Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

22 reviews

tlholmes's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Grief

jodar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A magnificent novel. Its elegant writing fits the late-Victorian time period and immerses the readerֹ’s senses in the environment. Its exploration of human relationships and emotions is sophisticated and complex.

The novel explores the themes of religion versus superstition,  religion versus reason, friendship and love, the role of women in society and child-adult relationships. I particularly appreciated the author’s knowledgeable and nuanced portrayal of Christian life and its tensions, avoiding any of the silly stereotyping that seems to crop up so often in recent UK novels.

The characters all felt real to me: We see both their capabilities and their flaws; so too their as-often-as-not troubled relationships, in which people can care deeply for each other and yet differ strongly in their opinions and outlook on life.

Many things of heart and mind to ponder on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide attempt

beccaand's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Death

sharkgirl45's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, Vomit, Physical abuse, Death, and Suicide attempt

tetedump's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Classism, Death, Ableism, Murder, Terminal illness, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

heuteschongekurtet's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Physical abuse

Minor: Blood, Vomit, Classism, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Animal death

pines_and_needles's review

adventurous dark mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A perfect atmospheric read for the autumn months. You can easily imagine the landscape. No boring characters, loved how each of them grappled with their inner darkness. The ending was different from what I was expecting, but this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

bookleafcrow's review

i was over halfway through with zero motivation to pick it back up again RIP
none of the characters are particularly likeable besides Stella (the pastor's wife)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

lilsa's review

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Death

marjoleinvanderspoel's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book really is a feat. Beautiful, atmospheric language mixed with modern topics and timely discoveries, this is historical fiction at it's best. I love how the characters all felt like real people and not swooning damsels and shining knights. But most important was still the wonderful naturalism and landscape descriptors. I desperately want to be a Victorian lady naturalist with a dead husband and no attachments now..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Infidelity