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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Minimal violence; the novel is primarily intellectual and emotional in register
Language
Barely any
Mild language in the literary historical fiction register
Sexual Content
Some
Alma's frank and solitary exploration of her own sexuality is handled with literary maturity; adult romantic content in the second half
Substance Use
Barely any
Some period-appropriate drinking; laudanum appears in the historical setting
Emotional Intensity
Some
The psychological weight of a life devoted entirely to one subject — and the grief of what that devotion costs in love and connection — is the novel's quiet and profound subject
What this book is about
Elizabeth Gilbert's sweeping historical novel follows Alma Whittaker, born in 1800 into a wealthy Philadelphia family built on botanical trade. Alma becomes the world's foremost authority on mosses over a long life spanning continents — the Americas, Tahiti, Amsterdam. Gilbert writes richly about the intersection of scientific passion, sexuality, faith, and the strange mercy of a life lived entirely in the mind. Adult content including Alma's frank exploration of her own sexuality; the novel's intellectual and emotional richness rewards patient readers.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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