From the New York Times bestselling novelist, a stunning historical novel that follows the story of Mary Anning andElizabeth Philpot, two extraordinary 19th century fossil hunters who changed the scientific world forever. Until this story, I had no idea who Mary Anning or Elizabeth Philpot were and how important their work was in the discovery of prehistoric creatures. Their discoveries at the beginning of the 19th century came at the time when many tried to explain or reconcile geology with their religious beliefs when very idea of extinction was anathema because it suggested that God was imperfect. What are these creatures and why don’t they still exist? Is it possible that God made a mistake with these animals? Take this exchange between Reverend Jones and Elizabeth Philpot:

Tracy Chevalier's novel about Mary Anning is also about another woman--the genteel older woman Elizabeth Philpot. Despite the class and age differences between the two women, they became close friends as they shared their passion for collecting fossils. So this is not only a story about a woman who made invaluable contributions to science, but a story about the bond of friendship between two women. Chevalier, however, has two heroines, two voices. Mary is the young one, the uneducated girl with lightning in her bones, who reacts to everything by instinct. It is the older woman whose voice dominates the novel. Elizabeth Philpot was also a historical character (her fossil fish collection ended up in Oxford) and her situation at the start of Chevalier's novel is familiar from Austen: that of a middle-class spinster sent away by a married brother to live more cheaply elsewhere. Elizabeth settles at Lyme, where she begins collecting fossils. I ultimately didn't love the storytelling as much as I had hoped to. I'm honstly not sure whether my existing affinity for the subjects made me like the story more than I would have done otherwise, or whether I had such expectations I couldn't help but be disappointed. I do think Chevalier is a capable storyteller, and I thought she handled the split narratives (the story is told alternately from Elizabeth's perspective, then Mary's) remarkably well. It's really a fascinating story if you are interested in the progression of people's understanding of dinosaurs and/or the conflicts between established religious beliefs and new scientific discoveries.The author certainly writes descriptively enough about the coast, the people and the wild weather to make you glad you're not out there digging with them, being lashed by wind and rain. Remarkable Creatures tells the story of a little-known figure from history who made valuable contributions to the emerging field of paleontology, despite being entirely self-taught and never fully accepted by the scientific circles of the day. Her discoveries provide important evidence for extinction of species, a controversial topic in the early 19th century. Her discoveries of animals that were so unlike any creatures living at the time provided valuable evidence to support the notion that there were species from the past that were no longer in existence.

It's difficult to say more without revealing spoilers. Overall, I would recommend this book to those with an interest in the subjects but am not sure it will win over anyone who isn't interested in taking long walks along the beaches of Lyme Regis looking for fossils day in and day out.Anning, her Lyme seashore, and the scientific discourse of her time are all fascinating topics for consideration. In creating the yin/yang of her dual protagonists Chevalier stretches the boundaries of historical fiction a little too far for me. The second woman is Anning's friend, Elizabeth Philpot, an educated woman who, being a spinster, relocated with her sisters to Lyme Regis after the death of their father. In fact, reading her story strongly reminded me of the sisters in Sense and Sensibility - and yes there even is a military man who plays a crucial role in the lives of both women.

Remarkable Creatures doesn't have the same sure hand or intricately drawn world as Girl with a Pearl Earring, but Chevalier's own curiosity in her subject can not be doubted as you can see in this Tracy Chevalier ">BBC slide show narrated by Tracy Chevalier and this Barnes and Noble Studio beach walk interview with on Tracy Chevalier (Thanks, Eric, for sending me this link, wonderful interview).MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously. The official record doesn’t offer much drama beyond Mary and her family being on the edge of going to the poor-house most given days. Very suspenseful if you are experiencing it, but not the most riveting plot for the reader. So I completely understand why Chevalier creates the rivalry between the two women for the attention of one un-noteworthy man. Still, it disappoints me. One the main ribbons running through this book is the changing role of women during this time period—getting recognition for their minds, not just their appearances, and loosening some of the conventions that bound them to child-rearing and household roles. Both of the main characters and all of the marine reptiles are indeed remarkable creatures.

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.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction. I enjoy reading history enough that I worry about getting the historical fiction confused with the history. But there is a benefit: historical fiction can open my eyes, get me interested in a time, the people and events, of which I previously knew little. There is much to appreciate in Remarkable Creatures. You get to observe and consider the lives of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, their friendship, their support for one another, their jealousy of one another. You learn what an amazing person Mary Anning was with no formal education, the expertise she develops in paleontology and the reputation she earns. She and Elizabeth accomplish what they do in the face of the gender discrimination of the time that forces women into very limited, tightly defined roles and ignores them as capable of contributing intellectually. The class barriers are just as big a problem. Mary Anning, being a woman that is part of a poor, barely surviving family faces all these challenges. Mary’s mother, Molly, is in her own right just as unique and strong as her daughter. What is even more astonishing is that Mary Anning had little education and spent most of her early years in abject poverty. The greatest fossil hunter ever known was a woman from Lyme Regis. Mary Anning's discoveries were some of the most significant geological finds of all time. They provided evidence that was central to the development of new ideas about the history of the Earth. The narrative alternates perspectives between Elizabeth and Mary. They are based on real people and Chevalier writes them into life, complete with obsessions and idiosyncrasies. The two women face a number of obstacles, including a male-dominated society that minimizes the role of women and church officials that do not support the concept of extinction. The reader can feel a sense of injustice when Mary is not even given credit for discovering the skeleton. The period is portrayed beautifully. I particularly liked how the authors shows the tremendous gap in scientific knowledge at the time the fossils are initially discovered.