John Burnside A big, warm, generous novel that wears its considerable wisdom lightly, The Essex Serpent is an absolute pleasure from start to finish - I truly didn't want it to end. The Essex Serpent is a novel to relish: a work of great intelligence and charm, by a hugely talented author - Sarah Waters Had Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker come together to write the great Victorian novel, I wonder if it would have surpassed The Essex Serpent? No way of knowing, but with only her second outing, Sarah Perry establishes herself as one of the finest fiction writers working in Britain today. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart-an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year's Eve. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy's nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives.

Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife.

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 not a happy one.

The essex serpent novel