Reviews

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

jencara3's review

3.0

Interesting characters but kind of dragged on and I don’t really care about moss

suzzeb22's review

4.0

Elizabeth Gilbert has soared in my opinion of her after finishing this novel. I had read and mostly enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love but found it a tad too self-introspective for my tastes. I did come away with the opinion that she was a solid writer. I enjoyed plenty of that book and gave this one a try based on a blogger who has similar reading tastes to mine. I was not disappointed. I loved the scope of the novel; that it travelled around the globe quite a bit and worked Tahiti in there.

I also loved the characters; Alma and Ambrose, Retta and George, the Italian astronomer, her cranky father and the beloved nursemaid Hanneke de Groot and another character whose name I won't mention for those who have not yet read it (spoiler alert).

A wonderful book that takes you out of your own life and brings you close to nature and some amazing historical characters.
A huge yes to this book. I highly recommend.

teshkevesh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

4.5

shannon_white1099's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jennyluwho's review

4.0

‘The trick at every turn was to endure the test of living for as long as possible. The odds of survival were punishingly slim, for the world was naught but a school of calamity and an endless burning furnace of tribulation. But those who survived the world shaped it—even as the world, simultaneously, shaped them.’

3.5 stars

avesmaria's review

3.0

Combine unlikable characters, sexual frustration, and a lot of tedious botany, and you will get this book. Even as a hardcore science lover it didn't capture my attention.

ymkre's review

adventurous lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

threegoodrats's review

3.0

3.5 I really enjoyed this for the most part, but it began to drag and ultimately it could have been 100 pages shorter and still retained everything that was important. It's the story of a life so there's not one plot but it contains numerous small plots. Gilbert writes well and does a beautiful job of describing Alma's scientific work in a way I found fascinating, though I have never before been interested in learning about mosses.

hanni19088's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

briawnah's review

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0