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crathwell42 's review for:
The Essex Serpent
by Sarah Perry
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.