A review by fireinherveinzz
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.75

Reread the first half which made it make a lot more sense. Did not love the random inclusion of all the extra  side character povs like Thomas Taylor who didn’t contribute anything to the story . Also the end cut off without a conclusion which I hate like mid story. There was a lot of will they won’t they that just turned into fade to black eh. Story needed more passion less dryness . The show is definitely giving this story more life so far. I loved Cora and Will’s dynamic , Martha coming into her own independence from Cora and chasing her passions as well in social work. Loved Katherine Ambrose’s line to Cora  “you cannot always keep yourself away from things that hurt you. We all wish we could , but we cannot: to live at all is to be bruised; I know that none of us was made to be alone. You told me once you forget you are a woman, and I understand it now you think to be a woman is to be weak you ours is a sisterhood of suffering! Perhaps so, but doesn’t it take a greater strength to walk a mile in pain than seven miles in none? You are a woman, and must begin to live like one. by which I mean: have courage “. Also another great one liner Cora telling Will “we are cleaved together , we are cleaved apart everything that draws me to you is everything that drives me away “. 😭 Could’ve liked this story better had it not been so focused on both Luke’s and Cora/ will’s and just Cora and Will. Luke  deserved his own story not to be clumped in with theirs. He had nothing to do with this besides helping Cora with advice and Stella with her illness and being a part of a pseudo love triangle with her and Will. 
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