Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Signature of All Things' wins mostly positive reviews
Gilbert returns to fiction with her new novel, which was released Oct. 1.
Gilbert returns to fiction with her new novel, which was released Oct. 1.
Writer Elizabeth Gilbert is perhaps best known for her memoir writing, including her blockbuster 2006 book 鈥淓at, Pray, Love.鈥�
But Gilbert has returned to fiction with her new novel 鈥淭he Signature of All Things,鈥� and so far her foray into the world of make-believe is getting mainly positive reviews.
鈥淪ignature鈥� centers on Alma Whittaker, daughter of the richest man in 19th-century Philadelphia who becomes a botanist and falls in love with a man whose beliefs don鈥檛 always match up with science.
The book was recently selected as one of the 10 best books of October by Amazon鈥檚 editors, and Amazon editorial director Sara Nelson was especially impressed with how naturally Gilbert鈥檚 research on the locations to which Alma travels fit into the book. 鈥淚t just really works as a novel,鈥� Nelson said. "The research isn't overwhelming.鈥�
NPR writer Lizzie Skurnick was won over, calling 鈥淪ignature鈥� 鈥渨onderful鈥� and 鈥渙ne of the best of the year.鈥� While many subjects are addressed in Gilbert鈥檚 narrative, says Skurnick, the book is 鈥渞evelatory, not overwhelming.鈥�
New York Times writer Janet Maslin called 鈥淪ignature鈥� 鈥渧ibrant [and] hot-blooded,鈥� though she noted that Gilbert鈥檚 attempts to capture a nineteenth-century tone in her writing can be a little obvious.
鈥淚t takes five affected little 鈥榦fs鈥� to make Alma 鈥� 鈥榞inger of hair, florid of skin鈥�.鈥�,鈥� she writes. 鈥淸But] 鈥淭he Signature of All Things鈥� remains engrossing鈥�. Plausibility grows scarce during the book鈥檚 second half. But Ms. Gilbert鈥檚 wanderlust gets a chance to flourish. So does the love of knowledge that animates all of 鈥楾he Signature of All Things.鈥欌��
USA Today critic Martha T. Moore was impressed with the fact that Gilbert 鈥渉as clearly done a backbreaking amount of work鈥� in order to accurately depict Alma and her time period.
鈥淭he characters around her are vivid and would make novels in themselves,鈥� Moore wrote. However, she summed up Alma鈥檚 story as 鈥渁 bit like the moss she studies: expansive but dense, admirable but requiring an effort of will to find compelling.鈥�
Meanwhile, Telegraph writer Jane Shilling said the novel reminded her of Hilary Mantel鈥檚 work 鈥淲olf Hall鈥� in that "Signature" also has a 鈥渂road historical scope鈥� and has an 鈥渁mbition refract universal questions about human nature through the experience of a complex individual.鈥�
鈥淕ilbert鈥檚 narrative lacks the keen, uncompromising edge of Mantel, and her minor characters are not always conjured with absolute precision,鈥� Shilling wrote. 鈥淣evertheless, this is a big novel in all senses 鈥� extensively researched, compellingly readable and with a powerful charm that will surely propel it towards the bestseller lists."聽
鈥淪ignature鈥� was released on Oct. 1.