A very fine book, by a celebrated author, that I enjoyed tremendously. I borrowed this one on my Kindle courtesy of Perquimans Library's participation in Overdrive. I am beyond thrilled by this endeavor on their part.
Tracy Chevalier is an author I have long admired and followed. This is an very fine historical novel that opened up new vistas for me. I knew very little, even next to nothing about fossils in the Jurassic era, although I am involved in exploring ancient DNA. My Masters degree was partly in Anthropology( Education) so perhaps I come by that interest naturally.
The Dorset Coast of England was the world's first natural World History site. Who knew? Apparently Tracy Chevalier, a fine historian as well as novelist. Mary Anning was a young girl from a working class but poor family in Lyme Regis when the Philpot sisters, spinsters, were gently relocated there by their brother prior to his marriage. Their mutual pastime, which became their life's work and calling, shed a light on prehistoric to a world that in the 1820s was unwilling to consider evolution.
The early 19th Century was also unwilling to consider female scientists, or females with any
profession to speak of. Enter Mary Anning who found "monsters" and Elizabeth Philpot who found fossilized fish and changed history. This is their story and done in a masterful way.
Recommended for anyone who loves historical novels and good history of any type
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