October 3rd Book Group

Our next book group title is Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. We'll be meeting on October 3rd, 7pm. There will be a hold waiting for you at your usual pick-up location.
See you then!
 Don't let the victorian era dresses put you off - it is not a romance.

From the book jacket:
"From the moment she's struck by lightning as a baby, it is clear Mary Anning is different. Though poor and uneducated, she discovers on the windswept beaches of the English coast that she has a unique gift: "the eye" to spot fossils no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to gossip - and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with uncommon interests, she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter cold, storms, and landslips at her. Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster recently exiled from London, who shares her passion for scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy."

"Remarkable Creatures is an inspiring novel of how one woman's gift transcends class and social prejudice to lead to some of the most important discoveries of the nineteenth century. Above all, it is a revealing portrait of the intricate and resilient nature of female friendship."

2 comments:

  1. From Paula:
    I just finished reading it and found it enjoyable. I really like her writing style.

    Today's paper had this article which I found relevant and timely!

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2015886046_reptile12.html

    Paula

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  2. From Kate:
    Ah, yes, now I remember. We discussed this book, I'd read it and I think someone else did, too. I enjoyed this story, as it was based on 2 women in real life, and compared their rather narrow lot in life as prescribed by the era of Jane Austin. One had no possibilities, being very poor and uneducated in letters, and the other one had limited possibilities as being 1. a woman, 2. unwed, 3 not the heir, as was her married brother, and 4. being shipped off with her other unwed sisters to Lyme-Regis....she went in search of fossils.
    Enjoy it, I hope I won't be in dire straits with needing the sterno cum fireplace in my car in some godforsaken spot in Wyoming...
    wish me well.
    Love , kate

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