My Rating: 4.5 stars
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
Published by HarperCollins
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: paperback
Also by this author: Girl with the Peark Earring, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn, and many more.
Goodreads: Here
Back Cover Blurb:
On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, poor and uneducated Mary Anning learns that she has a unique gift: "the eye" to spot fossils no one else can see. When she uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious community on edge, the townspeople to gossip, and the scientific world alight. After enduring bitter cold, thunderstorms, and landslips, her challenges only grow when she falls in love with an impossible man. Mary soon finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster who shares her passion for scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy, but ultimately turns out to be their greatest asset.
My Review:
If you’re looking for a fast pace novel, this is not the one for you. However, if you’re looking for a thoughtful look into the lives of two remarkable women, you’ve found your next read.
In Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier tells the story of Mary Anning, fossil hunter, palaeontologist, and altogether incredible woman who made important scientific discoveries and forced the world to start changing the way they thought about prehistoric life and the age of the Earth. Chevalier also tells Mary's story story through the eyes of Elizabeth Philpot, Mary's mentor and friend.
Overall, I found this novel profoundly touching and quite sad in parts. It is incredibly revealing about the lives of women in the 19th century and offers some fascinating insights into the scientific beliefs of the time. I found the characters interesting and found myself deeply caring what happened to them. (So much so thatI found myself reading about them on the internet even after finishing the book.)
Of course Tracy chevalier takes a few liberties with the story and adds a little drama, but for the most part, she stays close to the facts and depicts the lives of Mary Anning accurately and tactfully.She offers a beautiful rendering of a woman who contributed greatly to science but was not given her dues during her life.
