From the New York Times bestselling novelist, a stunning historical
novel that follows the story of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, two
extraordinary 19th century fossil hunters who changed the scientific
world forever.
On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, poor and
uneducated Mary learns that she has a unique gift: "the eye" to spot
ammonites and other fossils no one else can see. When she uncovers an
unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the
religious community on edge, the townspeople to gossip, and the
scientific world alight. After enduring bitter cold, thunderstorms, and
landslips, her challenges only grow when she falls in love with an
impossible man.
Mary soon finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth, a
middle-class spinster who shares her passion for scouring the beaches.
Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty,
mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy, but ultimately turns
out to be their greatest asset.
From the author of At the Edge of the Orchard and Girl With a Pearl
Earring comes this incredible story of two remarkable women and their
voyage of discovery.