Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Chevalier was once a reference book editor, which I love, having been a fact checker myself. She paid attention to historical detail in “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and does so as well in her new book “Remarkable Creatures”, the story of 2 women in the English seaside town of Lyme Regis in early 19th century England, Mary Anning, a young working class girl and Elizabeth Philpot, a ‘spinster’ at age 25. Elizabeth is moved to Lyme from London (with her unmarried sisters) after her brother marries. She quickly becomes fascinated with collecting and classifying fossils on the beach. She also has a unique way of categorizing people she meets. “I have long noted that people tend to lead with one particular feature, a part of the face or body. My brother, for instance leads with his eyebrows. It is not just that they form prominent tufts above his eyes, but they are the part of his face that moves the most… My sister Margaret, leads with her hands. She is given to waving her hands about when she dances.. My sister Frances has been the only sister to marry and leads with her bosom – which I suppose explains that.” Wonderful, wonderful descriptive writing throughout the book.

Mary Anning, who was struck by lightening as a baby, has an eye for spotting unusual fossils embedded in cliffs and on the beach. The two women forge an uncommon friendship, which sees them through the tongue wagging of townsfolk and Mary’s fossil finds which throw into question the very nature of religion. How could God create creatures that no longer exist? How could these fossils once have been animals that existed hundreds of thousands of years ago when the earth is only 6 (or so?) thousand years old. Because of the time period and because Mary is a woman, she is not given credit for her discoveries and when men of science step in and try to take credit for her findings, the result is a wonderful story of friendship and resilience between these two women.

Chevalier discovered the real Mary Anning while touring a dinosaur museum in Lyme Regis, took the ‘bones’ of her life, much of which is recounted here (Elizabeth was also a real person) and put together a wonderful story of loyalty, camaraderie and a fascinating moment in history. I loved this book.