Rating: 5/5
1808 Agnes Banks, NSW
Rose Winton wants nothing more than to work with her father, eminent naturalist Charles Winton, on his groundbreaking study of the platypus. Not only does she love him with all her heart, but the discoveries they have made could turn the scientific world on its head. When Charles is unable to make the long sea journey to present his findings to the prestigious Royal Society in England, Rosie must venture forth in his stead. What she discovers there will change the lives of future generations.
1908 Sydney, NSW
Tamsin Alleyn has been given a mission: travel to the Hunter Valley and retrieve an old sketchbook of debatable value, gifted to the Public Library by a recluse. But when she gets there, she finds there is more to the book than meets the eye, and more than one interested party. Shaw Everdene, a young antiquarian bookseller and lawyer seems to have his own agenda when it comes to the book – and Tamsin. In an attempt to discover the book's true provenance Tamsin decides to work with him.
The deeper they delve, the more intricate the mystery becomes. As the lives of two women a century apart converge, discoveries rise up from the past and reach into the future, with irrevocable consequences...
I received a free copy of The Naturalist's Daughter through Austenprose PR for a book tour. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
This was such an interesting title that I never expected to pick up. That’s one thing I especially love about doing book tours, I’m introduced to books that I might never have found. I’m so glad I got this opportunity to read this and discover this new author!
This book is set between the years of 1808 and 1908 and discusses the controversial details around the platypus. Especially around how it should be classified. And about recovering the sketchbook of a naturalist who was among the first to catalog detailed anatomical drawings of the platypus. I especially love the idea around it being about a naturalist and his daughter who spent their whole lives watching a burrow and documentary their characteristics through various sketches and paintings.
And while I know this story is fictional in terms of the people, quick google searches showed me that a lot of the controversies were very accurate in terms of the characteristics of this odd animal when it was first discovered. And I learned a lot about the platypus that I never knew before, I found it very entertaining, my attention was piqued. I found myself curious to not only learn what happened to this sketchbook but to also learn more about the platypus.
I remember learning about this type of art, Naturalism, while in college, the idea of artists spending their lives dedicated around specific plants or animals, documenting them in extreme detail through sketches and paintings. So my inner artist was simply delighted, I loved following our naturalists and seeing the details describing the way they would sketch what they saw. It painted such vivid imagery in my mind.I simply adored this book and it’s definitely got me interested to read more from Tea Cooper, seeing their other titles and how they’re also set around similar themes of art. I can’t wait to read more from them!
If you have an interest in art history, nature and historical fiction, I highly recommend this book!
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