I first heard of Mary Anning on page 257 of The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, one of my all-time favorites.
You can read about Mary Anning here:
She's real. She lived in the 1800's in England and she discovered the first ichthyosaur skeleton.
When I learned that Tracy Chevalier used Anning as a heroine for some historical fiction, I was dubious.
I'm sure it was because I didn't really care for Chavalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring, even though reading Chevalier's book was part of the impetus for me traipsing to Den Haag to see the painting in person. It wasn't Chevalier's writing that I didn't like: I just didn't like the plot line of young-impressionable-female-pines-after-married-man-she-can't-have. Doomed from the start, no way she was going to win, I just didn't like it. Give a sister a break, give her a plot line that can turn out well.
But I was willing to give Chevalier a second chance, and her book Remarkable Creatures was much better for my plot requirements. No pining after married men, that was a good start. About women of intelligence interested in science, that was another good start. Decent storyline, interesting characters, good research about the time period.
Altogether, a good read. Good enough that I finished it, and good enough I may just go on a Chevalier binge and read the rest of novels. Not sketchy, OK for a book club.
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