The Correspondent
A Novel
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4.6 • 3K Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.
“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal
“I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply.”—Florence Knapp, author of The Names
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE AND THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads
“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”
Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.
Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A woman’s singular, imperfect life is revealed through her letters in Virginia Evans’ gorgeously affecting epistolary novel. Sybil is in her seventies. She’s a retired law clerk, a divorced mother of two adult children, and she’s losing her vision. She’s always loved writing letters: to her brother, her children, former colleagues, favorite authors, and mysterious figures from her past. She doesn’t even always send them. But through these compelling writings, we get a window into our charming, cantankerous protagonist’s main point of contact with the world. We absolutely adored Sybil’s endearing bluntness and impressive depth of character. Tensions with her loved ones sometimes threaten to boil over (especially when, as an adoptee, she takes a DNA test), but her frustrating qualities are oddly her most heartwarming. Fans of Fredrik Backman’s My Friends will love this brilliant family drama.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The charming debut from Evans takes the form of letters and emails exchanged by a divorced and retired woman with her friends, family, foes, and literary idols. It begins in 2012 as Sybil Van Antwerp, 73, politely declines an invitation to visit her brother, Felix, in France, then fancifully invites the author Ann Patchett to use her Maryland home as a writer's retreat. Sybil spent her career clerking for a judge, and after reading of his death in the newspaper, she begins receiving strange and threatening letters from an aggrieved former defendant, who calls her a "cold metal bitch." Evans juxtaposes these screeds with Sybil's intimate fan mail to Joan Didion, who writes her back in 2013, expressing empathy as a fellow member of "the club of parents who have buried children" (Sybil lost a son at eight). Sybil, who was adopted, grows curious about her ancestry after her older son gives her a DNA test for Christmas, and she brushes off concerns about her declining eyesight from her daughter, Fiona, who lives in Australia. As the years go on, Sybil's relationships brim with tension waiting to be released, and the detailed connections between each character are brilliantly mapped through the correspondence. It adds up to an appealing family drama.
Customer Reviews
Warm Glow
I read this book in less than two days. I couldn’t put it down. The characters are so alive. Sybil is a letter writer that I wished I could be. What a lovely way to communicate.
In this day and age with texting, you don’t see letter writing with emotions.
Bullet points are the way I feel that I communicate with.
This book makes me want very nice paper and a beautiful pen to write to my friends and acquaintances.
Was it an unexpected ending, not really. It warmed my heart.
Becky
Bummer Buzz alert!
I thought the idea of putting a story together using written letters might be a worthwhile endeavor. The author is obviously well versed in her mechanics. And maybe using a different style of narration would help.
I found myself constantly going back in the book to reintroduce myself to who I was reading and who was doing the writing.
And the melancholic tone throughout the story gives the reader a bummer buzz. I never caught myself chuckling spontaneously. Not even close.
I read it through to the end. And honestly wish I had stopped about halfway through.
Loved it!
What a wonderful book! Enjoyed every page!
Exquisite writing style. Interesting story. Couldn’t put it away.