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What To Read Next: More Refugee related books
By K · 39 posts · 4882 views
By K · 39 posts · 4882 views
last updated Apr 14, 2025 06:38AM
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By Katelyn , Our Shared Shelf Moderator · 38 posts · 11608 views
By Katelyn , Our Shared Shelf Moderator · 38 posts · 11608 views
last updated Jul 12, 2024 04:17PM
What Members Thought
After a slow start and a point where I almost stopped listening, I ended up loving this book. I didn't much care for The Girl with the Pearl Earring because I don't usually like historical fiction that deals with real people, so I decided not to bother with any more books by this author. However, I heard an interview with her where she talked about historical accuracy, and how when she wrote the Pearl Earring, she didn't expect anyone to read it, and thus didn't really worry about the "facts." W
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This book is the fictionalized biography of Mary Anning, the "she" in "She sells sea shells by the sea shore." It had to be a fictionalized biography, because no one really knows very much about Mary Anning's lift. For those of you who recognize her name and aren't quite sure why, she's the fossil hunter who found many of the most famous (and earliest) icthyosaurs, pleisiosaurs, and pliosaurs, not to mention hundreds of ammonites, sea lilies, and other ancient marine invertebrates.
"Remarkable C ...more
"Remarkable C ...more
This book is a 3.5, but I rounded up because I read it in 3 days which, when you work as much as I do, says a lot! While not nearly as beautifully written, and certainly containing characters that made me cringe in their falseness (Elizabeth's nephew and his staged questions), this book was compulsively readable, as Chevalier has proven herself in the past.
A neat story, although in trying to stick to the facts she knew about the Philpots she ended up creating fairly 2 dimensional characters in ...more
A neat story, although in trying to stick to the facts she knew about the Philpots she ended up creating fairly 2 dimensional characters in ...more
I can't decide if this should get 3 or 4 stars. I wanted to like it more than I did. It has such an interesting premise. I had been looking forward to reading this. The story itself was very interesting too... but it lacked some undefinable element.***semi spoilers**** I think perhaps I felt like the story could have devled more deeply into the tension between the scientific and religious community at the time. It is referenced so many times and yet just not developed. I enjoyed the story of Mar
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Another stellar historical fiction from Tracy Chevalier. This one deals with fossil hunters in Lyme before Charles Darwin. As a friend said, the power of the novel reveals itself slowly in the same way that a fossil is dug out of a cliff: layers and details, a little at a time.
This book was good, but somewhat a disappointment after having already read Curiosity by Joan Thomas, which is much more beautifully written, and much more detailed. I would recommend Curiosity over Remarkable Creatures.
This made me want to read some non-fiction about Anning & Philpot's accomplishments.
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I could see this filmed in some Merchant Ivory project.
By the book jacket, I should have loved this book--historical fiction, evolution, female friendship....but I found the writing kind of stilted and I felt like the book read as if Chevalier would put the book away for a few months and return to writing it later, which is fine, but it just felt disconnected to me. I haven't read one of her books in many years and I am now wondering if they've all read like this and I've changed, or if this is just a disappointing effort.
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I didn't like the last Chevalier book I read (after the Girl with the Pearl Earring) - and I was wary of the topic and characters here... But this book is wonderful and beautiful. What I love about Chevalier's work is that it is rooted in some truth. This story is about the girl who discovered a particular type of dinosaur. It was fascinating.
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I wish Goodreads had half stars...this was a 3.5 for me.
Sep 07, 2010
Julie
marked it as to-read
Oct 05, 2011
Marnie
marked it as to-read
Oct 27, 2011
Gloriana
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2012
ainsley
marked it as to-read
Dec 11, 2016
allison
added it
Mar 03, 2017
Lis
marked it as to-read
Apr 10, 2019
David Hansen
marked it as to-read
