Totally drawn into the wonderful rich characters in this novel set over several decades. Weaving the narrative so masterfully between science and faith and the entanglement and nuances of them both. Sarah's vocabulary as always challenged me to learn new words and marvel at the construction of some of her thoughts in the descriptions of life. In a very good way! The relationship between Thomas and Grace breaks your heart as you see the love destroyed and leads to our own reflections on life and the preciousness of it all. The shadowy 'ghost' left pearls throughout. Do read this to be utterly absorbed and lose track of time.

I love Perry's books and this is everything I've been taught to expect from her work - complex characters, interesting interactions, a touch of the uncanny and a new slant on an old piece of folklore. This was thoroughly enjoyable.

Thomas works as a columnist for a local newspaper. His editor persuades him to write some articles about astronomy, which leads him to research a mysterious woman whose ghost has haunted him since he was a child. Thomas has been friends with Grace since she was born, as they were both part of a strict religious sect. The story explores friendships, love and faith.
Enlightenment has everything expected of a Sarah Perry book, beautiful writing, complex characters and a touch of the supernatural. The Essex setting with the ever-present Essex mud, is very atmospheric. The opening of the book is set in the 90’s but to me, it had an almost Victorian feeling, particularly the sections about Thomas at home.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Enlightenment is an atmospheric, beautifully written novel. I really enjoyed it.

Thomas and Grace are worshippers at the same Baptist chapel, and despite there being thirty years between them they are kindred spririts, well they are until love enters the equation. As well as falling in love Thomas also develops an obsession with a female astronomer who lived in the Manor House during the 19th century, and is now believed to haunt it, she may also have discovered a comet and Thomas sets out to discover the truth about her and make sure she gets the credit for the discovery of the comet.

Sarah Perry is a wonderful writer. Her “Enlightenment” once again explores the familiar themes of science, faith and love. The themes are essentially those explored previously in “The Essex Serpent”, but this fresh new novel is set in contemporary times and the wonders of comets, stars and planets through astronomy. Perry’s characters and prose make for an entertaining and engaging read. Special thank you to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for a no obligation advance review copy.

A very beautifully written and interesting story. I loved the way it was laid out and the characters likeable. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Comets, faith - religious and in many other ways, love, specters from the past, all are there and influence all the characters involved. The writing can be fanciful and it can be difficult to feel immersed in the storyline, difficult to relate to (some) of the characters. But the reader is challenged to learn more about astronomy, to examine what is 'good' and is it possible to choose the opposite?
It'll need a deep breath but go for it and go for "Enlightenment."

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. It took me a little while to get into this book. At first it felt quite disjointed with the multiple points of view, multiple timelines and multiple techniques for moving the story forward, but my goodness, once I got into this story I found it utterly compelling. The writing is beautiful, the characters sympathetically drawn and wonderfully developed, and Perry even manages to make the subject of astronomy interesting (I like looking at the stars but have never felt the need to be able to name them individually :-)) The themes of theology/religion (& It’s impact on society and individuals), homophobia, love gained, lost or yearned for are all woven through the text and move the story along without overwhelming it. Thoroughly recommend it!

At times it is difficult to know what is going on because the changes seem to happen definitely mid-paragraph if not mid-sentence. It took a couple of attempts to get into the story, the story line is very weak and the characters irritating in the extreme but at some point I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading.

I loved this book. As soon as I opened it up, I realised that I had read something by this author before. The author has a strong sense of place. I found earlier chapters difficult to place in time and this gave the book a haunting and ethereal quality which I enjoyed. The later chapters felt more solid and familiar which gave the book an ending and answers to earlier questions that had arisen.

This book has a pulse. It has a rhythm which keeps the reader entranced. The chapters weave in and out of the characters lives, gradually unfolding over time. If I had to create a playlist to accompany this book, it would include everything from Moonlight Sonata to Teenage Kicks to Karma Police.

Not my favourite Sarah Perry but an interesting read. Based around a Bethesda chapel, a young motherless child reaching adulthood within the constraints of the church and with presence of the halle bop comet crossing the sky. Diverse characters mix as we also search for a ghost in the deserted big house on the outskirts of town and uncover a century old story.

Exquisite writing, although I did find it very slow, and at times hard to follow. I loved the concept behind it, and it was very different from other Sarah Perry's titles.

I really liked the sound of this book but unfortunately I did not engage with the plot or the characters. The writing style was beautiful but I did find that the plot and timelines jumped around too much for me to become invested in the story. I gave it a good go, but stopped reading after about 80 pages.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Perry writes about friendship in such an illuminating, heartfelt way that I found myself having to pause to think through what I had just read every few pages. Wonderfully immersive.

I finished Enlightenment a week ago and have spent a lot of that time trying to decide whether to give this 4 or 5 stars. I’ve decided that I really think this is a 4.5 star book so I’m gong to round up to 5 stars.

I was so surprised that I loved this book as much as I did. I liked The Essex Serpent but I definitely did not love it and I didn’t find that enjoyable to read. I liked Malmouth more and I loved Enlightenment. It’s hard to say why however. This book just gives a feeling of a meditation on the stars, history and personal relationships (not necessarily romantic, just life relationships) all with the most beautiful prose. I am not the sort of reader for whom beautiful prose is enough for me to love a book however, I need a story. I need something to keep me interested. And how does Enlightenment do that? I’m not sure. There’s no fast paced story here but there is a thread that joins the characters and 20-30 year time span that is covered here. This novel just felt so real and even though sad at points the overall effect is one I found beautiful. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

For those who have read and enjoyed Sarah Perry's previous works, you will know what you are getting here. Exquisite writing, pitch perfect, with beautiful, indelible imagery. I re-read whole passages here just to revel in her prose.

Told over three distinct time periods, with the narrative shifting between them, back and forth, loose and free and expertly done.

Thomas Hart, a writer and journalist, living and working in Aldleigh, Essex. Thomas falls in love with a married man.

Grace Macaulay, twenty years younger, also lives in Aldleigh, where she belongs to the same methodist group as Thomas, and religion binds them together.

Then there is the pursuit of a mystery, with Thomas researching a female astronomer called Maria Vaduva Bell, who lived in Aldleigh in the 1880s.

Together these three people, their lives, histories and loves become the backbone to a novel which explores issues of faith, religion, science, astronomy and more besides.

This is a very fine novel. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another masterwork from Sarah Perry, Enlightenment tells the story of Grace Macauley, a young woman and Thomas Hart, a closeted gay man 30 years her senior, who both worship at Bethesda, an Essex Baptist Chapel. As with many of Perry's books, the setting itself acts as an additional character and this is never more true than when she writes of Essex. The cast of characters, both alive and dead, undergo love, grief, change and uneasy contentment; orbiting each other and Aldleigh like the comets that shape the book's structure.

I loved the nods to previous work and the lush, timeless writing Perry is known for. Enlightenment deserves every bit of success that The Essex Serpent enjoyed.

From the first page I would’ve known that this was a Sarah Perry novel even if the author’s name had been redacted; like Aldwinter, Aldleigh is somewhere I feel I visited as a child. I preferred the time spent with Maria and Thomas and their various ghosts to the astronomy longeurs but overall adored the book.

I absolutely devoured this new novel by Sarah Perry. Perry’s writing is exquisite and reading her words are an absolute delight. Linking love, astronomy and religion the story is centred around Edward, a gay member of the Bethesda Chapel and Grace, a young woman who is brought up in the faith and is trying to find her identity. Driven by an historical mystery, the relationship of the these two characters is examined over a period is 20 years.