job of picking just ten of our favorite British narrators that you'll love listening to.

Featured Article The Best British Narrators
Epic Scope • Captivating Journey • Masterful Narration • Rich Historical Backdrop • Complex Relationships

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What did you love best about The Signature of All Things?

I loved the growth and development of the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Signature of All Things?

The heartbreak Alma felt when she found out that her husband didn't want the kind of marriage that she did.

What about Juliet Stevenson’s performance did you like?

Superb!

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

No. I dragged it out as long as I could. I didn't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

I will look for more books by this author and read by Juliet Stevenson.

A delight from start to finish

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I spent a third of the book wondering why I was still reading it. there isn't any storyline that holds you in. you are just told the predictable events of someone's life

Meh.

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

Last summer I read this book and I have been stewing on it ever since. I cannot stop thinking about it and this saga of a woman's life quickly shot up to my top 5 list. I almost hesitated to mention it to others however, because I didn't want to share it. It touched me so personally, on so many levels, it left me feeling naked and raw. The saddest thing is I almost didn't read it because of the author.

I never read Eat, Pray, Love. There. I said it. I DID watch the movie however. It was a good story but it didn't make me run out and buy the book. This again, is one more example of why people say those infuriating words to nonreaders: "The book was so much better."
*Dear Elizabeth Gilbert - you are one of the best writers I have ever read and I am sorry I didn't take you seriously because of your movie. You have certainly made me take notice of you now.

There is just no way to catch the poetic prose of some authors. Example: If Morgan Freeman had not narrated The Shawshank Redemption, it would have been another Stephen King story ruined by Hollywood. (one of many stinkers in my opinion but that's a completely different post.)

Of course I didn't "read" The Signature of All Things, but listened to it on audiobook read by the audibly delicious Juliet Stevenson. But to me that brings books to life, the inflection, tone, and pace with which it is read can make a masterpiece or a mistake. This was a masterpiece.

Any additional comments?

I almost wanted to say, I only want my girlfriends who know me very well to read this, because in so many ways I feel very exposed by this book. I related to the protagonist from the science, to the lost love, the obsession, the adventure, the despair, the love of moss, and let's not forget my lovely Charles Darwin. It's long and there's a LOT of science, so probably just my best girlfriends would read it anyway. However, it would be a treasure to anyone who loves an excellent story about an amazing journey of an incredibly strong woman.

Top 5 EVER List

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I adored "Eat, Pray, Love", and expected Elizabeth Gilbert's characteristic zest and presence to carry over into fiction. I'm sorry to say that the 'voice' of the author seemed impersonal and distant in this book. She just didn't seem engaged in the story, which made it hard for me to be engaged as well. I stuck it out for several hours, but eventually moved on.

Couldn't get through it

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Worth every beautiful moment. Eclipses all of Gilbert's prior works, transforming her into a writer to be taken seriously.

An astounding, surprising , and brilliant work- masterfully read.

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