The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry is a novel set in Victorian England. When her husband dies, Cora, a natural scientist, leaves England with her son in tow and heads to Essex, searching for fossils and whatever else she might discover there. She finds herself in a small town full of rumors of the legendary Essex Serpent. She befriends a Vicar and his family and although science and religion clash, they have more in common than she would have thought.

Told in wonderful and evocative detail, nature and landscape come alive. More a story about the people than the mythical beast, this was a time when heated debates were being had about science, nature, religion, and reason and Perry brings it all to life on the page. A fascinating and entertaining read.