Remarkable Creatures in Retro Chapter Chicks

Feb 13, 2015 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction

Remarkable Creatures is a beautifully written book about two remarkable women, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. A fictional account based on real-life characters and events, Remarkable Creatures is set in the early 1800’s in the coastal town of Lyme Regis, England. Poor, uneducated Mary Anning and middle-class, London-bred Elizabeth Philpot form what is considered an unconventional friendship, due to their differing social classes, based on their love of fossils and fossil hunting. Despite my Remarkable Creatures is a beautifully written book about two remarkable women, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. A fictional account based on real-life characters and events, Remarkable Creatures is set in the early 1800’s in the coastal town of Lyme Regis, England. Poor, uneducated Mary Anning and middle-class, London-bred Elizabeth Philpot form what is considered an unconventional friendship, due to their differing social classes, based on their love of fossils and fossil hunting. Despite my extremely limited knowledge in the fields of geology and paleontology, I found this book fascinating.

The novel alternates back and forth between the points of view of both Mary and Elizabeth. I found this to be a very effective means for the reader to gain insight into the innermost thoughts of both of these women. Always lurking in the background is of course the restraints placed on both women due to their gender and their social class. Mary Anning was truly a gifted fossil hunter and yet she struggled to become recognized for her work due to being a female during these times. She was most definitely looked down upon as a result of her working-class status. Elizabeth Philpot, due to her middle-class standing, was able to champion Mary in certain social and scientific circles. However, Elizabeth was also limited in these circles due to her gender. Having gone to London to defend Mary at one point in the novel, Elizabeth, like all women at the time, was not allowed past the threshold of the Geological Society. Mary, perhaps due to her lower-class standing, found it easier to take risks and express her true feelings without caring what others would think. Elizabeth, however, was possibly more inhibited due to her more “elevated” position as a lady in society than was Mary. Elizabeth felt the need to show more decorum as was expected by society. The differences in the women’s own expectations and expressions of their needs and desires is perhaps what placed more of an eventual strain on their relationship than did the social conventions themselves. What appealed to me personally was their ability to grow as individuals, learn from one another, and find the true gift and meaning of forgiveness.

In addition to the scientific and social narratives in Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier also examines the religious significance of the findings of these fossils. The setting of this book occurs before Darwin’s The Origin of Species, at a time when scientific and religious thinking substantially clashed with one another. Uncovering the bones of animals that no longer existed on earth confused many people and raised complicated questions regarding God’s hand in the creation of the earth and its creatures. Would God create creatures to later bring about or “allow” their eventual demise? And what ramifications would this have on humanity itself? The scientific community as well as laymen and the clergy struggled with these questions. When Elizabeth Philpot challenges Reverend Jones with the theory that a certain fossil specimen “is an animal that God rejected in favor of a better design” the Reverend contends “All that you see about you is as God set it out in the beginning. He did not create beasts and then get rid of them. That would suggest He had made a mistake, and of course God is all-knowing and incapable of error, is He not?” and then later “God placed fossils there when He created the rocks, to test our faith”. Even the learned men in this novel struggle with these mysteries. Geologist and Oxford professor William Buckland says “I cannot see why God would want to kill off what He has created… Geology is always to be used in the service of religion, to study the wonders of God’s creation and marvel at His genius.” Despite his own fossil research and teaching position at Oxford, William Buckland remained uncertain and unable to reconcile his scientific and religious views. Additional debates ensued regarding whether the Bible should be interpreted literally or figuratively. I found these reflections to be quite thought provoking in many ways.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about fossils and fossil hunting regardless of current knowledge of the subject. Tracy Chevalier has inspired me to look further into the topic with some suggested further reading listed at the end of this novel. Even if fossils themselves do not arouse your curiosity, this is still a wonderful composition of a remarkable friendship that overcomes class struggles and personal conflicts, and a compelling glimpse at the impact of science on religion.
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Oct 03, 2010 Tasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I really enjoyed this one. A well-written and beautiful story. This is my second book by the author and I am definitely a fan.

Reread in October 2017 and loved it again. Sticking with 4 stars this time around as well.

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Mar 28, 2012 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, audio, england, nature, library, concierge, science

Book on CD narrated by Charlotte Perry and Susan Lyons
4****

This is a work of historical fiction focusing on two remarkable women who advanced the understanding of natural history with their discoveries. It is based loosely on the lives of these two real women, though Chevalier has taken artistic license in writing the novel.

Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot had little in common, being separated by age, education level and social class, but they found friendship in their common interest in fossi Book on CD narrated by Charlotte Perry and Susan Lyons
4****

This is a work of historical fiction focusing on two remarkable women who advanced the understanding of natural history with their discoveries. It is based loosely on the lives of these two real women, though Chevalier has taken artistic license in writing the novel.

Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot had little in common, being separated by age, education level and social class, but they found friendship in their common interest in fossils. The setting is early 1800’s England – specifically the seaside village of Lyme Regis. The unmarried Philpot sisters have moved to this small community after their family fortunes have been reduced and their brother can no longer afford to support them in London. Elizabeth fills her time by combing the beach for fossils, and this is how she comes across the Mary Anning, a young girl from a working-class family that is frequently in debt. Mary has a keen eye for “curies” (i.e. curiosities) and helps support her family by selling the fossils she finds.

The reader easily sees that Mary’s life is limited by her social class and lack of education. Elizabeth’s prospects are also limited – maybe even more than Mary’s. She’s educated, but has no money or particular social standing, and she cannot rely on her plain looks to help her attract a suitable husband (which, after all, is the goal for women in this time period). I am interested in natural history, so naturally find the history of their scientific accomplishments fascinating. But I am also intrigued by the exploration of the role of women in this time.

I like the way Chevalier develops the unlikely friendship between these two women. Elizabeth does sometimes show a somewhat patronizing attitude toward Mary, and the jealousy caused when a fossil collector pays more attention to the young, uneducated Mary than to Elizabeth strains their relationship. Yet, ultimately their interest in the science and in receiving credit for their contributions is what binds them together. I have to admit that I was sometimes irritated with Elizabeth’s superior attitude, but I applauded her for championing Mary’s cause. As for Mary … I just loved her. She showed such intelligence and drive.

The two performers of the audio book do an excellent job of voicing these two very different women – Remarkable Creatures, indeed!

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Sep 02, 2025 Sarah Brown rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am so glad I brought this book and had to read a book staring with R and this is where it took me. I am going to come back and add some information on the historical points at the end of the novel that I felt very intriguing. I loved both Elizabeth and Mary and their quirky relationship. I have a few of the fossils mentioned in the book, which really helped with the visualization along the way. I found it fascinating all the time spent on the beach, looking, finding, extracting, cleaning of fo ...more

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