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The Correspondent

The Correspondent


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About the Book

Discover the word-of-mouth bestselling phenomenon that thousands of readers are calling their favourite book of the year!

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOODREADS READERS' CHOICE AWARDS

'A delight . . . This is the book I'm giving to everyone for Christmas'
LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES

'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved'
NEW YORK TIMES

'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph'
CLARE CHAMBERS

'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming'
WALL STREET JOURNAL


Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to attend a class she desperately wants to take, to her favourite authors to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence – witty and wise – to make sense of the world. But beyond the page, she has spent the last thirty years keeping the people who love her at arms’ length... Until letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.

Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on.

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.

*Over 50,000 five-star reviews on Goodreads*



About the Author :
Virginia Evans is from the East Coast of the United States. She attended James Madison University for her bachelor’s in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master’s of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she studied under tutors including Claire Keegan and Kevin Power. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark, two children, Jack and Mae, and her Red Labrador, Brigid.

Review :
I was delighted and moved . . . Evans does an expert job at making you root for [Sybil] even as you want to give her a timeout . . . Masterful This is the novel I'm giving to everyone for Christmas... The Correspondent is a delight: melancholy without being sentimental, warm without being cosy, witty without being silly... The comparisons to Strout are accurate but this novel also reminded me of Anne Tyler's ability to make the domestic dramatic... An ode to a dying art form, and proof that your life is never too decided to make a change. A warm, funny gem of a novel . . . It’s a clever conceit, which Virginia Evans uses to great effect in a novel that is melancholic without being sentimental. One for fans of Elizabeth Strout. Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding. Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible. That change, like this novel, turns out to be a cause for celebration A masterclass in how to put words on human frailty. This debut does not put a foot wrong. Smart and clever . . . Evans is a confident, competent author in whom we can trust’ I can't praise it enough. Sybil is such a wonderful character, and the supporting cast so vivid and real. For a book about grief and regret it is also properly funny. It's an absolute triumph Open-hearted with some, a hedgehog curled tight in a ball with others, I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply and risk lowering her defences. Both serious and uplifting, in The Correspondent, Virginia Evans shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be This novel is a complete and utter joy. I'm kind of speechless at how good this was. How unexpectedly perfect and profoundly moving. It is so rare that a novel surprises you, but this one certainly did. I loved it. Felt cradled by it. Moved, and hurt, and healed. It’s a masterclass in the passage of time, in showing, not telling. In humility and redemption and how to love. I couldn’t look away. It is genius. It is tender. It has left me bruised, and grateful, and in tears. One of my best reads of the year. An absolute delight from start to finish, this novel is subtle, moving, wise and intelligent. I devoured it and will be reading everything Virginia Evans writes from now on. In the meantime, I’ll be recommending The Correspondent to anyone who’ll listen


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780241721278
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • Publisher Imprint: Michael Joseph Ltd
  • Edition: New edition
  • ISBN-10: 024172127X
  • Publisher Date: 29 Apr 2025
  • Binding: Digital (delivered electronically)
  • Language: English


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