Remarkable Creatures *DNF*

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier *DNF*

G👀dreads

From the moment she's struck by lightning as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has "the eye"—and finds what 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 vicious 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 unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man.

Luckily, Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a recent exile from London, who also loves scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy. Ultimately, in the struggle to be recognized in the wider world, Mary and Elizabeth discover that friendship is their greatest ally.

Remarkable Creatures is a stunning 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, is it a revealing portrait of the intricate and resilient nature of female friendship.

Genre: Historical Fiction, British Literature

Circa: 1810-1840

RSCBC = RSCBC BookClubRead

This is my book club's BotM, not to be confused with the octopus story. Its Historical Fiction but it's about fossils so I'm not too excited about it. Not that I have anything against fossils, they just aren't all that high up on my list of things that fascinate me.🤓

Day 1 - At 25% I probably would have quit by now. This is not a book I would have picked on my own, but isn't that the point of book clubs? Read outside the box.

Day 2 - At 50% meh. I was going to DNF because I'm not enjoying it but I don't hate it either. I queued up another book to listen to in between. I didn't want to end the year and start the new year with a meh.

Book Club Meeting is next Monday so I'll update after the meeting and report back. 

*DNF*

I had paused it while waiting to decide if I was going to finish it or not. There were seven us at the meeting. Most of them liked it but even at that, average was 3.5 stars. I was still on the fence. 

In the morning I decided there are too many others on my TBR that I'd rather listen to so this one would be so far pushed down. Realistically I'd most likely never go back to it so >>Return. 

In my usual M.O. after I made that decision, I looked up some 1 and 2 star reviews because in some twisted way they bring me joy 😈 <evil grin (!!) :

"Finished and I'm glad it's over. I have never run into such a bunch of miserable souls."

"Extremely boring, could not relate to the characters or the storyline."

"Disappointing. For a book that starts with a lightning strike, it has surprisingly little spark."

"I almost felt a better name for this book was "Unremarkable Creatures." 

There were a couple of shout outs to Girl with a Pearl Earring being much better by the author.

Also a recommendation to read some non-fiction books about fossils for more history on their discoveries. 

BTW: This book has 3.9 star rating on Goodreads, 3.7 on StoryGraph, 4.3 on Amazon...FWLIW. 

🎧Charlotte Parry (Mary) and Susan Lyons (Elizabeth)

🎧10.0 hours 🕮 352 pages