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Jan 09, 2017
In Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things, we are introduced to Alma Whittaker, an engaging heroine whose story stretches all the way through the nineteenth century and takes us from Europe to America and on again to Tahiti. Alma’s story is an engaging one even as it is one of self discovery that explores such universal themes as romance, sexuality, death and spirituality/religion. Perhaps the most memorable series of events in the book is the discovery by the main character of books that explore sensuality and which aid her in her attempts to explore her sexuality in the privacy of a broom closet. Alma is a scientist, a botanist to be exact and it is her attempts to understand the world around her through the study of the mysteries hidden in plant life, that help her to begin to understand her identity. It is refreshing that Gilbert refuses adhere to the commonality of the binary theme of good versus evil. There is no clear antagonist here and all that threatens the main character’s happiness is herself and her actions. As is the trend of most historical fiction, some real life historical events play a great deal in creating the background to which the story is set. For Alma it is her discovery of the theory of evolution and the publication of Darwin’s theories which closely resemble hers. The Signature of All Things is a work of prose evocative of beauty and the power of womanhood. - @TheEccentric of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library