This book is different and had quite a different story line than I expected. It's the story of a wonderful friendship between two remarkable women, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, who were drawn together through their love of collecting fossils. Although the story is fiction is was based on the actual life of these two women,living in Lyme Regis during the 1820's. Mary, who was struck by lightning as a baby, had a real connection with nature and the sea. She would collect curios (fossils) from the beach and sell them in her father's shop to tourists who passed by.
Mary certainly had an eye for detecting fossils and discovered some of the first pre-dinosaur fossils in England, including the ichthyosaur and the plesiosaur. However, this was a man's world and she didn't get any recognition for her discoveries or a scientist until later on in years.
Although 'fossils' to me seems like a slightly boring subject the story was a wonderful blend of scientific fact, myths, customs, romance along with a story of friendship thrown in. It challenged the thinking of the time of evolution and where fossils fit into the scheme of God's creation.
I did enjoy this book as I did with another of Tracy's books I recently read 'The Girl with the Pearl Earring'.
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