I read and reviewed this a couple of months ago and I fell for it hard. Like The Essex Serpent is deals with human kindness and connection. Not every relationship plays out in recognizably satisfying ways but each individual benefits from having loved even if that love is not returned. We observe the stars, we bathe in their light, and remark on their beauty, even if they don’t know we exist. I loved this book and was happy to see it on the long list so more people will read it.
Great review. I loved this book. I loved the main characters and their relationships with each other. As you say, unrequited love is a major theme, and is so carefully and elegantly and thoughtfully developed among Thomas, Grace, Nathan, & James. Their friendships are inspiring. The combination of love of God and love of science, which are complementary, not at odds, was brilliant writing and astonishing. Plus her prose is absolutely gorgeous and she has a wonderful, wry sense of humor. I loved Thomas’s newspaper columns. I’m so glad that it was listed on the Booker long list. I never would have found it otherwise. I predict it will not be the winner, but I hope it gets to the short list phase. I’ll read her other novels. By the way, there is a great Waterstones interview with Sarah about this book.
I loved this book, the calmness, the plot , the characters, the mystery, the religion and the science. Such a joy to read after several bad experiences with other Booker longlist books. I felt the Auden poem she quotes from sums up the unrequited love running thru the book., The more loving one . I remember the Hale- Bopp comet present in the sky for ages during a particularly happy time in my life !
I did enjoy this - I like her ability to create a sense of timelessness in her settings and characters, one of the themes of course! Thomas and the Macauleys could as easily be late Victorians as from the 1990s and Dimi made me think of something from Tolstoy. Her novels do have an air of AS Byatt about them. I’d be interested to know if the Easter egg element works if you haven’t read the Essex serpent or whether it would seem a bit random. Thank you for suggesting this Eric and hope your cold is all better now.
I've already read James...English teacher from the south so I needed to see Everett's take on. Enjoyed his point of view. I'm 1/3 of the way through Enlightment for my first choice from the longlist. For me, it's flowi.
Was already considering this book, as I am interested in astrology/astronomy and enjoyed The Essex Serpent. Picked it up, when it appeared on the Booker longlist. Appreciated your thoughts and will be reading Enlightenment this coming week.
Hope you feel better soon! I did care for Thomas a lot but Grace was definitely a character that's hard to love although I appreciated how flawed she was in a way as it made for an interesting read! My personal take on it is that, as you probably know, this book is based a lot on Perry's own upbringing and I might be totally wrong but my guess is that she intentionally wanted to distance herself from the character of Grace which ended up with the character being less easy to love. I don't know if what I'm saying makes any sense. I really really enjoyed the book, it was slow-going but a great experience for me. As you've said, there's a lot of layers there and some beautiful prose. I did love the Essex Serpent Easter egg :) Basically, I felt like this book was a great achievement BUT the very ending did not grab me and felt a little lacking, I feel like that's the weak point. Also, fun fact, in one of the interviews she mentioned she read a lot of Thomas Hardy before writing this, and that made a lot of sense to me.
Thank you and thanks so much for sharing your experience of the novel. Yes, I think that's right - in the podcast I listen to she talked about how the more she wrote and edited that novel the character of Thomas and Grace resembled her less and less. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and there were definitely elements/sections I really enjoyed as well. And the influence of Hardy does make sense. 😊
Have read "James" and "My Friends." Not much else appeals to me on the long list, except "Held" by Anne Michaels. Currently reading "Blessings" by Chukwuebuka Ibeh and "You Are Here" by David Nichols, both of which I'm liking very much.
Very interesting to hear your thoughts. This isn't one that lept out to me. I started Essex Serpent years ago and it was an early dnf. I just didn't click with it. There's definitely intersting themes you bring up but also the more I learn the more I think I might not be invested in it.
I’ve just started reading this novel, so I’m reserving judgement, but so far I’m feeling distanced by the antiquated diction in the early chapters that are set in the late 1990’s. To me it feels like diction from another era, so… maybe that will make sense later… but I’m not warming up to it so far … it just feels awkward and odd (this despite my being attracted to books with themes of faith, astronomy… on paper in seems This would be a book for me). Hmm.
Great review! Feel better. I read Enlightenment and found the writing very beautiful, but I had a hard time staying rooted to the narrative, for whatever reason. It’s hard for me to finish books on the longer side when it’s like that.
That's interesting about religion part. Nowadays authors avoid such topics so I feel intrigued. I haven't started reading the longlisted yet and I'm wondering what to take first. Looking forward to seeing more reviews on that.
Thank you, Eric, for this excellent review!🌷I must admit I wasn’t particularly impressed by The Essex Serpent. So I don’t think I will prioritize Enlightenment in my Booker reading selection. However, if it happened to win the Booker, I’d probably also reread The Essex Serpent, just to see what I missed the first time.
I didn't fall in love with it either, alas. I respect Sarah Perry's work, but honestly neither Essex Serpent nor Melmouth were for me, either. I prefer Byatt's fabulous Possession (Booker 1991): led me to a train to York then bus to Whitby in pursuit of realia. Fab.
