{"product_id":"the-essex-serpent-by-sarah-perry","title":"The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry","description":"\u003cp\u003eHB at PB price\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eTHE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eOverall Book of the Year and Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2017 (Nibbies)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eLonglisted for the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eThe Waterstones Book of the Year 2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eShortlisted for the 2016 Costa Novel Award\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e'One of the most memorable historical novels of the past decade'\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLondon 1893. When Cora Seaborne's husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Accompanied by her son Francis - a curious, obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, where she hopes fresh air and open space will provide the refuge they need.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike Cora, Will is deeply suspicious of the rumours, but he thinks they are founded on moral panic, a flight from real faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, he and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart, eventually changing each other's lives in ways entirely unexpected.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eTold with exquisite grace and intelligence, this novel is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different guises it can take.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Beyond Books Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58424707416438,"sku":null,"price":5.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/2969\/8658\/files\/essex.jpg?v=1786277344","url":"https:\/\/www.beyond-books.co.uk\/products\/the-essex-serpent-by-sarah-perry","provider":"Beyond Books Media","version":"1.0","type":"link"}