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 … 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.
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Fascinating look into a part of history that I knew little about.
Although it was informative, I could have put it down a number of times.
I really like this author and have read many of her books.
Great detail and interesting story. Not a romance but rather a long friendship.
This book isn’t for everyone, but as a child I dealt with my lack of friends by going to an old quarry and looking for fossils. This book deals with the original discovery of fossils and what they meant to the religious society of the time. This is the mostly true story of the young girl who lived on the English coast and found the original large fossils buried in the hillside by her home. She never got the fame she deserved in the male dominated society. A lot of territory is covered in this book.
I like historical books so I can learn as I read. The women in the book suffered mightily, but were able to make inroads into the study of fossils. Seems that “hands-on” learning was the best. An interesting story that kept me turning pages.
Wonderful insight to the development of the archaeological developments in England during that time period of the early 1800’s
Not too much. Story would be interesting if it didn’t contain too much info oN fossils. After a while it gets boring.
Interesting in that it covered historical events and people I was unfamiliar with, but it wasn’t enthralling. Nicely written, but a little slow, since there apparently weren’t many momentous events in the lives of these women.
Unusual and informative in a subject of which I had no knowledge. Different than Tracy Chevalier’s previous books. I learned a lot about fossils.
Interesting that a young, uneducated woman played a major part in the discovery of dinasour bones.
A very interesting look back at the roles women played in the early eighteenth century. Truly makes you appreciate how far we have come!
Every book by Alice Hoffman is original, intriguing. I can never put them down. I have always been thrilled with each one; never disappointed, ever. I have read almost every one. I cannot wait to read what I have not.
the author always delivers a good read
Wonderful historical fiction about 2 fascinating women who were fossil hunters. As usual , women were not given due credit for their amazing discoveries at that time . The history is woven with fiction into a great story that also highlights the social culture of that period of English history..highly recommend
Fantastic story set in the 1800s, based on real life people.
The romance of this novel is in the passion for discovery. The science of paleontology had not come in to being as a separate discipline, hence geologists we the ones who were interested in the discovery of previously unknown creatures at the time this novel was set. This is a fictionalization of a true story. The creatures the two protagonists discovered are on exhibit at the British Museum as well as at other institutions.
The limitations of being a woman in 19th Century England where a scientific mind and passion serve to isolate a woman from men and make her unsuitable for marriage. Even those men who themselves pursue knowledge can’t make room for sharing with a mate, as it presents competition and women at that time were not intellectual equals. This is the reality of the characters who hunt fossils on the beach in Lime Regis. Based on true scientific discoverers, the book focuses on two women of two separate classes and their fascination with and dedication to discovering fossils. How this impacts their lives and the direction of the scientific community plays out here. Beautifully written, atmospheric and sensitive to time and place, we are faced with how far women have come to the pinnacles of success and how but two hundred years ago, a woman could not walk down the street alone. The early days of geology as it spun off into archaeology, biology, the dawning of the understanding of evolution, extinction, the philosophical challenges and world views that came into consciousness, all this is played out in this remarkable book.
Excellent glimpse into the world of the early 1800’s in England. There seemed to be a sort of scientific renaissance going on during the time of this book. I liked the single-minded devotion to the fossils by the two women. What if Mary Anning could have gone to college. Or Elizabeth Philpot. The novelization was effective in illustrating the lives of women back then. How, with various restrictions, they still achieved excellence and respect from the scientific community of the time. If you want to know about early fossil hunting and scientific observation that was the foundation of current science about it be enchanted by this book. It is one of many to read about the the subject and see how the people involved lived their lives.
As in several of her past novels ([Girl with a Pearl Earring], [Falling Angels], Chevalier focuses on intelligent, women capable of making great contributions to society but whose lives are stunted by traditional gender roles, classicism, and plain old misogyny. Mary Anning is the barely educated daughter of a carpenter. She has a knack for finding “curies”–the fossil remains of earlier life forms. Mary is befriended by Elizabeth Philpot, a thirty-ish middle class spinster who shares her love for fossils. The male establishment continually belittles Mary’s contributions to science (while claiming her finds for their own). The volatile relationship between the two women is what make the novel worthwhile (unless you have a particular fondness for fossils!).