A great novel! A fun way to learn about early fossil hunting in England.

An interesting and quick read loosely based on real events surrounding fossil discoveries in late 18th century England. Very Jane Austen-esque.

Let me start this by saying that no Tracy Chevalier book has ever pleased me as much as Girl with a Pearl Earring or Lady and the Unicorn. By reading those two first, I set myself up for inevitable disappointment, because none of her books could ever live up to my opinion of the first two.

Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed listening to this on my daily commute. My only expectation was to be entertained and I was. To be honest, I didn't even know what the story was about when I started, but was delighted when I learned the subject. I have spent time on an archaeological dig and can completely relate to the thrill of the hunt and the joy and wonder of finding evidence of long-gone people, creatures, or things.

I thought she did a good job of presenting the story from the perspectives of two women so different in class, education, and experience. She also explored the disparity and tension between Christianity and science with delicacy and sureness. The debate still rages today, with so much more known about science. It must have been mind-boggling to wrestle with such a blow to universally known "truths" that are the foundation of faith.

This was a book that was enlightening and entertaining. The characters were well drawn and their motivations clear. The imagined scenes and conversations were realistic and created a viable world.

Very enjoyable. It gently weaves together history, science and fiction.

Interesting light read by the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring.

The narrative felt very halting to me, and the narrator seemed to hold the reader at arm's length. Still, I appreciated the historical reimaginings of these women's lives.

The true story of two strong women of science in a world of men. It’s the Regency Era, and “curies” (fossils) from the seashore are all the rage among tourists and the budding scientific community. Mary Anning is a young & masterful hunter with an eye for finding beauty along the rocky seashore, who hustles to find curies to sell to help her family put food on the table. She befriends a newcomer to Lyme Regis, Elizabeth Philpot, who teaches Mary about the geology behind the pieces she sells to tourists. As they continue to walk the shores each day looking for curies, they come upon a fossilized skeleton of what they think must be a crocodile. But something about their discovery leads them to wonder if it is in fact a crocodile or a creature that became extinct long ago.

Thus begins a journey of reckoning of science with faith: the townspeople descend into gossip about Mary’s character, the priests become highly agitated, and the scientific world is set ablaze by this discovery. Elizabeth and Mary wonder if they can find a nuanced space where both God & a creature that lived billions of years ago can be true.

I loved this piece of historical fiction about two incredibly strong & independent women of science of differing social classes who were real historical figures. Their bond of friendship as they weathered cold days hunting along the shores and the world of science made for men was a powerful source of strength in a time when women were simply not taken seriously.

Today, history recognizes Mary Anning as an incredible fossil hunter, who discovered many ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs along the Lyme Regis coast. She also discovered the first complete pterodactyl. An inspirational story of science, faith, and how a strong foundation in both is crucial to understanding the beauty of creation.

I’ll end with a quote from Mary Anning in Chevalier’s words, explaining in Mary’s simple but profound voice the vastness of the created universe,
“Looking up at the stars so far away, I begun to feel there was a thread running between the earth and them. Another thread was strung out too, connecting the past to the future, with the ichie [ichthyosaur] at one end, dying all that long time ago and waiting for me to find it. I didn’t know what was at the other end of the thread. These two threads were so long I couldn’t even begin to measure them, and where one met the other, there was me. My life led up to that moment, then led away again, like the tide making its highest mark on the beach and then retreating.”

Interesting historical novel, especially if you enjoy reading about Georgian/Regency England and/or the history of paleontology.

Working-class girl Mary Anning - one of the main characters in this book - is famous for being the first person to find an entire icthyosaurus skeleton, sparking the idea that perhaps the Earth wasn't created 6,000 years ago (as was commonly believed at the time), and extinct species were entirely possible despite the infallibility of God. Set in pre-darwinian times, I particularly enjoyed these sorts of discussions in the novel.

The other main character is another historical person, fossil enthusiast and middle-class spinster Elizabeth Philpot. I normally don't like the word 'spinster' but in this historical context it is entirely appropriate for an unmarried woman.

I was not, however, entirely convinced by Tracy Chevalier's story. Some of it simply did not ring true to me, though I'm unable to put my finger on exactly what seemed off. Perhaps the attempt at romance between Mary Anning and a visiting fossil collector?

But entirely worth a read - or listen if, like me, you have access to the audiobook.