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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
No violence; the suspected sea monster creates dread but no attacks
Language
Barely any
Victorian literary prose; no profanity
Sexual Content
Some
Adult romantic tension; a marriage of convenience; restrained
Substance Use
Barely any
None
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of being free for the first time and not knowing what to do with freedom
What this book is about
Cora Seaborne, recently widowed and freed, travels to rural Essex to investigate rumors of a prehistoric serpent in the marshes—and forms an unlikely friendship with the local vicar William Ransome. Sarah Perry's novel is a meditation on faith, science, and the Victorian understanding of nature, set against an atmospheric coastal backdrop.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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