The Signature of All Things
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Juliet Stevenson
About this listen
A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the number-one New York Times best-selling 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 18th and 19th 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 listeners.
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Critic reviews
“Gilbert's triumphant return to fiction is matched by Juliet Stevenson's lyrical reading. Both author and narrator capture the listener from the novel's opening words.” (AudioFile)
"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 20-year career: a deeply researched and vividly rendered historical novel about a 19th century female botanist.” (The Wall Street Journal)
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- Unabridged
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Charlotte Dean enjoys nothing more than the solitude of her London flat and the monotonous days of her work at a travel bookshop. But when her younger sister unceremoniously bursts into her quiet life one afternoon, Charlotte's world turns topsy-turvy. Beloved author D. E. Stevenson captures the intricacies of post-World War I England with a light, comic touch that perfectly embodies the spirit of the time. Alternatively heartbreaking and witty, The Young Clementina is a touching tale of love, loss and redemption through friendship.
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Miss Dean's Dilemma
- By Jerri C on 05-02-18
By: D. E. Stevenson
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The Woman at the Light
- A Novel
- By: Joanna Brady
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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One afternoon in 1839, Emily Lowry’s husband vanishes from Wreckers’ Cay, an isolated island off the coast of Key West where he tends the lighthouse. As days stretch into months, Emily has no choice but to take charge of Wreckers’ Cay and her husband’s duties tending the light to support her three children - and a fourth on the way. Unexpected help arrives when a runaway slave named Andrew washes up on their beach. At first, Emily is intensely wary of this strange, charming man, whose very presence there is highly illegal. But Andrew proves himself an enormous help and soon wins the hearts of the Lowry family.
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Good Listen
- By Kathleen Herbert on 08-06-12
By: Joanna Brady
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Beguiling the Beauty
- By: Sherry Thomas
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Duke of Lexington meets the mysterious Baroness von Seidlitz-Hardenberg on a transatlantic liner, he is fascinated. She’s exactly what he’s been searching for - a beautiful woman who interests and entices him. He falls hard and fast - and soon proposes marriage. And then she disappears without a trace.… For in reality, the "baroness" is Venetia Easterbrook - a proper young widow who had her own vengeful reasons for instigating an affair with the duke. But the plan has backfired. Venetia has fallen in love with the man she despised - and there’s no telling what might happen when she is finally unmasked….
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Worth multiple listens
- By anonymous on 09-10-19
By: Sherry Thomas
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Dreamers of the Day
- A Novel
- By: Mary Doria Russell
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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A 40-year-old schoolteacher from Ohio still reeling from the tragedies of the Great War and the influenza epidemic, Agnes has come into a modest inheritance that allows her to take the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and the Holy Land. Arriving at the Semiramis Hotel just as an historic Peace Conference convenes, Agnes, with her plainspoken American opinions - and a small, noisy dachshund named Rosie - enters into the company of the historic luminaries.
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Little Big Woman
- By W.Denis on 10-02-08
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And Only to Deceive
- Lady Emily, Book 1
- By: Tasha Alexander
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly.
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Tiresome
- By nkevinsc on 03-05-15
By: Tasha Alexander
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The Shuttle
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Tabi That
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Rosalie Vanderpoel, the daughter of an American multimillionaire marries an impoverished English baronet and goes to live in England. She all but loses contact with her family in America. Years later her younger sister Bettina, beautiful, intelligent and extremely rich, goes to England to find what has happened to her sister. She finds Rosalie shabby and dispirited, cowed by her husband's ill-treatment. Bettina sets about to rectify matters.
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More than Lovely
- By jTacy67 on 01-17-18
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The Rules of Seduction
- Rothwell Brothers Series, Book 1
- By: Madeline Hunter
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
He enters her home without warning or invitation - a stranger of shadowy motives and commanding sensuality. Within hours, Alexia Welbourne is penniless, without any hope of marriage. Until Hayden Rothwell takes her to bed. When one impulsive act of passion forces Alexia to marry the very man who has ruined her, Hayden's seduction of Alexia is nearly complete. What Alexia doesn't know is that her irresistible new husband is driven by a secret purpose - and a debt of honor he will risk everything to repay.
