Elizabeth Gilbert, celebrated best-selling author of two memoirs: Eat, Pray, Love and the sequel Committed, returns triumphantly to fiction with her latest work. It's a big novel about the pursuit of knowledge, both personal and professional, about a woman botanist whose life spans both time (the nineteenth century) and space (North America, South America, the South Pacific, and Europe) and ideas (the theory of evolution).
It is also a wonderfully compelling read, the kind of book that you find yourself unwilling to put down even at two o'clock in the morning. Alma Whittaker is a woman with an insatiable curiosity about the world, a fierce determination to understand how it works, and a will to surmount the vicissitudes of her life. Having once had an opportunity, some years ago, to meet Gilbert, I would never pass up any book of hers, but with this one she has reached a whole new level. I can confidently say, if you ever have a chance to hear her speak in person, RUN don't walk! She is not to be missed!
Click HERE to find a video of Elizabeth Gilbert talking about the book on her web site.
