by Tracy Chevalier
I can see why this story can be thought of as boring – it
is a subtle story. It's about friendship that exists in the absence of the
friends themselves. It describes the tedious effort it takes to work with
fossils and that it takes to make a friendship between introverts. The title, Remarkable Creatures, refers to the ‘monster' fossils excavated
from English beaches in the early 19th century. It also refers to the two main
characters - Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. Mary's a small town oddball yet
widely known as lucky and, eventually, talented fossil hunter. Elizabeth is a
fellow oddball but is well-read and well-connected. The characters of Mary and
Elizabeth are real characters, known to history because the dinosaur and fish
specimens they contributed to British and French science institutions. But the
core of Chevalier's story is their friendship and their loneliness. In this
story, evolution is a both a theme and a force. As a theme, evolution is
introduced into public opinion as Mary's fossils spark discussions about
extinction. As a force, evolution exists in Elizabeth's and Mary's private
relationship. Their friendship evolves – they part ways but can't forget each
other - and each woman's reputation changes as they carry out separate (yet connected)
lives. There are layers in Chevalier's style and they can be hard to spot –
much like the fossils and geology in which her story is rooted. (Originally
posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)
For a nonfiction account of Mary Anning’s life, check out
The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World by Shelley Emling