In London 1893, Cora Seaborne begins her new life as a widow with a mixture of sadness and relief. Retreating to the countryside, she encounters rumours of the ‘Essex Serpent’, a creature of folklore said to have returned to roam the marshes. Setting out on its trail, she collides with William Ransome, and despite their many disagreements they find themselves drawn together, changing each others lives in unexpected ways. Set in an age of exhilarating and alarming change, The Essex Serpent is above all a celebration of love in all its incarnations, and of what we share even when we disagree.
What the book club thought: A historic tale with wonderfully detailed descriptions of characters and settings that made it all the more enjoyable!