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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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:
No
Den lite gammaldags och klumpiga stilen gav en trög start på läsningen. Sedan utvecklades historien i en riktning som jag inte hade väntat mig. Jag trodde att det skulle bli ett äventyr med starka kvinnor i huvudrollen, istället bjöds jag på några kärlekshistorier. Med känslorna lättade språket och andra halvan av boken var ganska snabbläst. Men lite besviken blev jag allt.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story just didn’t grip me- it didn’t feel it was going anywhere and lost its legs early on. A shame because I really thought this would appeal to me
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Set in the late 1800s Victorian London, it’s a story of science vs. superstition vs. faith. The actual mystery of the Essex Serpent was a non issue. No real plot, just people going about their intertwined lives. I just don’t understand all the characters adulation with Cora Seaborne. Martha, Luke and Will all loved her. Why? The book was a bit of a slog to read. It didn’t hit its stride until more than half way through. At that point, I just wanted it to be done. Read for book club. Would not recommend.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the mythical elements of the book, but I wasn’t a fan of Perry’s writing style, and found the book initially really difficult to get into. Perry writes, for me, with too much indulgence and humours herself too much - the world building feels silly at times rather than immersive (do I really believe that a village collectively decided to nickname the old house belonging to crazy Cracknell ‘world’s end’? How very conveniently poetic of them). The tone feels overly fanciful, and would have benefitted greatly from a sharp and economical editor. Besides that, though, I liked the characterisation of Cora very much, she was very effectively rendered, and I enjoyed her character development from heroine to villain! I will say that the book picked up pace a lot as it went on and I found the ending, with Stella and Francis and the boat, especially effective. But my main issues with it were the overly indulgent writing style and, in a similar vein, the over abundance of characters. Only a few (Cora, Will, Stella, Luke, Francis) I felt were properly explored and fleshed out by Perry, and the others only made inconsistent appearances at odd junctures.