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Susan Duerden
- By Kelly Ann Foster on 08-10-21
By: Madeline Hunter
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The Stories of Eva Luna
- By: Isabel Allende
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Pena
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
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Immerse yourself in a world of love, vengeance, compassion, and irony with the evocative stories of Eva Luna. Author Isabel Allende introduced this well-loved character to audiences in her earlier novel, Eva Luna. Listen to Allende talk about the role of writing in her life in Giving Birth, Finding Form. This program also features Alice Walker and Jean Shinoda Bolen.
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Better some Allende than no Allende
- By Perschon on 12-04-14
By: Isabel Allende
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Dracula, My Love
- The Secret Journals of Mina Harker
- By: Syrie James
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Mina Harker is torn between two men. Struggling to hang on to the deep, pure love she's found within her marriage to her husband, Jonathan, she is inexorably drawn into a secret, passionate affair with a charismatic but dangerous lover. This haunted and haunting creature has awakened feelings and desires within her that she has never before known, remaking her as a woman. Although everyone she knows fears him and is pledged to destroy him, Mina sees a side to him that the others cannot.
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Far Better Than I Thought or Hoped For!
- By Troy on 03-27-13
By: Syrie James
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The Scottish Duke
- By: Karen Ranney
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Though raised as a gentleman's daughter, Lorna Gordon is obliged to take a position as an upstairs maid at Blackhall Castle when her father dies. Alex Russell, the Duke of Kinross, is the most tempting man she's ever seen - and completely unattainable until, at a fancy dress ball, Lorna disguises herself as Marie Antoinette and pursues an illicit tryst, with scandalous consequences.
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Excellent!
- By Lady M on 12-16-16
By: Karen Ranney
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March
- By: Geraldine Brooks
- Narrated by: Richard Easton
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March, and crafted a story "filled with the ache of love and marriage and with the power of war upon the mind and heart of one unforgettable man" (Sue Monk Kidd). With "pitch-perfect writing" (USA Today), Brooks follows March as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs.
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Great book, greatly narrated
- By Paula on 07-30-06
By: Geraldine Brooks
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Speak
- A Novel
- By: Louisa Hall
- Narrated by: Suzan Crowley, Christopher Ashman, Adrienne Rusk, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In a narrative that spans geography and time, from the Atlantic Ocean in the 17th century to a correctional institute in Texas in the near future, and told from the perspectives of five very different characters, Speak considers what it means to be human and what it means to be less than fully alive.
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Like nothing else
- By Anonymous User on 06-22-17
By: Louisa Hall
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England, 1840. For the two decades following the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen has lived alone and unwed, spending her days visiting friends and relations and quietly, purposefully working to preserve her sister’s reputation. Now in her 60s and increasingly frail, Cassandra goes to stay with the Fowles of Kintbury, family of her long-dead fiancé, in search of a trove of Jane’s letters. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold.
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In 1780s London, a prosperous merchant finds his quiet life upended when he unexpectedly receives an unusual creature - and meets a most extraordinary woman - in this much-lauded, atmospheric debut that examines our capacity for wonder, obsession, and desire. One September evening in 1785, Jonah Hancock hears an urgent knocking on his front door near the docks of London. The captain of one of Jonah’s trading vessels is waiting eagerly on the front step, bearing shocking news. On a voyage to the Far East, he sold the Jonah’s ship for something rare and far more precious: a mermaid.
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With compassion, humor, and striking insight, Amy and Isabelle explores the secrets of sexuality that jeopardize the love between a mother and her daughter. Amy Goodrow, a shy high school student in a small mill town, falls in love with her math teacher, and together they cross the line between understandable fantasy and disturbing reality. When discovered, this emotional and physical trespass brings disgrace to Amy's mother, Isabelle, and intensifies the shame she feels about her own past.
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Sweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this pause-resisting novel about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy and unexpectedly uncovers a lost diary, an unknown relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II. To become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world, Kate must pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination. She’s failed twice before; her third attempt will be her last chance.
