The prize winning and bestselling novelist Joan Thomas talks to Joseph Planta about her new book, Curiosity: A Love Story (McClelland & Stewart, 2010), which features Mary Anning and Henry de la Beche as leading characters.

Curiosity: A Love Story by Joan Thomas. (McClelland & Stewart, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Curiosity

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The book has already gotten good notices. It’s called Curiosity: A Love Story. Its author Joan Thomas joins me now. Set in the seaside town of Lyme Regis, we meet Mary Anning, the fossil collector and palaeontologist, and Henry de la Beche, the geologist. The book is described as a richly imagined and beautifully written tale of two very different people and how their paths cross. The book reflects on love, class, the role of women, and the gap between religion and science. Joan Thomas wrote Reading By Lightning, which won the 2009 Commonwealth Prize for best first book, among other prizes. She is a contributing book reviewer for the Globe and Mail, and has also won a National Magazine Award. She is a consultant for writing and publishing with the Manitoba Arts Council. Her website for more is www.joanthomas.ca. She joins me from Toronto this day. The book is published by McClelland and Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Joan Thomas; Good morning, Ms. Thomas.

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