subplotkudzu 's review for:

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

4.0

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This sat on my to read self for years based on my wife's positive review but for some reason I had problems cracking the cover. Once i did I was very grateful to have done so. Very nicely presented biographical fiction of remarkable women who deserve more acclaim than they received in life. Realistic and somewhat downbeat without being mawkish or maudlin, the author made several very good calls (such as not slotting in a Jane Austin sequence when such a historical meeting may have occurred) that made the story real while the prose from time to time bordered on lyrical. Chevalier's deft hand at capturing the voices of these two women, so there was never doubt as to who's thoughts we were following, deserves mention. Very enjoyable.