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Returned due to narration
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What listeners say about The Signature of All Things
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robin
- 10-21-13
Exotic historical fiction
This book is very unusual and creative ( as one would expect from the author of "eat, pray, love"). Definitely exotic and a bit esoteric. I have to say, however, that I enjoyed it more while I was reading it than now in retrospect. I enjoyed the exotic forays -- both emotional and locational --?more than the central premise. So, I give this one 4 stars.
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13 people found this helpful
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- SweetHomeNola
- 04-04-14
Love!
First of all, completely ignore that this is by the same author as Eat, Pray, Love. While EPL was a wonderful book, this is completely different. I was constantly thinking about how much research must have gone into this book about botany and science at the turn of the 19th century. It was very impressive. Science aside, the epic story of Alma Whittaker's life whisks you along on a beautiful journey. I loved it so much I also bought the kindle edition so I could read it in bed before sleep.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Janet
- 12-07-14
Thought Provoking
Where does The Signature of All Things rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
A sophisticated, well-researched story that invites personal introspection. I loved the book. The only thing that could have been better is a little tighter editing.
What about Juliet Stevenson’s performance did you like?
Perfect performance.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Yona C. Riel
- 12-26-16
I love this book
I love the narrator's voice... gentle, British and feminine. The book itself is similar. Let it gently take u back into the details of the biological world, the ebb and flow of dramatic events, the live and kisses of life. Definitely a book to b read more than once.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Joy Gardner
- 04-07-16
Entertainment, Romance and Some Damn Good Thinking
As a child in the 50s I was led to believe that there were no great women scientists or writers or artists. Elizabeth Gilbert is a consummate storyteller and whether it is true or fiction, this story about a unique and brilliant woman answers that question meticulously and with great compassion.
I found it endlessly fascinating to weave through the ins and outs of this generational story, and of the great loves of an extraordinarily ordinary- looking woman.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have read a book that combines entertainment, romance and some damn good thinking.
Juliet Stevenson's remarkably versatile voice was the perfect accompaniment to this tale.
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- Lousewies L.
- 01-21-17
Wonderful story, great narrator
A sweeping novel for our time, trying to reconcile science and the divine and pondering eternal questions about what constitutes a successful life.
Even though, as a Dutch person, I could find fault with the Dutch pronunciation and Dutch accents of the narrator, I loved her voices and intonation and enjoyed the book as a meditation through her voice.
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- Angela
- 11-16-18
Unexpected Delight
I was late coming to this, but I remembered the good reviews from when it first came out. Never thought I would find botany such an interesting subject. I liked the first half of the book - the story of Alma's father and her childhood and youth - better than the second half. It did seem to tail away at the end as other reviewers have remarked. But still, it kept me fully engaged for all 22 hours! The narration was good, except for the aggressively English pronunciations: TARheti, and TARo! I do wish readers would check foreign name and place pronunciations before they start, or the editors would call them on it.
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- Laura A. Corrigan
- 10-09-18
fantastically engrossing story!♡♡♡
engaging from beginning til the end. wonderful story, beautifully written and fantastic performance. I enjoyed eat pray love and big magic and Gilbert shows her versatility and ability for research and lovely storytelling with this book.
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- Judy
- 01-18-14
One of the best books I've read (or listened to)
Where does The Signature of All Things rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I would put this book in my top three.
What did you like best about this story?
The story was interesting with unexpected turns, thought-provoking ideas, and unusual (but not unlikeable) characters. The historical setting added more depth to the story for me.
Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favorite?
The main character, Alma Whittaker, has a brilliant scientific mind and a passion for botany. She has had what could be called a hard life, but all the while she was searching for answers and trying to understand the natural and spiritual world around her and the people in her life (while balancing what she contemplates with her rational mind).
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were several but I don't want to give away any plot twists.
Any additional comments?
This was a beautifully written book and I was sorry when it ended.
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- Hobbity111
- 07-19-17
usually I don't like long novels
this historical novel provides entertaining insight into the period, the characters, science, and every time I thought the novel was over the author took me in a new exciting Direction. I highly recommend this fascinating story of a woman's Journey in personal Discovery and science in the 1800's. it was so well written and performed I didn't have time to think about how long it was.
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