Book Review- Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

“Yes, Marry Anning you are different from all the rocks on the beach” -Mary Anning, Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

“I did not read fiction and could not be persuaded to try it. Life itself was far messier, and didn’t end so tidily, with the heroine making the right match.”

“It hurt, but the truth often does.”

Hey readers!

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier is a historical fiction novel. I knew nothing about this book before reading it. I bought a fiction mystery box during the Covid-19 lockdown, from a website called 99bookscart.com and started reading Remarkable creatures as it was one of the thin books.. :D.

Storyline of Remarkable Creatures

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier is a book about two remarkable women Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpott who are into fossils and are said to have “an eye” for it (basically tend to find them at the perfect place and time). They both belong to different classes of society and age groups still manage to maintain a bond of friendship with a lot of ups and downs.

The book is set back in the 1800s in the coastal town of Lyme Regis, England. This was the time when it was not that easy for women in the world of fossils. They were not appreciated in their time and not given credit for their talents. In fact, other men betrayed and took credit for their efforts and times. It is good that both these women find each other and uncover some skeletons of unusual creatures.

“I could not stand by and watch suspicions grow about her skills when the men knew she outstripped them all in her abilities.”

Mary Anning finds fossils of ancient creatures to sell them and earn a decent living whereas Elizabeth Philpot finds fish fossils in order to collect and keep them with herself. Thus the novel alternates back and forth between the points of view of both Mary and Elizabeth. We get to know about both the women better as the chapters are written alternatively from their perspectives.

“There were so many stars now that I couldn’t count them. I felt very small, pinned to the ground under the knowledge of them all. They were beginning to hollow me out.”

The author also explores the religious significance of the fossils that were found. The best part is that this novel is based on true events. Therefore, I enjoyed the knowledge that I gained about fossils and ancient creatures. This book wasn’t able to hold my attention midway but I kept on reading to see how it ends. The course of events was enough to keep me engaged.

Mary and Elizabeth dealt with their family problems and managed to pursue their passion for fossils. Remarkable Creatures includes facts, love stories, betrayal and fossils. I did sympathize with the characters but didn’t really feel connected. Overall it was a satisfactory read for me. A learnt plenty of new things thus fulfilling the purpose of reading a new unknown book. I googled every little thing I read about in this book, this connected those words to real-life objects and the book became much more interesting. Despite my extremely limited knowledge in the fields of geology and paleontology, I found this book fascinating.

“This was also my chance for an adventure in an unadventurous life.”

“I often looked to the horizon, lulled into a wordless calm by the rhythm of the sea and by ship life.”

You can read Remarkable Creatures if you want to read something light. The storyline won’t meddle much with your brain. It was a good book for a one time read. I don’t think that I am gonna read it again. Do give it a try and let me know about your reviews as well.

See you soon!

Also read- The Immortals Of Meluha by Amish Tripathi book review

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