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The Essex Serpent: The number one bestseller and British Book Awards Book of the Year by Sarah Perry (Paperback, 2017)
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This best-selling book by Sarah Perry is sure to captivate you with its literary fiction elements. Weighing 371 grams and being published in 2017, The Essex Serpent is a masterpiece. It has 448 pages, 198mm height and 129mm width, making it a perfect size to carry around. Its beautiful cover and riveting plot make it a must-read.
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Product Information
The number one bestseller and British Book Awards Book of the Year London 1893. When Cora Seaborne's controlling husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Along with her son Francis - a curious, obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, in the hope that fresh air and open space will provide refuge. On arrival, rumours reach them that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for superstition, is enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a yet-undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar, who is also deeply suspicious of the rumours, but thinks they are a distraction from true faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, Will and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves at once drawn together and torn apart, affecting each other in ways that surprise them both. The Essex Serpent is a celebration of love, and the many different shapes it can take.Product Identifiers
PublisherProfile Books
ISBN-101781255458
ISBN-139781781255452
eBay Product ID (ePID)230044075
Product Key Features
Book TitleThe Essex Serpent: the Number One Bestseller and British Book Awards Book of the Year
AuthorSarah Perry
FormatPaperback
LanguageEnglish
TopicLiterature, General Fiction, Books
Publication Year2017
GenreGeneral & Literary Fiction
Number of Pages448 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height198mm
Item Width129mm
Weight369g
Height200mm
Width130mm
Item Weight371g
Additional Product Features
Title_AuthorSarah Perry
Spine25mm
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited Kingdom
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Ratings and reviews
Most relevant reviews
- 31 Mar, 2018
Totally absorbing!
I loved this book, the story is unusual and compelling to follow. Very Dickensian in many respects and I certainly felt the atmosphere as I read each page. The characters are wonderful and almost visual as the author describes each one in such detail. Being from Essex I could also relate to the area and some of the names of places. Loved it and was sorry that it ended. I have now recommended this book to friendsVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 23 Jun, 2018
One to avoid
In my opinion this book lacked substance and was grossly over-rated in all the wildly favourable reviews! This could have been a dark and atmospheric story of superstition and tension gripping a small community, with a clash between the scientific approach of Cora and the religious approach of the vicar but the author never develops the story. There is no build up of tension and just the occasional mention of how the story affects the villagers. The ‘Serpent’ seems to be merely a background for a romance between Cora and the already-married vicar. There seem to be some historical inaccuracies: Cora, at one point, thinks vaguely of divorcing her husband – but even by the 1890s this would not have been that easy for anyone and less so for a woman. Cora’s autistic son goes off to school but again, it seems unlikely that a child with complex special needs would be accepted into an ordinary school. The book throws in a variety of issues – the struggle of women for independence; superstition and religion; lesbianism; autism; social deprivation; Victorian social reformers and advances in medicine but fails to develop any of these topics. The author mentions strong and determined women such as Annie Besant and Eleanor Marx who achieved so much in their lives but Cora herself comes across as weak, shallow, egocentric and ultimately a failure, a non-achiever. I can’t quite decide if the author failed in portraying a strong woman or succeeded in portraying a weak one – but I lean towards the former!Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 03 Jun, 2020
Really good read....
Very well written, compelling and unusual story line. Really couldn’t put it down and loved the fact that it was set in olde Colchester....Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 08 Jun, 2017
The Essex Serpent
Brilliant read, great characterisation, really interesting story. Loved it, and though it was set in the late 19th century felt there were many resonances with our current Tory-austerity times.Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
- 12 Jun, 2020
A victoriana tale
An interesting well written book. An unusual subject.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 14 Apr, 2021
The Essex Serpent
Excellent bookVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 14 Jun, 2017
Sound historical facts. An intriguing tale.
Fascinating historical facts and intriguing characters. Love it.Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
- 07 Oct, 2020
A must read
So good, I'm reading it againVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
