BOOK REVIEW: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

London, 1893. When Cora Seaborne's husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Retreating to the countryside with her son, she encounters rumours of the Essex Serpent, a creature of folklore said to have returned to roam the marshes.
Cora is enthralled, believing it may be an undiscovered species. Setting out on it's tail, she collides with local minister, William Ransome, who thinks the cure for hysteria lies in faith, while Cora is convinced that science offers the answers. Despite disagreeing on everything he and Cora find themselves drawn together, changing each others lives in unexpected ways...
Told with grace and intelligence, The Essex Serpent is set in an age of exhilarating- and alarming- change. But it is, above all, a celebration of love in all its incarnations, and of what we share even when we disagree. 

Publisher: Serpent's Tail

Pages: 418

The Essex Serpent was such a delight to read. I've been so busy so this took me much longer to read than it normally would but I think I partly took my time with it because I didn't want it to end.
Cora Seaborne is the protagonist and her husband has just died. Although she has her mourning clothes on, Cora is actually greatly relieved that he has gone and she can have her will and freedom back.
She travels to the countryside with her son Francis and she then hears tales of the Essex Serpent which has been terrorising locals. Cora believes it to be real and she becomes determined to find this strange creature. Her quest brings William Ransome and his family into her life; William is the local minister. They have very different viewpoints and beliefs but they realise that they truly value each other's company. Cora knows that William cannot be hers and she becomes incredibly fond of his wife yet she is also unable to keep her distance. Finally she has found a man who likes and accepts her for who she is rather than trying to exert control over her.
The book is set in 1893 and reads very much like a classic. It has a beautiful, gothic feel to it and I was so taken with Sarah Perry's writing style and the way she used language and description. She uses language to almost create layers, the descriptions are so vivid and atmospheric, I was very impressed.
This book would be a perfect choice for a book club read as there is so much to think about. The theme of love is present throughout the book; the love between friends and family; the love you have or should have for your husba
nd or wife, unrequited love and it's devastating consequences. The book explores changes in attitudes and beliefs and the divide between science and religion. Cora as a character, pushes against the boundaries set for women at the time which is why William is so important. As a minster he holds some very traditional views but William does not believe Cora should be bound by being a woman  and instead he celebrates the aspects of her that others disapprove of.
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry is one of the best books I have read this year. Everything about it impressed me and I know it's a story I will read again and again.