Dw P. (squarespot) reviewed on 11/24/2012 + 36 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

I can see why this story can be thought of as boring it is a subtle story. It's about friendship that exists in the absence of the friends themselves. It describes the tedious effort it takes to work with fossils and that it takes to make a friendship between introverts. The title, Remarkable Creatures, refers to the monster fossils excavated from English beaches in the early 19th century. It also refers to the two main characters - Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. Mary's a small town oddball yet widely known as lucky and, eventually, talented fossil hunter. Elizabeth is a fellow oddball but is well-read and well-connected. The characters of Mary and Elizabeth are real characters, known to history because the dinosaur and fish specimens they contributed to British and French science institutions. But the core of Chevaliers story is their friendship and their loneliness. In this story, evolution is a both a theme and a force. As a theme, evolution is introduced into public opinion as Marys fossils spark discussions about extinction. As a force, evolution exists in Elizabeths and Marys private relationship. Their friendship evolves they part ways but cant forget each other - and each womans reputation changes as they carry out separate (yet connected) lives. There are layers in Chevaliers style and they can be hard to spot much like the fossils and geology in which her story is rooted.

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