Bookish Ames

Remarkable Creatures, despite a slow start, surprised me! I have always been interested in archaeology and this book gave me new insight, it made me look at the past in a different way. Everyone has read about the men who “discovered” fossils and skeletons…but were they the ones who actually found them and dug them out? Remarkable Creatures is the story of Mary Anning, a young woman who finds these remarkable creatures that force people to question their place in the universe and God’s role in that creation. Are these creatures that she’s found crocodiles or something else? If they are something else, how come no one has seen one of these things alive? It was very interesting to see how the discovery of fossils of extinct creatures would have affected the thinking back in the 1800s, especially when religion was not to be questioned. It was an interesting take on the science vs. religion debate. And how it played out for Mary Anning, a young woman, a “spare part” as another character called her. This is the first book by Tracy Chevalier I read and I really enjoyed it!