I just finished reading The Essex Serpent, which I received for Christmas. I read through the interesting discussion; too late to comment now, I suppose. But I appreciated the gorgeous cover, the complex nature of the characters, the absence of predictability and stereotype. Even when the latter annoyed me. 
I also greatly enjoyed @mathmom 's interpolation of the superb poem Dover Beach. A favorite of mine, also. It leads me to contemplate it in relation to The Idea of Order at Key West, another great poem that takes place on the edge of earth and sea.