Someone I admire was doing a shared reading about this book. I was immediately intrigued, first because I love a good book and secondly because there were plants involved. So, I decided to read The Signature of all Things from Elizabeth Gilbert, from the famous author of Eat, Pray and Love.
Elizabeth Gilbert must have done a huge research work in order to write this book. It involves a lot of historical facts from the 18th and 19th centuries and famous personages as Captain Cook as well as a lot of plant information. If you are in any way interested or curious to hear anything about mosses, this is your book. I personally thought original to choose such a plant which no one pay any attention to have such an important role in the book. Each chapter is named by a plant which will have a role in the specific phase presented. Ah! The taxonomy of the plant is also included! Plant lover here!
The book is settled in many different parts of the World, you can travel with the Whittaker family through the creation of the Key Gardens in England, the jungle in Peru, the start of the New World in Philadelphia, the exotic Tahiti and the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam.
Another interesting point of the book in my opinion is the discussion about science and spirituality during a time where so many discoveries where being made and theses two subjects were rather separated (unfortunately it still is).
My favorite character is Alma Whittaker, a natural born botanist that learn everything from books and observation at a time when women could not get proper education. She was luck to grow up in a family allowed her to speak up and because of her father relations she was in contact with some of the greatest scientists of her time and had a vast library in her hands.
I liked the book, and I found a mix of different subjects that interested me. Let me know if you read this book and what did you think about it.
留言