Elizabeth collects them while Mary sells them to make money for her family, until they make some incredible discoveries. Both of them have an interest in the fossils found on the beach at Lyme Regis. I have read three of Chevalier’s novels and this one is my favorite by far.Įlizabeth Philpott is from a middle-class family in the early 1800s in England while Mary Anning is from a working class family. It vividly portrays the thrill of discovery and inspired me to research the people behind the story.

This book weaves together history, science, unconventional women, and a solid storyline, so it is no surprise that I enjoyed it tremendously. I particularly liked how the authors shows the tremendous gap in scientific knowledge at the time the fossils are initially discovered. The reader can feel a sense of injustice when Mary is not even given credit for discovering the skeleton. 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. They are based on real people and Chevalier writes them into life, complete with obsessions and idiosyncrasies. The narrative alternates perspectives between Elizabeth and Mary.

When Mary unearths a skeleton of what appears to be a large crocodile, it ultimately leads to their interaction with well-known male paleontologists of the day. They become unlikely friends, bonding over their love of fossils and searching for them by the sea. Elizabeth is an educated lady who has relocated from London, and Mary is a working-class daughter of an impoverished cabinet maker. Historical fiction based on the lives of real people, amateur paleontologists Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning, in the early 1800s in Lyme Regis, England.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier