Signature of all things
(Book)

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Published
New York : Penguin Books, 2014.
ISBN
0143125842, 9780143125846
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LocationCall NumberStatus
Downers Grove Public Library - 2nd Floor - AdultFICTION GILBERT, E.On Shelf
Downers Grove Public Library - 2nd Floor - AdultFICTION GILBERT, E.Checked out
Glen Ellyn Public Library - Adult FictionFIC GILBERT, ELIZABETHChecked out
Indian Prairie Public Library District - 1st FloorNOVEL GILBERTChecked out
Park Forest Public Library - StacksFIC GILOn Shelf
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Published
New York : Penguin Books, 2014.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
501 pages ; 22 cm
Language
English
ISBN
0143125842, 9780143125846

Notes

Description
In this book the author returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker-a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry's brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father's money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma's research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction, into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist, but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life. The story soars across the globe, from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who, born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution, bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. -- Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Gilbert, E. (2014). Signature of all things . Penguin Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Gilbert, Elizabeth, 1969-. 2014. Signature of All Things. Penguin Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Gilbert, Elizabeth, 1969-. Signature of All Things Penguin Books, 2014.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Gilbert, Elizabeth. Signature of All Things Penguin Books, 2014.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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