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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
'The Essex Serpent' by Sarah Perry, published in 2017, is set in Victorian England and tells the story of Cora Seaborne and William Ransome. They fall in love. But this is not a traditional love story. He is married and the local vicar and she is an intelligent and curious widow. Although he is religious, he doesn’t believe in The Essex Serpent. How could exist such a thing? And, although she believes in science, she has set her heart on proving the existence of the Serpent.
This book was so complex. I loved all the characters and Francis will remain with me for a long time! For moments, I forgot I was reading a book because they felt so real. The way Perry wrote their opinions and feelings is sublime! It's definitely a mesmerizing book. Lastly, I loved that despite 'The Essex Serpent' had a love story, it was a novel about friendship. And that leaves me with a question: what is more important? Love or friendship?
This book was so complex. I loved all the characters and Francis will remain with me for a long time! For moments, I forgot I was reading a book because they felt so real. The way Perry wrote their opinions and feelings is sublime! It's definitely a mesmerizing book. Lastly, I loved that despite 'The Essex Serpent' had a love story, it was a novel about friendship. And that leaves me with a question: what is more important? Love or friendship?
3.5/4
For me this book had a strong start and then lost steam through the end. But it's beautifully written and beautifully narrated in the audio version! I might pick up Perry's newly released novel sometime
For me this book had a strong start and then lost steam through the end. But it's beautifully written and beautifully narrated in the audio version! I might pick up Perry's newly released novel sometime
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A book that feels full of life, its great strength is its ability to conjure up worlds whether the metropolis of Victorian London or the Essex coast. It asks many questions about our expectations of the period, some of which work better than others. In particular the complex conflict between science and religion
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Cora Seaborne is recently widowed. Her abusive husband is now dead, which gives her the freedom to travel with her son, Francis, and servant, Martha. She hears about the mythical Essex serpent and travels to see for herself. In Aldwinter, she becomes great friends with the local vicar, Will, and his wife, Stella. This is very much a character-driven novel with not much action, but an emphasis on relationships. There is a greater focus on what the potential Essex serpent means to the community than information about the actual creature. I would not consider this an easy read, as it’s a bit like reading literature. Also, I was a bit disappointed in the ending, as things were left open for several characters. However, overall I enjoyed the story and kept finding myself picking up the book to see what would happen next.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel as if this novel would have been better as a BBC series or a Masterpiece Theater work. For it read like one and it would have been far more entertaining to watch it all play out than to be dragged through the prolonged pages of it all.
Cora is a young widow, who takes her son with her to Essex after the death of her husband, to escape London in the late 19th century. There, she meets the vicar, Will, and his wife and children, becoming rather close to them. Cora is also close with Luke, the doctor who over saw her husband in his last days. And there are other characters, but none of them really made much of a standing mark or shone as anything of importance. The whole premise of this novel is that Cora is an amateur naturalist and there is a myth about a large serpent roaming through Essex. In truth, there it is all a myth indeed, as the real serpent is a symbol for the promiscuous lives and sinful deeds of the characters in this novel. Wait, that sounds like there is scandal, yet there is nothing of that like here either, at least not like your typical court intrigue novel. There is just the fact that both Will and Luke are infatuated with Cora, a typical tale of the young widow being wooed again (and by a married man at that). Honestly, I had a hard time keeping myself awake during most of it as it was dreadfully dull at most points. Again, probably better off as a BBC special than a novel.
The motivations and actions of the characters was just too sporadic and strange for me to really follow or care about. Such is the reason why this novel left me uninterested. I never thought I would say a novel would make a better show or movie; it's always the other way around.
Cora is a young widow, who takes her son with her to Essex after the death of her husband, to escape London in the late 19th century. There, she meets the vicar, Will, and his wife and children, becoming rather close to them. Cora is also close with Luke, the doctor who over saw her husband in his last days. And there are other characters, but none of them really made much of a standing mark or shone as anything of importance. The whole premise of this novel is that Cora is an amateur naturalist and there is a myth about a large serpent roaming through Essex. In truth, there it is all a myth indeed, as the real serpent is a symbol for the promiscuous lives and sinful deeds of the characters in this novel. Wait, that sounds like there is scandal, yet there is nothing of that like here either, at least not like your typical court intrigue novel. There is just the fact that both Will and Luke are infatuated with Cora, a typical tale of the young widow being wooed again (and by a married man at that). Honestly, I had a hard time keeping myself awake during most of it as it was dreadfully dull at most points. Again, probably better off as a BBC special than a novel.
The motivations and actions of the characters was just too sporadic and strange for me to really follow or care about. Such is the reason why this novel left me uninterested. I never thought I would say a novel would make a better show or movie; it's always the other way around.
dark
mysterious
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:
No
I’m glad I read it. But probably won’t recommend it to a friend.