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A review by barefootmegz
The Bone Hunters by Joanne Burn
5.0
I am in awe of The Bone Hunters. What starts off as a gentle (almost too slow) atmospheric read set in early 19th century Dorset, England, becomes a tense race between humans and history, violence and enlightenment, exclusion and freedom.
The protagonist, Ada Winters, is a “peculiar” young woman and a gifted palaeontologist, excluded from The Geological Society of London based on her sex. Not only is this a period of great geological discovery, but it is also a time of shifting ideas regarding nature, religion, and science. Ada finds herself torn between her scientific mind, her pagan ancestry, and her Christian community - a community which shuns her and her withdrawn mother.
TBH is a gritty novel set in an old coastal England where the patriarchy reigns and ancient superstitions simmer just below the surface. Having never been particularly intrigued by dinosaurs or fossils, I nevertheless found myself sucked into this story. I don’t have to be a dino-buff to appreciate what fossil discovery did for human development.
TBH features a protagonist that is (almost certainly) asexual. Ada’s sexuality is never given a name, but she discusses her aversion to sex at length, while non-sexual friendships are thematic throughout the novel.
A gentle warning to sensitive readers that the novel does feature an episode of graphic sexual assault.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The protagonist, Ada Winters, is a “peculiar” young woman and a gifted palaeontologist, excluded from The Geological Society of London based on her sex. Not only is this a period of great geological discovery, but it is also a time of shifting ideas regarding nature, religion, and science. Ada finds herself torn between her scientific mind, her pagan ancestry, and her Christian community - a community which shuns her and her withdrawn mother.
TBH is a gritty novel set in an old coastal England where the patriarchy reigns and ancient superstitions simmer just below the surface. Having never been particularly intrigued by dinosaurs or fossils, I nevertheless found myself sucked into this story. I don’t have to be a dino-buff to appreciate what fossil discovery did for human development.
TBH features a protagonist that is (almost certainly) asexual. Ada’s sexuality is never given a name, but she discusses her aversion to sex at length, while non-sexual friendships are thematic throughout the novel.
A gentle warning to sensitive readers that the novel does feature an episode of graphic sexual assault.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.