The Essex Serpent

A Novel

By: Sarah Perry

Narrated by: Juanita McMahon

NOW AN APPLE TV+ SERIES

A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction * Winner of the British Book Awards Fiction Book of the Year and overall Book of the Year *A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of The Year * Waterstones Book of the Year * Costa Book Award Finalist

“A novel of almost insolent ambition—lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate...it’s part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable. I found it so transporting that 48 hours after completing it, I was still resentful to be back home.” —New York Times

London, 1893. When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was an unhappy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space, she leaves the metropolis for coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year-old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.

Once there, they hear rumors that after nearly three hundred years, the mythical Essex Serpent, a fearsome creature that once roamed the marshes, has returned. When a young man is mysteriously killed on New Year’s Eve, the community’s dread transforms to terror. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, certain that what locals think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species.

Eager to investigate, she is introduced to parish vicar William Ransome, who is equally suspicious of the rumors but for different reasons: a man of faith, he is convinced the alarming reports are caused by moral panic, a flight from the correct and righteous path. As Cora and William attempt to discover the truth about the Essex Serpent’s existence, these seeming opposites find themselves inexorably drawn together in an intense relationship that will change both of them in ways entirely unexpected. And as they search for answers, Cora’s London past follows her to the coast, with striking consequences.

Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, The Essex Serpent masterfully explores questions of science and religion, skepticism and faith, but it is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different—and surprising—guises it can take.

There's so much to unpack -- it's terrific

Wow! This is a terrific book, but very dense and full of lushly written descriptions, which might not be everyone's style. I've tried three times to write a decent summary in a few sentences, but I can't. There's really so much to unpack from a story that takes place during 10 or 11 months in late 19th Century England. The character of love and friendship, the differences of reason and faith (“We both speak of illuminating the world, but we have different sources of light"), the limits and restrictions on women, the growth of science and medicine, and the Essex Serpent as a symbol of myth, medicine, temptation, sex, or a punishment for sinfulness. I also loved the characters, especially the women who were all great in their own ways. Cora is a woman after my own heart, with love to share and endless curiosity and wonder; looking to create her own path and find her own happiness:
"Sometimes I think I sold my soul, so that I could live as I must. Oh, I don’t mean without morals or conscience—I only mean with freedom to think the thoughts that come, to send them where I want them to go, not to let them run along tracks someone else set, leading only this way or that…"

Good book but odd casting choice for the readers

Any additional comments?

I liked the book. Engaging story, well written, held my attention. The female voice was excellent. But casting for the male voices was odd. Their characters grew up under tough circumstances in New York's outer boroughs but the readers' voices sounded like midwest gentle and polite. I actually didn't realize until starting to write the review that there were two separate male readers. They sounded so much alike, I guess, that I couldn't tell them apart. This may in part have been a director's choice, to make them sound normal and relatable, but it came across as a bad fit that detracted from the story. Not that I would have wanted over the top New York accents and tough guy posing, but the voices did at least need an edge, a little sharpness to convey a clearer sense of the milieu.

A favorite of my 2018 listen list

This book was recommended to me, and I absolutely loved it. It was just enough of absolutely everything. More please and again. I will be re-listening to this one.

The best Audible title I have listened to.

I need say no more. Simply the best story, language, and telling. I cannot recommend this listen enough. I plane to add the title to my book library as soon as I can.

What a great read!

I finished The Essex Serpent last night, and I am still mulling it over in my mind. For sure, I know I loved it. Now, I want someone to talk to about it. I did listen and read this novel - the narrator Juanita McMahon was amazing. At first, she seemed too slow and deliberate in her reading and I actually tried speeding up the narration. But, I quickly did not like the feel of that, so I went back to the normal speed and fell into her narration after a few minutes. As for the novel, I loved the depth Sarah Perry achieved in her characters. From Cora to Will, from Francis to Luke, all the characters were complicated and messy and real. I loved the touches of creepiness that were included. Overall, I very much enjoyed Perry's writing style and her subject matter. Perry is an author that I will come back to.