Remarkable Creatures

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　　她所撿拾的，從來不只是奇特的化石，
　　更是美好的友誼，與傳奇的人生。

　　改變世界的化石發現、跨越階級的友誼與禁忌的愛情，
　　成就瑪莉．安寧不凡的動人故事。

　　每找到一塊化石，我便感受到閃電的震撼，及一陣微微的顫動訴說著：「妳與海邊所有岩石不同。」因此，我成了化石搜尋者，為的是每日感受閃電的震撼，以及那份與眾不同。

　　瑪莉．安寧於襁褓時遭閃電擊中卻奇蹟似的活下來，這似乎註定了她傳奇的一生。她在十九世紀的英國海濱發現魚龍化石，它不但暗示古老世界的樣貌，更證明生物「絕種」的觀念，促成演化學的一大進步。

　　但礙於性別與低微的身分，在當時普遍保守的社會風氣下，瑪莉仍舊得面對男性研究者的質疑與小鎮居民的排擠，始終默默支持她的，是同樣熱愛化石的伊莉莎白．費波特。伊莉莎白既是她尋找化石的夥伴、情敵、無話不談的好朋友，亦是競爭者，更是無話不談的好友。直到有一天，一位迷人男子的出現，她們的友誼因而受到嚴酷的挑戰……

　　瑪莉．安寧為歷史上的真實人物，她挖掘出世界上第一隻魚龍與英國第一隻翼手龍化石。故事中的伊莉莎白．費波特亦真的存在，她與瑪莉留下許多珍貴的往來書信，在信中談論彼此的生活、心情與共同的熱愛 — 化石。作者巧妙地借用真實人物與歷史背景，虛擬瑪莉的一生，將漫長的時空濃縮為精采的篇章。

　　A voyage of discoveries, a meeting of two remarkable women, and extraordinary time and place enrich bestselling author Tracy Chevalier's enthralling new novel

　　From the moment she's struck by lightening 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.

　　本書中譯版《尋找化石的女孩》由天下文化出版。

作者簡介

崔西．雪佛蘭Tracy Chevalier

　　曾出版五本享譽國際的作品，包括《戴珍珠耳環的少女》、《少女的藍色憂鬱》、《天使不想睡》、《情人與獨角獸》、《純真之書》。其處女作《少女的藍色憂鬱》榮獲一九九七年史密斯年度新人獎。

　　出生於美國首府華盛頓特區，目前與丈夫及兒子定居於倫敦，並擔任英國作家協會會長。

　　Tracy Chevalier is the New York Times bestselling author of five previous novels, including Girl With the Pearl Earring and Burning Bright.