I think maybe authors - who express their likes and dislikes through characters they write and opinions they express in books - have an unusual relationship with letters (or in this case E-mail). Sometimes after finishing a novel I like I feel compelled to write a fan letter but then I realize that if I really want to express my admiration it would be best done with a book of my own. I don't know: Perhaps writers have as much time as others to read E-mails and letters. Nevertheless, always I think that rather than addressing a personal missive I should try to complete something longer and more heartfelt.
I'm about a quarter of the way through. It's not really drawing me in. It reads very Victorian but is set in the 90s. So far I feel quite sorry for Grace and her lack of popular culture, not even trousers to wear. I'm reading All Fours by Miranda July at the same time which is a complete opposite to Enlightenment with so much emotion and modern tropes! I also just finished The Safe Keep which I loved - that was a real page turner that I couldn't put down.
And pre-ordered Creation Lake and Playground. I love Kushner and Powers. I think this could be Powers 's year. He's so due. ( This is said with not having read any yet, but he has to be the favorite.
I enjoyed it. I lived in that part of Essex and know something about the faith tradition but less hardline. I enjoyed its quirkiness and Thomas’ character. However it will not appeal to many I guess and was a little disjointed in parts.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like a real mishmash of ideas that maybe doesn't pull together as a whole? If it makes the shortlist then I'll read it, as always, but otherwise I might well give it a miss. Hope your cold clears up soon.
About half way thru this novel and today decided to stop reading because I am not enjoying it much. There were some interesting elements of this story and I wanted to like it. But, I found the language off-putting. The language is beautiful in an abstract way but also functions to created a distance between myself as the reader and the characters. I just did not care enough about the character to carry on. This novel contains many fascinating ideas, but in the end that is not enough for me.
I read and reviewed this a couple of months ago and I fell for it hard. Like The Essex Serpent is deals with human kindness and connection. Not every relationship plays out in recognizably satisfying ways but each individual benefits from having loved even if that love is not returned. We observe the stars, we bathe in their light, and remark on their beauty, even if they don’t know we exist.
I loved this book and was happy to see it on the long list so more people will read it.
Great review. I loved this book. I loved the main characters and their relationships with each other. As you say, unrequited love is a major theme, and is so carefully and elegantly and thoughtfully developed among Thomas, Grace, Nathan, & James. Their friendships are inspiring. The combination of love of God and love of science, which are complementary, not at odds, was brilliant writing and astonishing. Plus her prose is absolutely gorgeous and she has a wonderful, wry sense of humor. I loved Thomas’s newspaper columns. I’m so glad that it was listed on the Booker long list. I never would have found it otherwise. I predict it will not be the winner, but I hope it gets to the short list phase. I’ll read her other novels. By the way, there is a great Waterstones interview with Sarah about this book.
I loved this book, the calmness, the plot , the characters, the mystery, the religion and the science. Such a joy to read after several bad experiences with other Booker longlist books. I felt the Auden poem she quotes from sums up the unrequited love running thru the book., The more loving one . I remember the Hale- Bopp comet present in the sky for ages during a particularly happy time in my life !
I did enjoy this - I like her ability to create a sense of timelessness in her settings and characters, one of the themes of course! Thomas and the Macauleys could as easily be late Victorians as from the 1990s and Dimi made me think of something from Tolstoy. Her novels do have an air of AS Byatt about them. I’d be interested to know if the Easter egg element works if you haven’t read the Essex serpent or whether it would seem a bit random. Thank you for suggesting this Eric and hope your cold is all better now.
Found this novel quite beautiful and brilliant. I loved all the layers and the Victorian feel in a modern time. Such a soulful book.
Get well soon Eric ❤
I am not sure this one will be for me either but I will try it. Thank you for sharing your review with us.
Thanks, Charlie!
I've already read James...English teacher from the south so I needed to see Everett's take on. Enjoyed his point of view. I'm 1/3 of the way through Enlightment for my first choice from the longlist. For me, it's flowi.
Was already considering this book, as I am interested in astrology/astronomy and enjoyed The Essex Serpent. Picked it up, when it appeared on the Booker longlist. Appreciated your thoughts and will be reading Enlightenment this coming week.
Yeah, I love reading and watching programs about astronomy and the cosmos so was hoping to like this novel more.
Hope you feel better soon! I did care for Thomas a lot but Grace was definitely a character that's hard to love although I appreciated how flawed she was in a way as it made for an interesting read! My personal take on it is that, as you probably know, this book is based a lot on Perry's own upbringing and I might be totally wrong but my guess is that she intentionally wanted to distance herself from the character of Grace which ended up with the character being less easy to love. I don't know if what I'm saying makes any sense. I really really enjoyed the book, it was slow-going but a great experience for me. As you've said, there's a lot of layers there and some beautiful prose. I did love the Essex Serpent Easter egg :) Basically, I felt like this book was a great achievement BUT the very ending did not grab me and felt a little lacking, I feel like that's the weak point. Also, fun fact, in one of the interviews she mentioned she read a lot of Thomas Hardy before writing this, and that made a lot of sense to me.
