100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders 🚀

The Essex Serpent

from the Booker-longlisted author of Enlightenment
3.52 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 67,757 ratings, 8,544 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry is set in late 19th-century England and follows Cora Seaborne, a recently widowed naturalist, as she moves from London to Essex in pursuit of a legendary creature said to haunt the area. Amidst the swirling rumours of the serpent, a rich tapestry of Victorian society unfolds, exploring themes of science versus superstition, faith, love, and friendship. The novel intricately weaves personal relationships with broader historical and cultural tensions of the era.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2600
Elsewhere:
$2799
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're intrigued by stories set in the Victorian era, where myth and reality intertwine. It may appeal to you if you appreciate rich character development and atmospheric settings, exploring themes of science versus superstition through a compelling narrative.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A thrilling and unforgettable historical novel of love and intrigue.

A thrilling and unforgettable historical novel of love and intrigue

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
Soon to be a TV series starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston.

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.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry has been praised for its intelligence, charm, and considerable wisdom. The novel is likened to a blend of Dickensian and Gothic elements, establishing Perry as a noteworthy British author. Reviewers commend it as a pleasurable, warm, and generous read, with a narrative that intertwines desire, faith, and friendship in a uniquely captivating way.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781788169622

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 May 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Serpent's Tail

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 340g

Pages: 448

About the Author

Sarah Perry is the author of The Essex Serpent, Melmoth and After Me Comes the Flood. She has been the UNESCO City of Literature writer-in-residence in Prague and a Gladstone's Library writer-in-residence. Her work has been translated into twenty two languages.

Also by Sarah Perry

View all
  • Enlightenment
    A story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends. LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024 A story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends. 'Gorgeous... Ethereal' - GUARDIAN 'A book with cosmic reach' - FINANCIAL TIMES...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Enlightenment
    Enlightenment by Sarah Perry is longlisted for the Booker Prize 2024. It is a captivating story of love and astronomy, unfolding over twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends. Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay have spent their entire lives in the small Essex town of Aldleigh. Despite being separated in age by three decades, they are kindred...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Essex Serpent
    The number one bestseller and British Book Awards Book of the Year 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...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • If... - 25th Anniversary Edition
    In Sarah Perry's picture book If . . ., take a fantastical journey through an inspiring world where anything can happen: Leaves turn into fish, cats fly with wings, humans have tails, frogs eat rainbows, and dreams become visible. First published in 1995, Sarah Perry's delightful picture book of surreal possibilities was the Getty's first children’s title and remains a...
    Hardback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Death of an Ordinary Man
    An unflinching and profoundly moving account of caring until death, from Booker-Prize-longlisted Sarah Perry. Please read this book. It may very well change how you live – Rachel Clarke I was spellbound – Kathryn Mannix Death of an Ordinary Man is an unforgettable account of this universal aspect of life. It is not a book about grief; it is a...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • After Me Comes the Flood
    From the bestselling author of The Essex Serpent Longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award Winner of the East Anglian Book of the Year Award 2014 One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Death of an Ordinary Man
    Winner of the Nero Book Award for Non-Fiction, an unflinching and profoundly moving account of caring until death, from the Sunday Times bestselling author. WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARD FOR NON-FICTION 2025 LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2026 'Please read this book. It may very well change how you live' - Rachel Clarke 'Filled with love...I was spellbound'...
    Paperback
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Melmoth
    Observer best fiction book of the year 2018 Shortlisted for the 2019 Dylan Thomas Prize Oh friend, take my hand - I've been so lonely! One winter night in Prague, Helen Franklin encounters her friend Karel, half-mad with fear. He has come into possession of a mysterious old manuscript, filled with testimonies that speak to Helen from 17th-century England, wartime...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Eight Ghosts
    Eight Ghosts features eight authors who were granted exclusive access to their chosen English Heritage site, ranging from medieval castles to a Cold War nuclear bunker. Immersed in historical atmospheres and chilled by rumours of hauntings, they channelled their imaginations into a series of extraordinary new ghost stories. Following these tales by the contemporary writers, there is a section by...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Historical Fiction

View all
  • New Release
    The Parisian Chapter
    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and The Librarians of Rue de Picardie comes a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.'Stirring and rich with detail' New York Times...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Inferno
    AD 60. Nero Claudius Caesar is Emperor. He is feared for his temper. He is known to be intoxicated by the power he wields. And why not? The Roman Empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia. Nero is god of all he surveys. Yet dangerous traitors lie close at hand. Generals commanding legions. Senators whispering...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Circle of Days
    From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Soldier's Daughter
    The heart-stopping new blockbuster by the bestselling author of The Fallen Woman. Violet Nash has grown up in the shadows of her father Charlie's shattered dreams. It's been years since he walked away from the battlefields of France, a WWI hero but his heart in tatters, only to see it broken all over again in the worst way possible. In...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Girl with the Suitcase
    The enthralling new novel from the 10-million-copy, No. 1 bestselling author. London 1941 When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth, she realises their lives couldn't be more different. But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground, Mary's life is set to change forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Lost Bookshop
    Evie Woods' stunning new novel The Story Collector is available now. The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • All the Diamonds in Paris
    Kristin Harmel is firmly in the top echelon of WW2 storytellers - HEATHER MORRIS A master storyteller - SANTA MONTEFIORE The best at sweeping historical drama - KELLY HARMS A dazzling diamond of a novel - HAZEL GAYNOR * Paris, 1942: Anabel Martinet is a jewel thief, descended from a family that has spent centuries stealing from the unkind and...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Listeners
    ‘By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss'...
    Paperback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Song of Achilles
    The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a brilliantly crafted retelling of the ancient Greek epic of Achilles and Patroclus, transforming the classical myth into a profoundly moving love story. Set against the richly depicted backdrop of Greece during the heroically tumultuous age, the narrative follows Patroclus, an awkward and exiled young prince, who is taken to the court...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Cardinal
    Step into the thrill and intrigue of Tudor England in the rich, compelling new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Alison Weir. Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else BARBARA ERSKINE AN EXTRAORDINARY RISE TO POWER. A TRAGIC FALL FROM GRACE. It begins with young Tom Wolsey, the bright and brilliant son of a Suffolk tradesman, sent to...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Mythos
    Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    15% off
    The Four Winds
    Kristin Hannah is a classic storyteller and The Four Winds sees her at the top of her game - Matt Haig Powerful and compelling - Delia Owens, number one international bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing A story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much! - Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The...
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.