I’m late coming to the Remarkable Creatures party. Tracy Chevalier swept me away with Girl With the Pearl Earring a few summers ago just after school was out for the year. I remember sitting on the back porch getting eaten by mosquitoes, but being so mesmerized by Chevalier’s characters that I was not able to put the book down long enough to go inside and get the Off.

Remarkable Creatures tells the story of the lives of two women who lived in early 19th century England and changed the scientific world forever with their fossil discoveries. Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot are unlikely companions, crossing boundaries of age, social stature and educational levels, but united in their passion to uncover long-hidden treasures of the past. It must be difficult for authors to take the lives of real people and weave their stories into a believable narrative. Chevalier excels at this art! The title says it all. I didn’t put my iPad down for two days and enjoyed this story very much.