Sybils story in The Correspondent is told through letters and emails (formally written, not text talk). That she sends and receives. Through the correspondence she deals with her guilt from past tragedies and severed relationships. I love that it was told through letters, a communication art form that has sadly been dying.

The Correspondent is an epistolary novel that felt like a mix between 84, Charing Cross Road and A Man Called Ove. We follow the last years of life of a retired woman in her 70s, who has maintained a correspondence with many folks throughout the years. There is family and personal drama that gets worked through, new and old relationships of all sorts are glimpsed and followed in the letters. I will say she is a less endearing and lovable curmudgeon than Ove; but the fluctuating voice and style of her correspondence was interesting to see, it made me ponder what version of ourselves are we expressing in our varied interactions? It could work as a book club read, but it's not a personal favorite that I would recommend with glowing reviews.

4 1/2 Stars

I will admit that when I first realized that the entire book would be compiled of only letters, emails and the like, I really was not sure what to think and thought it unlikely that I would fully engage in the topic.

Fortunately, I was completely wrong and I came to adore our main character, Sybil. There were moments that were intriguing, laugh out loud funny, poignant, and sad, but honestly I was hanging on her every word. Her voice is so fresh and unique.

With themes of grief, loss of a child, aging, coming to terms with ones own mortality, motherhood and so much more, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming novel.

Virginia Evans' The Correspondent is an outstanding, captivating book. It's worth noting here that I hate epistolary novels. Yet, the way Evans lets the plot unfold, so we learn more about the correspondents gives the story such a wonderful pace. Each time I opened The Correspondent, I could not wait to read more. It's the mark of a truly fantastic book and I will recommend it widely.

I loved this book. Sybil is keeping the art of letter writing "correspondence" alive and well . While an epistolary novel isn't a new thing, this book followed the form in a way that I couldn't stop reading. Sybil writes to everyone, including Joan Didion. Sybil describes that she enjoys the process of writing, including rewriting a letter to get it just right before sending it. We are in such a rush all of the time that rattling off an email or abbreviated text is what most do so reading Sybil's crafted letters was both refreshing and inspiring. The story itself was lovely and heartfelt and painful and also funny. Everyone will enjoy this book. I know I did. Heartfelt thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

This is sort of an addictive read. Getting to know her through letters alone, we get invested in her life.. It is a life well-lived but touched with regret and tragedy. It was a page-turner, keeping me up far later than is good for me. It started a little slowly as the reader gets acquainted with Sybil. Many times I wished for a flow chart to follow the relationships of everyone involved, but soon you are as attached to each and every one of them as Sybil is. As you get closer to the final page, you know you will miss her when it is done.

This was a unique epistolary novel about one woman’s correspondence with those ranging from close family and friends to authors and customer service agents. At the beginning, I was unsure if I liked Sybil who seemed to be the archetype for elderly women who have lost all filter. As I read, the storyline revealed more depth and I genuinely felt like she was a real person. Propulsive and slice of life at the same time, we experience the romance, grief, family drama, mystery, and mundanity in Sybil’s life. As we experience in our own lives, our existence is not boiled down to one genre. Also like our real lives, they are messy and don’t always have a tidy ending.

-There are also many great book references which are the perfect addition to the reader experience.

TW: loss of a child, mental illness, adoption, parental abandonment.

It’s a rare thing to find a perfect book, but this is one to me that could not have been improved-10/10 zero notes. Sybil is complex and deeply imperfect and i loved her with my whole heart by the end of this book. I was sad to finish her letters-i would read 500 pages more of them. This will rip your heart out and put it back together.

The Correspondent is a well written book particularly for fans of epistolary fiction. The one thing I could not get past was the age of the main character. She was written as if she was 90 and then I read that she was 73. I had a hard time getting past that. Most 73 year old and much more vital and forward thinking than this character.

Beware: You may be inspired to write letters after reading this epistolary novel. Sybil Van Antwerp is retired and lives alone in Maryland. She spends a great deal of time writing letters, her preferred method of communication. She writes not only to her friends, neighbors, and family, but to famous people- some of whom write back. She also writes unsent letters to an unnamed correspondent. Through the letters Sybil gradually reveals herself and her past and present. She writes about her hopes, regrets, grief, fears. Sybil is going blind. Her life is going to change.

This book is poignant. I wanted to keep reading. I want to read it again. I definitely will because I plan to share this book with my book club. I hope there will be an audiobook with a full cast or multi voice narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This book is written as a series of letters. The main character, Sybil, is in her 70's and lives in Arnold Md, near Annapolis. She is a divorcee, retired Lawyer, mother and friend. She writes to her friends, her family, her neighbor, a young man who is the son of a friend, and assorted people such as Joan Didion, and Larry McMurtry. And they write back to her. She also writes a long unfinished letter to someone, that is never sent. The letters span the time frame from 2012 to 2021. She details her life and the lives of those around her. She loves to write, and read. And she is slowly going blind. This sounds like a tragic, sad book. And it is sad. But it is also full of life, and humor and change. I enjoyed this book very much.

