The Essex Serpent is a decadent and detailed piece of historical fiction that reads almost like a classic. Set in Victorian England it moves between London and Essex as the main protagonist Cora Seaborne, a recently widowed woman leaves London in search of greater freedom and fossils. Upon her arrival in Essex, Cora hears of the Essex Serpent, a beast supposedly haunting a local village called Aldwinter. In Aldwinter Cora finds greater freedoms in her life and meets a local parish priest Will and his family. She becomes immediately enamoured with Will and his family.

The novel itself has an incredibly slow pace and I think this makes the book the perfect pick for a buddy or book club read as it will encourage you onwards as the overall writing is enjoyable, it's just a very sedate pace. I can see why people found it difficult to make it through the book, but I actually quite enjoyed the pace and it reflected the mood of the book.

Cora herself was a very strong female character and I liked her determination to do as she wanted, to dress as she wanted and to not be judged by those around her.

In terms of the plot, I would argue that not a lot happens over the course of the novel and the focus is on the relationships crafted, the Essex Serpent and the mysteries of the countryside of Essex alongside the characters daily lives, health and relationships. It's not a sweeping period of historical fiction, but one that focuses on the everyday life aspects and the novel for me really captured that.

The languid pace and focus on the details makes this the perfect slow read for the dark cold nights of winter and autumn. I enjoyed reading this as part of @bristolianbooks buddy read group and whilst I didn't love it as much as everyone else, it was still an enjoyable read.