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Remarkable Creatures: A Novel

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Description

From the New York Times bestselling novelist, a stunning historical novel that follows the story of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, two extraordinary 19th century fossil hunters who changed the scientific world forever. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, poor and uneducated Mary learns that she has a unique gift: "the eye" to spot ammonites and other 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, 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. From the author of At the Edge of the Orchard and Girl With a Pearl Earring comes this incredible story of two remarkable women and their voyage of discovery. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 28, 2009


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 1.3 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled


Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Not drawn to the study of fossils, yet the book was still amazing
Format: Paperback
"Girl with the Pearl Earring" was the only novel I had read by this author until now. Both of these novels have been book club selections and I am eager to discuss this one with my group next week. After reading this latest from Ms. Chevalier, I am definitely motivated to go back and read the rest of her work. Set in 19th century England, the story mainly takes place on the southern coast in a village called Lyme Regis. A financially comfortable, but not wealthy, family needs to find somewhere the three spinsters sisters may make their home since residing in London is beyond their means. The family members go on a tour of the country looking for an appropriate place to settle the sisters and the decision is made to relocate them to Lyme Regis. Elizabeth Philpot, the middle sister, is fascinated by the fossils to be found on the beach and in the rock formations abutting it. She meets the young daughter of the local cabinet maker who contributes to the family's income by selling the fossils she finds to tourists coming through the town. The lives of these two women and their shared interest in fossils provides the basis of the narrative. There are other supporting characters and secondary storylines, but the focus really is on the discovery of fossils and the impact these finds have on the scientific community. I had no idea this was based upon actual people and true events, but I now have the desire to travel there and see it all for myself. A part historical fiction, part literary fiction, and a small part romance, this novel will appeal to a wide variety of readers. The characters are incredibly drawn and fully fleshed out, even the more minor ones are terrific. The setting is so beautifully described that I could practically feel the sea spray on my face. The dialog is so well written and the voices are so clear that within just a sentence or two the reader knows who is speaking even without that person being identified. I give this book the highest praise since science isn't my thing and I am not particularly interested in fossils but I still thought the novel was fabulous. When a writer can write about a subject I am not particularly interested in and make me love the book - that's pretty amazing. Chevalier is a master of the language as well as a master story-teller. Great, great book! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2011 by Holly

  • Best read in small doses.
Format: Kindle
Tracy Chevalier’s story of two real-life fossil-hunters in early 19th-century England reads like a Jane Austen novel, which isn’t surprising since Lyme Regis, a place visited by Austen early in the nineteenth century, is where and when this tale is set. It’s not an edge-of-your-seat page turner, but this historical fiction is worthy of your time. Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot were remarkable, as were the relics found by both women. They were extraordinary women for their times and Mary, in particular, found fossils that baffled experts of the day. That bafflement is expressed well in the novel; in addition, Chevalier highlights the difficulty in reconciling the existence of skeletons of unknown and probably extinct creatures with the Creationist philosophy that was prevalent at the time. Chevalier chronicles the possible relationship between Mary and Elizabeth, highlighting their presumed differences and similarities, as she speculates on how known historical events would have played out from the perspective of each of the women. Both women were unmarried, one genteel and one too poor to be strictly genteel, and both were interested in fossils. Mary was around twenty years younger than Elizabeth, but still one would expect they ran into each other a lot, both while fossil-hunting and while conducting business in daily life in their small town. Chevalier presumes that both women lived lives of some despair, having failed to marry, but I prefer to think they lived boldly and without regret. Perhaps they had no time for regret. One note about reading: this is told in first person, alternating between Mary and Elizabeth, and the narrator is not named; one has to read a bit before recognizing from the context and vernacular of the narrator which of the paleontologists is speaking. As with all historical fiction, the facts are the framework but license is taken in building relationships; approach the book with an open and curious mind, and follow up with your own research into the lives and times of Mary and Elizabeth as well as their colleagues. The author gets you started on your research; keep going past the last chapter of the novel and you’ll find a summary of the life and death of each of the women, as well as information on family members and colleagues. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2020 by Catherine B

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