My first look at the cover told me that this would be a tender and charming novel. But once I started reading, that feeling of home and comfort and warmth flowed through my veins. Epistolary novels always draw me in as I enjoy the idea of letters and love the unique way of learning about characters and events through them.

Seventy-three-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp is a former lawyer and lifelong letter writer. She began writing as a child when she wrote to a very famous author who, to her delight, responded. She discovered most people did answer and used that medium to keep in contact with various people including her brother, her daughter, a DNA testing company, authors, neighbour, college dean, and Harry, a teenager. It was fun to read the different styles and vocabulary used in the correspondence. Some were conversational in tone, others terse. I liked the mentions of what others were reading (crucial!). Each letter reveals thoughts, happenings and emotions. Sybil is the type of person I'd love to have a chat with over tea.

Oh, how I loved this novel! Though at times sad, it was uplifting and evoked nostalgia. A pure pleasure to read. It would be refreshing to encounter more like this. I have beautiful stationery and am now motivated to write letters I have been putting off.

4.5 stars. I love "epistolary" novels, only partly because I love the word epistolary!

Sybil Stone Van Antwerp is having a solitary, peaceful retirement in a small house with a garden and a river view near Annapolis, Maryland. After a successful law career, she's enjoying solitude of "tea, books, and garden". She has been writing letters since she was nine, and much prefers it as method of communication over telephone calls, email, and quite frankly, sometimes more than face to face interactions. She's also going blind.

this book is quiet and heartbreaking and uplifting and goes in directions I wasn't expecting.

Harking back to a time gone by when writing letters was the primary mode of communication Sybil van Antwerp sits down daily with pen and paper. It is those letters we read we learn more and more about Sybil's daily life and her past. Despite her certainty that life no longer holds new challenges and experiences, through her correspondence she is forced to confront her past and enter into relationships that stretch her to come to terms with regrets that haunt her. Beautifully written, The Correspondent is an endearing tale of closure at the end of life.

This is a beautiful heartwarming story. Told through letters, the writing style was engaging and kept me invested from start to finish. Sybil’s ups and downs, along with her quirks, made her such a joy to read, and I was deeply invested in her journey. I found myself laughing at her wit and crying during her more vulnerable moments.

This relatable story inspired me to reflect on my own relationships, making me want to become a better daughter and mother. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book deserves ALL the stars. Wow. A real masterpiece. The tenderness of the characters - just amazingly well-drawn storylines that tug and pull. This book is THE example of why fiction is so important.

Initially, it was a little tricky to track who was writing what letters, but STICK WITH IT, dear readers -- stay the course. You will laugh, you will cry, you will want to write letters after having read this book. I stopped about 60% in and basically demanded to a friend that she read this book (I've never done something like that). May this book receive ALL the publicity.

Thank you, Virginia Evans for putting this moving book into the world.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy.

I found this very moving, it explored life, loss, and human connections through letters. The writing was beautiful, I really enjoyed this read. Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published April 29, 2025.

This book is written entirely in letters and emails. The main character is 73 year old Sybil. She lives alone and loves to write letters. We get to eavesdrop on her relationships with her best friend, her family, her neighbor, a kind man working at a DNA testing company, the Dean of a college plus many famous authors - all though her correspondence.

Themes include family, secrets and books. I really enjoyed this book.

I read this as an egalley, and I can only imagine how proper layout and separation between the letters will enhance it!
Kind of like a cross between Cat Brushing and the Thursday Murder Club series, in that the narrator is a septuagenarian still firmly in control of her faculties and with a sharp mind who has found herself pushed out of society, mainly by choice, and who is fiercely clinging onto autonomy. Though there's even a touch of romance, the main theme of the book is how split-second bad decisions can have tragic effects that last many decades and ripple out to hurt others, and what kind of grace those decision-makers deserve. This is also a love letter to certain books and authors, mainly Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry, though Kazuo Ishiguro is mentioned; to the act of reading; and most of all to the act of writing, specifically, corresponding, ideally with paper and pen.
Though Sybil Stone is prickly and private, the reader can't help respecting her, learning about her life, and finally wishing her the best. The epistolary format both made the book easy to digest and hard to put down--I'll just read one more, I thought, but then a letter would reference a tense situation, and I'd need to resolve it. Though there are mentions of child death, addiction, marital dissolution, and mental health crises, all are handled slowly and in a respectful fashion. I will be recommending this to anyone interested in a story that centers people over 60, or people who are still learning and growing.

The Correspondent is an absolutely beautiful book! The characters became so real to me that I frequently forgot that this was fictional. What a gift to be able to read this advance copy! I will eagerly read any other works by Virginia Evans.
This story dealt with some heavy issues and yet resolved them in a very real and heart warming way. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my bookshelf to re-read and to take note of all the other stories and authors mentioned.
Thank you, Virginia for taking the time to pour your heart into this book and share it with us!