Curiosity by Joan Thomas

Final Rating: 3.6/5

  “Mary, who be your friends and who be your enemies?”

  Although Curiosity can be said to be a sublimely fashioned novel that delves into forgotten sections of history and science with nicely arranged themes, it still sadly disappointed me with its certain characters, labored pace and digressing chapters. I admit, I nearly put this work down several times in the beginning but the attention to historical details, fashioned dialogue, regional descriptions and unique traditional superstitions of stones and objects kept me turning the pages. Thinking back for positives, the author captured and brilliantly presented Mary Anning’s constant struggle to endure tragic hardships and understand her ever changing world as she unearthed a whole new one with her first co-find with her brother. These types of chapters featuring the central character with topics of class status, religion and other descriptive historic issues overall impressed me and were well-worth the effort to finish.

  I have now purchased and read the listed historical fiction titles that display the available facts of Mary Anning’s life and I can now say I like Curiosity more for the vintage-style writing and notable excavating of Mary’s inner character. As I followed along with this book, I could see the growth of spirit and better understand the reason this fascinating woman became as she did (avoiding others and suspicious of those who followed her as she walked on the beach or searched the cliffs for her next discovery), I also appreciated that the author chose a sensitive depiction of Mary’s battles of will and vices. History and imagination can be cruel with regards to forgotten figures and Curiosity found a decently balanced line of entertainment and fact. Still I wish this novel continued after the one forced storyline concluded and went on to share the other significant finds by Mary Anning. Her brief life was interesting enough without all the supposed flourishes and I can’t help but think; this book along with the others about this absolutely remarkable figure could have been better.

-purchased and read on kindle