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The Signature of All Things

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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, read by Juliet Stevenson.

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
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'Quite simply one of the best novels I have read in years' – Elizabeth Day, Observer

'Charming . . . extensively researched, compellingly readable' – Jane Shilling, Daily Telegraph

'Sumptuous . . . Gilbert's prose is by turns flinty, funny, and incandescent' – New Yorker
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A captivating story of botany, exploration and desire, by the multimillion copy bestselling author of Eat Pray Love

Everything about life intrigues Alma Whittaker. Her passion for botany leads her far from home, from London to Peru to Tahiti, in pursuit of that rare specimen: knowledge. But as her careful studies draw her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she meets the man who she will come to love – whose perspective, radically different from her own, will transform the way she understands the world.

Radiating with all the heart, soul and earthiness as its unforgettable heroine, The Signature of All Things is a captivating celebration of the workings of this world, and the mechanisms behind all life.
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'My own 500-pager of choice? Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things . . . just read it . . . Hugely enjoyable' – Viv Groskop, Observer Books of the Year
'The story of Alma Whittaker’s journey of discovery has irresistible momentum' – Helen Dunmore, The Times
'Gilbert has written the novel of a lifetime' – O, The Oprah Magazine
'Filled with dazzling storytelling' – Susie Boyt, Financial Times
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©2013 Elizabeth Gilbert (P)2013 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group US
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
All stars
Most relevant
the book embraces everything. I will keep looking for the solution to the Prudence problem. excellent reader as well. Thank you!

the title IS the book

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it was a really long book and I couldn't predict how it would go, I have never read anything like this in my life. I was intrigued, moved, surprised znd really grateful to have read it. its huge, it's mesmerising znd I would recommend it to anyone looking for depth, meaning, strangeness just wonderful reading xxx

I didn't want it to end

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Myself and my wife are lifetime gardeners and so I thought this book would be entertaining. Indeed it was. I loved how it started so far back in time to her grandparents then her parents. This gave such a good, solid grounding to the story. Although I felt a bit cheated with a 20+ year jump from her a 20 year old suddenly to 42! Then all the way to her early 80’s. All the twists and turns were intriguing and unexpected like a good story should be.
A great deal of praise has to go to the author Ms Gilbert, This must have entailed a huge amount of research. It didn’t go unnoticed all the minutiae and detail. Very well done!

Loved it!

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This rather over-long, ponderous and rather dull book was read superbly by Juliet Stevenson. I’m sure it would be
loved by book clubs where, I imagine, readers would discuss deeper meanings, which I was unable to unearth, from beneath the rather dense narrative.

Excellent narration

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Such beautiful rich writing. This novel contains everything that is wondrous in this world of ours, but also the simple small things. Together they make up a universe that amazes and humbles us. Wonderful.

Wonderful!

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