_______________ SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE LONGLISTED 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 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. _______________ '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 _______________