A review by anywherebuthere
Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis, by Kim Todd
5.0
I picked this book up off the browsing shelf at the Mercantile Library, without having ever heard of Maria Sibylla Merian, mostly because it had an appealing cover. Besides, the Mercantile's collection is small but well chosen; once you're inside, you can be reasonably sure that all of the books are good. That gives me a lot of confidence when checking things out on impulse.
This book is a fascinating story about an early naturalist who is largely forgotten by history, an inspiring tale of a woman who went her own way in a time when women's choices were limited, and a surprising example of how an author can write a biography of a person about whom little is known.
This book is a fascinating story about an early naturalist who is largely forgotten by history, an inspiring tale of a woman who went her own way in a time when women's choices were limited, and a surprising example of how an author can write a biography of a person about whom little is known.