THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS by Elizabeth Gilbert

This was undoubtedly one of the best novels I have ever read. I marveled all the way through it which was greater, the intellect of the writer or the amount of staggering research she must have done to write such a book. Most surprising of all was that she could make the subject of botany so intriguing. The story was more than brilliantly weaved and the language so suitably employed to reflect the time period in which the novel was set. It left me thirsting for knowledge and refinement of speech. The story begins on 5 January 1800 with the birth of the heroine, Alma Whittaker. Born into wealth and tutored by her intelligent and no nonsense Dutch mother, Alma develops a brilliant and enquiring mind which enables her to excel in the field of botany and to which she dedicates her entire life. The story also covers the history of her father's life and his many exploits and expeditions of discovery across the globe. His story gives the reader a compelling window to the world of discovery as it once was and evokes appreciation for the world that now is. He eventually settles in America and becomes the riches man in Philladelphia and a much regarded man of business. His foundation in botany forms a platform for his daughter to delve into the natural world and to become a gifted botanist in her own right. Alma's life's work takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution from which she develops her own theory to coincide with that of Darwin's theory of 'natural selection' but Alma never resolves the enigma of humanity and concedes to the inability to reconcile science with spirituality. This is one book that should not be missed by a serious reader who desires to learn and to question what it means to be human.

THE RETURNED by Jason Mott

This book irritated me no end. I wanted to read it because I follow the TV series "Resurrection" which is based on the book. I had hoped to get some explanation of 'the Returned' but that explanation was not to be found. What I did find out was that the TV series is way better than the book. The book explores the possibility of having our dear loved ones who had once graced this earth return to life, not as zombies, but as real live people in exact same state as when they passed away, or maybe not. There was one returned who came back with dementia that she had before she died, so did the sick return too? The publisher's review states they returned in the exact same state that they died in, so what of cancer suffers and those who had been chronically ill for years before death and those who had been mangled in car accidents? The author never addresses this possibility and portrays all other Returned as able bodied individuals roaming the countryside. One Returned had died in a car accident but she was perfect in her form when she came back so I see this as a major flow of the story. And what of criminals and murderers and rapists? The story presented too many questions and not enough answers. What irritated me the most is that there was no rhyme or reason to this phenomenon. The dead people were merely all of a sudden coming back as if from a sleep, not remembering how they got there and when they came back they served no purpose; they didn't mend any relationships, they didn't speak any words left unspoken or finish any business they had left undone before they passed away. All they did is create chaos and mayhem among those that didn't want them back, just by their presence. They were the Returned without a voice and depicted as innocent victims. Even those that accepted them didn't believe they were really their loved ones but some unnatural carbon copy and endeared themselves to them because of memories they kept close to their hearts. In the end, no explanation, rhyme or reason, just as the dead started to outnumber the living, they simply started vanishing and thank goodness for that! I did not see the point to this story and considered 'the Returned' the most bizarre concept. The author explains at the end of the book that he once had a dream where he found his dead mother in his kitchen and he related to her all his doings since she had passed. As he told his friend about this dream, his friend asked him: "Can you imagine if she actually did come back, just for one night? And what if it wasn't just her? What if it happened to other people too?" From this was born the idea of The Returned. The story would have endeared itself to me much more had the author focused more on how the three principal characters resolved their issues with their dead instead of treating those resolves as a sideline of the story. What should have been the central theme of the novel got lost in the problem of overpopulation. This was Jason Mott's first novel and even though his publisher calls him 'a unique voice' I am not certain that I would read his succeeding work.

NIGHT MUSIC by Jojo Moyes

This is one clever story. A light read that doesn't tax the brain cells but makes you look forward to picking it up every day. Anyone that can spin a good story around an inanimate object such as a house is in my opinion a good writer. This is not my favourite Jojo Moyes book but I absolutely relished reading it. This story is very well written with realistic but favourable outcomes. Even though it is a 'woman's read', it is devoid of excessive sentiment and sugar and spice. It is filled with tragedy, passionate humanity and triumph of spirit. When a professional violinist is suddenly made a widow her perfect world crumbles around her but what appears to be an end of her idyllic world proves to be the beginning of a new life of self-discovery, newly found awareness of what really matters and a greater love than the one lost. I have read three other books written by Jojo Moyes and would recommend my favourite, Me Before You, and The Girl You Left Behind besides the delightful Night Music which I consider a good read indeed.