Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

19 reviews

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

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

snow_leopard's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

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

darumachan's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

This one is a bit of a mystery for me. I read the audiobook, and often caught my mind wandering while listening. Usually if this happens, it's a sign that I'm not enjoying the book, but not so with the Essex Serpent. The pace is very slow, to be sure, and the plot and POV are constantly drifting and meandering, kind of like how I imagine Cora to be while on her long walks. Maybe that's what I enjoyed about this: the prose matched the setting and atmosphere so perfectly. It was almost like a meditation, where it's ok if you get off track or space out a little, as long as you just keep coming back. 

Another thing that I enjoyed about this is that it read as including subtle but solidly affirming  representation of LGBTQIA+ identities, disability, and neurodiversity. While i wouldn't say that there is direct or overt engagement with these identities, there were several characters who clearly identified as "queer" in the sense of being out of step with mainstream social expectations of the time. What was so lovely about these characters is that they found one another and formed an inclusive community in which they could live and be supported and loved not just in spite of, but because of the traits that made them "quirky" or "misfits" in other contexts. Things i noticed included possible autism spectrum, lesbian, gay, asexual, aromamtic, and polyamory. But again, nothing overtly identified, which only read as more authentic to the setting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

Minor: Domestic abuse

moviemagus's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

This is a well-written book and the first hundred pages made me think I will love it, but at the end it was nothing special. Did not like anyone, found the story boring. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault

selenesalavessa's review

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Medical content, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Violence

lauramcc7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual content

starsreside's review

mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Medical content

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Child death and Sexual content

laura_keoski's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

Things I enjoyed about this book: the lush prose, the moody atmosphere, the historical scientific explorations, the mystery of the serpent, the potential of some of these unique characters.

Things that got in the way for me: The book relied heavily on character development, but most of the characters still felt under-developed and one-dimensional. They were so one-dimensional that they couldn’t seem to predict the rather obvious behaviors of their fellow characters.  The ending of the book was a less revelatory experience as the reader than it was for the characters themselves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Violence, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Ableism

Minor: Domestic abuse