FANS of Eat Pray Love needn't panic. Although the subject matter of Gilbert's latest project initially seems wilfully obscure - the life of a 19th century female botanist - it's soon obvious that we're not quite so far away from her trademark woman-seeking-the-meaning-of-life-quest as we might first have believed.
Alma Whitaker is the only daughter of one of Philadelphia's richest men, a wily and driven plant thief who, unusually for the times, encourages his daughter to read, learn and question everything.
From him she develops a passion for plants, in particular mosses, and devotes her life to studying and understanding them.
But the novel returns to more familiar territory when, aged 48, Alma falls in love with Ambrose Pike, the catalyst for a tumultuous voyage of discovery.
Gilbert's observations, of both characters and locations, make this an unexpected joy and in Alma Whitaker she has created a truly unforgettable heroine.
Rating: 8/10
Review: Anita Chaudhuri
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