Thank you and thanks so much for sharing your experience of the novel. Yes, I think that's right - in the podcast I listen to she talked about how the more she wrote and edited that novel the character of Thomas and Grace resembled her less and less. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and there were definitely elements/sections I really enjoyed as well. And the influence of Hardy does make sense. 😊
Feel better! I’m reading the whole longlist, so I will try it, knowing it is the one book on the list that doesn’t appeal to me at all.
Thank you! I'll be keen to hear what you make of it.
Have read "James" and "My Friends." Not much else appeals to me on the long list, except "Held" by Anne Michaels. Currently reading "Blessings" by Chukwuebuka Ibeh and "You Are Here" by David Nichols, both of which I'm liking very much.
I'm keen to read "Blessings" soon as well and Nichols' novel sounds like so much fun.
speedy recovery
Thank you!
Very interesting to hear your thoughts. This isn't one that lept out to me. I started Essex Serpent years ago and it was an early dnf. I just didn't click with it. There's definitely intersting themes you bring up but also the more I learn the more I think I might not be invested in it.
Yeah, fair enough. Maybe leave it but try it out if it gets shortlisted.
I’ve just started reading this novel, so I’m reserving judgement, but so far I’m feeling distanced by the antiquated diction in the early chapters that are set in the late 1990’s. To me it feels like diction from another era, so… maybe that will make sense later… but I’m not warming up to it so far … it just feels awkward and odd (this despite my being attracted to books with themes of faith, astronomy… on paper in seems This would be a book for me). Hmm.
What a beautiful cover!
✨
Great review! Feel better.
I read Enlightenment and found the writing very beautiful, but I had a hard time staying rooted to the narrative, for whatever reason. It’s hard for me to finish books on the longer side when it’s like that.
Thanks! Yeah, it definitely makes it more a struggle to get through.
The Aldwinter Knots scene reminds me of the opening scene on Egdon Heath in The Return of the Native by Hardy - old country rituals.
That's interesting about religion part. Nowadays authors avoid such topics so I feel intrigued. I haven't started reading the longlisted yet and I'm wondering what to take first. Looking forward to seeing more reviews on that.
Thanks Eric! Feel better! 😊 Enlightenment prob isn’t a book I’ll read but thanks for the great review.
Thanks!
Thank you, Eric, for this excellent review!🌷I must admit I wasn’t particularly impressed by The Essex Serpent. So I don’t think I will prioritize Enlightenment in my Booker reading selection. However, if it happened to win the Booker, I’d probably also reread The Essex Serpent, just to see what I missed the first time.
That's a good plan!
I didn't fall in love with it either, alas. I respect Sarah Perry's work, but honestly neither Essex Serpent nor Melmouth were for me, either. I prefer Byatt's fabulous Possession (Booker 1991): led me to a train to York then bus to Whitby in pursuit of realia. Fab.
I think maybe authors - who express their likes and dislikes through characters they write and opinions they express in books - have an unusual relationship with letters (or in this case E-mail). Sometimes after finishing a novel I like I feel compelled to write a fan letter but then I realize that if I really want to express my admiration it would be best done with a book of my own. I don't know: Perhaps writers have as much time as others to read E-mails and letters. Nevertheless, always I think that rather than addressing a personal missive I should try to complete something longer and more heartfelt.
I'm about a quarter of the way through. It's not really drawing me in. It reads very Victorian but is set in the 90s. So far I feel quite sorry for Grace and her lack of popular culture, not even trousers to wear. I'm reading All Fours by Miranda July at the same time which is a complete opposite to Enlightenment with so much emotion and modern tropes! I also just finished The Safe Keep which I loved - that was a real page turner that I couldn't put down.
Purchased James, Orbital and Wild Houses this week
And pre-ordered Creation Lake and Playground. I love Kushner and Powers. I think this could be Powers 's year. He's so due. ( This is said with not having read any yet, but he has to be the favorite.
Great! Hope you enjoy them.
I enjoyed it. I lived in that part of Essex and know something about the faith tradition but less hardline. I enjoyed its quirkiness and Thomas’ character. However it will not appeal to many I guess and was a little disjointed in parts.
Not available to me as yet online
Hope you get better soon, Eric. The book sounds interesting, but I don't think I'd like it based on the characters. Thanks for the review.
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like a real mishmash of ideas that maybe doesn't pull together as a whole? If it makes the shortlist then I'll read it, as always, but otherwise I might well give it a miss. Hope your cold clears up soon.
Thanks for this.
😊📚
I read Enlightenment in July. I found it disappointing. The ending especially.
About half way thru this novel and today decided to stop reading because I am not enjoying it much. There were some interesting elements of this story and I wanted to like it. But, I found the language off-putting. The language is beautiful in an abstract way but also functions to created a distance between myself as the reader and the characters. I just did not care enough about the character to carry on. This novel contains many fascinating ideas, but in the end that is not enough for me.
❤