The Essex Serpent : The Number One Bestseller and British Book Awards Book of the Year

Sarah Perry's award-winning novel, set at the end of the nineteenth century and inspired by true events, is a thrilling and unforgettable novel of intrigue, love, and the many forms it can take."Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent is a novel of almost insolent ambition — lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate. Set in the Victorian era, it’s part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable." - Jennifer Senior, The New York TimesLondon, 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, with whom she will 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. "... an absorbing story told in a style that’s antique without being dated, rich but never pretentious...Raised on the classics and the Bible, Perry creates that delicate illusion of the best historical fiction: an authentic sense of the past — its manners, ideals and speech — that feels simultaneously distant and relevant to us..." - Ron Charles, The Washington PostThe Essex Serpent is a celebration of love, and the many different shapes it can take. THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLEROverall Book of the Year and Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2017 (Nibbies)Longlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for FictionThe Waterstones Book of the Year 2016Shortlisted for the 2016 Costa Novel Award 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. Set In Victorian London And An Essex Village In The 1890's, And Enlivened By The Debates On Scientific And Medical Discovery Which Defined The Era, The Essex Serpent Has At Its Heart The Story Of Two Extraordinary People Who Fall For Each Other, But Not In The Usual Way. They Are Cora Seaborne And Will Ransome. Cora Is A Well-to-do London Widow Who Moves To The Essex Parish Of Aldwinter, And Will Is The Local Vicar. They Meet As Their Village Is Engulfed By Rumours That The Mythical Essex Serpent, Once Said To Roam The Marshes Claiming Human Lives, Has Returned. Cora, A Keen Amateur Naturalist Is Enthralled, Convinced The Beast May Be A Real Undiscovered Species. But Will Sees His Parishioners' Agitation As A Moral Panic, A Deviation From True Faith. Although They Can Agree On Absolutely Nothing, As The Seasons Turn Around Them In This Quiet Corner Of England, They Find Themselves Inexorably Drawn Together And Torn Apart. Told With Exquisite Grace And Intelligence, This Novel Is Most Of All A Celebration Of Love, And The Many Different Guises It Can Take. Sarah Perry. 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, they hear rumours 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, is enthralled, convinced that what the locals 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. A-- -- When they take lodgings in Colchester, rumours reach them from further up the estuary that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a previously undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar