The Essex Serpent

416 pages

English language

Published Jan. 8, 2017

ISBN:: 9780062666376
OCLC Number:: 959036878

(2 reviews)

"Costa Book Award Finalist and the Waterstones (UK) Book of the Year 2016." "I loved this book. At once numinous, intimate and wise, The Essex Serpent is a marvelous novel about the workings of life, love and belief, about science and religion, secrets, mysteries, and the complicated and unexpected shifts of the human heart--and it contains some of the most beautiful evocations of place and landscape I've ever read. It is so good its pages seem lit from within. As soon as I'd finished it I started reading it again."--Helen MacDonald, author of H is for Hawk. An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love. When Cora Seaborne's brilliant, domineering …

"Costa Book Award Finalist and the Waterstones (UK) Book of the Year 2016." "I loved this book. At once numinous, intimate and wise, The Essex Serpent is a marvelous novel about the workings of life, love and belief, about science and religion, secrets, mysteries, and the complicated and unexpected shifts of the human heart--and it contains some of the most beautiful evocations of place and landscape I've ever read. It is so good its pages seem lit from within. As soon as I'd finished it I started reading it again."--Helen MacDonald, author of H is for Hawk. An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love. When Cora Seaborne's brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy's nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend. While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year's Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief. These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart--an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected. Hailed by Sarah Waters as "a work of great intelligence and charm, by a hugely talented author," The Essex Serpent is "irresistible. you can feel the influences of Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Hilary Mantel channeled by Perry in some sort of Victorian seance. This is the best new novel I've read in years" (Daily Telegraph, London)"--

When Cora Seaborne's domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Seeking refuge, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her son, Francis, and the boy's nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend. Cora learns of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have taken the life of a young man on New Year's Eve. Certain that the "sea beast" may be a previously undiscovered species, Cora joins local vicar William Ransome in investigating the rumors.

1 edition

Sandra reviewed The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Review of 'The Essex Serpent' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The Essex Serpent is a good book; I enjoyed it. It reminded me of a classic English novel like any of the Bronte sisters’ novels for example or Jane Austen. You have some of the common things going on that you run into in these kinds of books written/set in the (late) 19th century- someone with consumption wasting away, a pastor and family living out in the country, the “enlightened people” from London visiting the country folk, the superstitious villagers, a “forbidden” love interest. Often they have a mystery that kind of drives the story forwards. Or some kind of protagonist/antagonist conflict, something. In the Essex Serpent there are good, believable characters, even if we don’t get to examine them in too much detail (not enough backstory or character development really). You have people visiting other people, even complete strangers coming to dinner just because a common friend introduced you …

The Essex Serpent is a good book; I enjoyed it. It reminded me of a classic English novel like any of the Bronte sisters’ novels for example or Jane Austen. You have some of the common things going on that you run into in these kinds of books written/set in the (late) 19th century- someone with consumption wasting away, a pastor and family living out in the country, the “enlightened people” from London visiting the country folk, the superstitious villagers, a “forbidden” love interest. Often they have a mystery that kind of drives the story forwards. Or some kind of protagonist/antagonist conflict, something. In the Essex Serpent there are good, believable characters, even if we don’t get to examine them in too much detail (not enough backstory or character development really). You have people visiting other people, even complete strangers coming to dinner just because a common friend introduced you via correspondence. Which, to me, seems bizarre doesn’t it? People were much friendlier back in the day, that’s for sure. Nowadays we don’t even bother to answer a text message from family half the time or just give a yes or no or thumbs up. Anyway, it’s a good classic type of British novel and if that’s your thing you might dig this. If not, I’d skip it as it’s not exactly the most exciting thing you’ll ever read. Still, like I said, it’s well written and I liked it even if I can’t quite articulate why. ha

dommiz@ramblingreaders.org reviewed The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Review of 'The Essex Serpent' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Halfway through I abandoned it, then after reading a couple of other books I came back to it. I am glad that I persevered, as the final quarter was the best part of the book and it all sort of made sense.

Some of the passages are beautifully written. It is evocative and moving. But I wish the author had cut 50 pages somewhere in the middle and allowed the story to gallop along with a bit more clip. I suspect there were just a too few many themes going on, and they needed to be threaded and unthreaded for the story to make any sense at all. But some of those themes (such as the presumably autistic son, the social justice warrior companion) could have been dropped with no peril to the main plot.

Subjects

Fiction
Widows
Clergy
Mythical Animals
History

Places

Great Britain