The Signature of All Things

_______________SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION_______________'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_______________A captivating story of botany, exploration and desire, by the multimillion copy bestselling author of Eat Pray LoveEverything 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._______________'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_______________