Auckland City Libraries invites readers of Beattie's Book Blog to
An evening with Tracy Chevalier

Central City Library, level 2,
44-46 Lorne St, Auckland.
Monday 7th Sept., 6:00 PM
5:30 PM for a welcome glass of wine, courtesy of Glengarry Wines
Free event, limited to 100 people, book on (09) 377 0209

Tracy Chevalier, author of the widely acclaimed international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, is touring New Zealand for the first time to present her new novel Remarkable Creatures, in which she once again demonstrates her ability to seamlessly weave fact and fiction to create incident-packed historical tales.
Based on the life of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis, Remarkable Creatures is the story of how one woman’s gift transcended class and gender to lead to some of the most important discoveries of the 19th century.
Mary Anning, born into a poor family, is fascinated by fossils from an early age. She becomes even more interested when she realises that the artefacts can be sold to avid — and wealthy — collectors, though they are sometimes unscrupulous in their dealings with her, and she is not supported by the scientists assessing her finds. One person comes to her rescue: Elizabeth Philpot, daughter of a wealthy family that has settled in Dorset. The two women, of different ages and very different backgrounds, become unlikely friends.
About Tracy Chevalier
Born in Washington, DC, Tracy Chevalier moved to London in 1984, where she lives with her husband and son. Tracy is the author of five previous novels, including The Virgin Blue, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn, Burning Bright and the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring. She has a website at http://www.tchevalier.com/.

And here is a review of Remarkable Creatures from The Telegraph..