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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
slow-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I read this book because I was provided an Advance Review Copy of the author's book After Me Comes The Flood. I like to read the author's previous books if I am reviewing their writing. This book confused me as my first impression was that it was a Victorian horror story about a serpent but it is a historical romance and painfully slow paced. The serpent tale is a fable and turns out to be a strange sickly fish that beaches up and dies spewing out a large tapeworm. I don't know if there is an allegory meant there, but its lost on me.
How disappointing.
There’s nothing more maddening than a book with tons of unfulfilled potential, and sadly, that’s what The Essex Serpent was for me.
Firstly, I have to mention the prose which is as captivating as it is incomprehensible. For me, it fluctuates between painting a beautiful picture to being so garrulous that I lost track of what was the author was talking about.
The characters and themes are an ingredient list of things I normally love. Groundbreaking surgical procedures. The psychological effects of rumour and superstition. The intersection between science, religion, and the supernatural. All set in late Victorian drama.
All of these things are right up my ally! And yet, nothing click together; there’s very little that could be called a real plot. The author’s strength lies in her prose which, as already mentioned, becomes overwhelming at times.
None of the characters had anything approaching a true arc, and none of the relationships had a real spark about them. I felt as if the entire time I was being kept at arms length from any of the, very forgettable, cast of characters who are tissue paper thin in their development. Any time we get close, any time I felt like I was starting to understand one, the author shoves us away by ending the chapter and going on to someone else.
The themes are too vague, to meandering to really capture the imagination, and the general atmosphere and vibe was nowhere near as striking as I’d expected, from other reviews and the synopsis.
I’m sure that most of this is subjective. It’s been called everything from Gothic to Dickensian and is a very understated novel, which must appeal to a lot of people, but not me. I don’t like it when I’m reading something then have to go back a couple of pages, or a full chapter, or more to try to figure out if I missed a plot point.
In the end this book started off slow, fell apart, and then a mad dash to just end it. I’m going to remember that when I see “whimsy” or “whimsical” in the blurbs from other authors this is a red flag. For me it’s a hallmark of: “for various reasons this book will leave you wanting”. And The Essex Serpent absolutely did.
There’s nothing more maddening than a book with tons of unfulfilled potential, and sadly, that’s what The Essex Serpent was for me.
Firstly, I have to mention the prose which is as captivating as it is incomprehensible. For me, it fluctuates between painting a beautiful picture to being so garrulous that I lost track of what was the author was talking about.
The characters and themes are an ingredient list of things I normally love. Groundbreaking surgical procedures. The psychological effects of rumour and superstition. The intersection between science, religion, and the supernatural. All set in late Victorian drama.
All of these things are right up my ally! And yet, nothing click together; there’s very little that could be called a real plot. The author’s strength lies in her prose which, as already mentioned, becomes overwhelming at times.
None of the characters had anything approaching a true arc, and none of the relationships had a real spark about them. I felt as if the entire time I was being kept at arms length from any of the, very forgettable, cast of characters who are tissue paper thin in their development. Any time we get close, any time I felt like I was starting to understand one, the author shoves us away by ending the chapter and going on to someone else.
The themes are too vague, to meandering to really capture the imagination, and the general atmosphere and vibe was nowhere near as striking as I’d expected, from other reviews and the synopsis.
I’m sure that most of this is subjective. It’s been called everything from Gothic to Dickensian and is a very understated novel, which must appeal to a lot of people, but not me. I don’t like it when I’m reading something then have to go back a couple of pages, or a full chapter, or more to try to figure out if I missed a plot point.
In the end this book started off slow, fell apart, and then a mad dash to just end it. I’m going to remember that when I see “whimsy” or “whimsical” in the blurbs from other authors this is a red flag. For me it’s a hallmark of: “for various reasons this book will leave you wanting”. And The Essex Serpent absolutely did.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this beautifully written historical novel, which felt very Victorian. I enjoyed watching the main female character grow into her own strength and unconventional personality.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
This book was enjoyable to read, but I didn't particularly like it. The writing style is lovely (especially the descriptions of places and people, which really drew me in) but I could never figure out what story it was trying to tell me. It seems to both contain too many plot points and not enough somehow? There are many narratives dealing with many big questions, and yet few of them ever come to a climax or get resolved in any way. Instead they appear and, right when you think they're going to get interesting, peter away and out of sight in exchange for a new narrative. I finished the book and found myself thinking "huh, wonder what that was about," which is a strange feeling after 400+ pages. Maybe there was some cohesive heart to this and I just didn't get it, who can say? At least the writing was pretty.
3.25
Read on hoopla. Looking forward to watching the TV adaption on AppleTV
Read on hoopla. Looking forward to watching the TV adaption on AppleTV
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"The Essex Serpent" is a book that I simultaneously recognized was good, but had a little difficulty getting in to. The novel reads as an updated, self-aware Victorian Gothic novel. It's part spooky monster story, with its eponymous, mysterious "serpent" looming in the fog of Aldewinter; part novel of manners, with its independent female protagonist, disinterested in societal norms, and intent on a life of the mind and the outdoors; and part romance, with its odd-couple lovers, differing in perspective and values, but nonetheless magnetically drawn to one another. Perry creates interesting, full characters that feel authentic—the impish (what an aptly evocative descriptor), brilliant Dr. Garrett, sinisterly interested in pushing the medical surgery field forward; the thoughtful, self-critical Will Ransome, whose religious faith is one of reason and, possibly, science; the "strange" little Francis Seaborne, who disquietedly lives in his own, focused world, filled with odd items he collects, and contentedly pats in his pockets; and the muddied, passionate Cora Seaborne, driven to restlessly walk, explore, and discover. The relationships between the novel's characters are equally interesting--Luke's frustrated love for Cora, Will's pained, conflicted love for Cora, and Cora's "cleaved" love for Will (a love that one both clings to, but separates from). I can easily see why the book has received very positive reviews.
Still, I had a little trouble getting into the book. Its pace is slow; it sort of builds to its romantic and monster-mystery climaxes, but it ultimately reads as too measured and even. I really enjoyed its epistolary parts, as I found them to move the plot forward more quickly, while also developing the characters' relationships. But, the letters ultimately act to bookend the rest of the plot, instead of driving it.
Still, I had a little trouble getting into the book. Its pace is slow; it sort of builds to its romantic and monster-mystery climaxes, but it ultimately reads as too measured and even. I really enjoyed its epistolary parts, as I found them to move the plot forward more quickly, while also developing the characters' relationships. But, the letters ultimately act to bookend the rest of the plot, instead of driving it.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The cover is the best part of this book!