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The Essex Serpent

Sarah Perry

Start date: June 1, 2019

Finish date: June 30, 2019

Discussion: Past Book Discussions 2014-19

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Dec 2019: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
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December 2017 Buddy Read: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
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Dec 24, 2016 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, book-i-own

"The pendulum swings from one year to the next, and there’s darkness on the face of the deep."

The year is 1893 and something evil is lurking in the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. Nearly two hundred years prior, a hideous, winged serpent was said to rise from the waters and walk the woods and the commons, terrorizing the villagers. As quickly as it had appeared, it once again disappeared and was no longer to be seen… until now. The inhabitants of Aldwinter and the surrounding villages are "The pendulum swings from one year to the next, and there’s darkness on the face of the deep."

The year is 1893 and something evil is lurking in the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. Nearly two hundred years prior, a hideous, winged serpent was said to rise from the waters and walk the woods and the commons, terrorizing the villagers. As quickly as it had appeared, it once again disappeared and was no longer to be seen… until now. The inhabitants of Aldwinter and the surrounding villages are once again caught up in a hysteria that seizes them by day and haunts them by night.

If you think this brief description marks this as a gripping horror novel perfect for the month of October, I’d have to say… it depends. The terror lies in the anticipation, much as it does for the main characters as well as the masses of the townspeople. "The point is not what I see, but what I feel; I cannot see the ether yet I feel it enter and depart, and depend upon it. I feel that something is coming; sooner or later, my words be marked." I was not frightened by The Essex Serpent, but I was thoroughly absorbed by it. This is a story more about the thought-provoking ideas, the masterful characterizations, and the striking settings. The ideas may not be new, but they are woven so intelligently throughout the plot that I couldn’t help but reflect on them from a different angle perhaps. Faith and superstition versus science and reason – these themes could never be exhausted entirely, and the interest lies in refreshingly original ways of presenting them to an audience. I felt that Sarah Perry did just that. She offers a well-balanced view of both sides of the equation and it is up to us, as discerning readers, to come to a conclusion, if any.

Cora Seaborne, recently widowed from a troubled marriage, is a naturalist. She worships the famed fossil hunter and paleontologist, Mary Anning of Lyme Regis. Now free of the bonds of wedlock, Cora strikes out with son Francis, likely autistic, and companion Martha, a socialist, to Essex in order to dig in the dirt and perhaps unravel this mystery of the serpent. Cora is a heroine that I could wholly admire. "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..." When she comes up against the likes of Will Ransome, an improbable friendship as well as an intellectually rewarding rivalry ensues. Will is the resident vicar of Aldwinter, who of late has had to deal with the challenges of a parish that has opened itself up to the perils of superstition. "There was a feeling – mostly unspoken, at least in his presence – that they were all under judgment, doubtless well deserved, from which only he could deliver them; but what comfort could he offer which would not also affirm their sudden fear?" There seems to be a spark between these two, but Will is happily married to Stella, described as a fairylike little woman of ethereal qualities with a grim diagnosis of tuberculosis. Cora is too recently liberated from the authority of a man and besides has the devotion of another man, Dr. Luke Garrett. There could not be anything more between these two other than friendship, right? So they deny to themselves and one another any sort of attraction. "We both speak of illuminating the world, but we have different sources of light, you and I."

What shined most in this novel, in my opinion, were the vivid characters and the stimulating dialogue. There are a number of players to keep track of here, but each is so well-fleshed out that it never became at all confusing. A list of names is not provided nor is it needed. The conversations between Cora and Will are riveting and so smart. I don’t have time to mention everyone here, but it would be an extreme oversight on my part if I did not acknowledge Dr. Luke Garrett as well as his wealthy friend, George Spencer. Dr. Garrett is a bit of a revolutionary, so to speak, in the medical world. He is forward-thinking, but nearing the end of the Victorian era, the public were still resistant to many of the new practices. For that matter, the medical community itself was not entirely accepting of his innovative ideas. I regarded Luke Garrett quite highly and he very well may have been my favorite character. The relationship between Luke and George is another facet of friendship that the author very sympathetically illustrates for us. In fact, one could say that besides the thesis of faith versus science, friendship and love are further themes illuminated quite brilliantly within this novel.

I recommend The Essex Serpent to fans of historical fiction or anyone interested in the debate between faith and science. Sarah Perry’s writing is rather addictive, and I am quite keen to check out Melmoth, due for release shortly. For further reading on the topic, I also recommend Tracy Chevalier’s Remarkable Creatures, which I found to be a truly excellent piece of historical fiction.

"I’ve always said there are no mysteries, only things we don’t yet know; but lately I’ve thought not even knowledge takes all strangeness from the world." ...more

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Oct 06, 2018 Tasha rated it really liked it

Great writing, sort of creepy in a gothic way and interesting characters. I enjoyed this a lot and found myself wanting to squeeze in some reading time to get back to the story and the characters. I loved the references to Mary Anning and her pre-historic finds.

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