I thoroughly enjoyed reading an ARC copy of The Correspondent, Virginia Evans’ delightful debut novel, which will be published by Crown in late April 2025.

This utterly engaging novel, written in an epistolary format, features a rather unexpected main character. Sybil VanAntwerp is a sharp, older woman with a fascinating background . . . and a serious letter writing habit. She writes regularly to friends, family members, former work colleagues, a troubled teen, her neighbor, customer service representatives - even well-known, real-life authors. Her letters - and their responses - are pure delight.

With an interesting and well-developed cast of characters, a compelling storyline that unspools completely through written correspondence, and excellent pacing (I raced through this book; it never flags), The Correspondent will definitely be one of my favorite reads of 2025. The power of love, forgiveness, and friendship, lifelong curiosity and an openness to change . . . are just what I need to be reading about these days. And, of course, it’s always lovely to encounter a complex, older female character in literature. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 29, 2025.

5 stars

Dearest Reader,

Please believe me when I say this: Virginia Evans has crafted the perfect story. In this heartfelt epistolary novel, we meet Sybil Van Antwerp, a septuagenarian who spends her days writing letters to make sense of her world. To Sybil, letters are more than words on a page: they are a way to preserve a life. She regularly corresponds with friends, family, and beloved authors, weaving a tapestry of connection and reflection.

As Sybil’s past unfolds, we are reminded of the power forgiving others, as well as ourselves. Though she has long been set in her ways, we witness her journey toward vulnerability and the profound beauty of truly opening up to those around her.

The only disappointment? THE CORRESPONDENT is a debut, which means we must wait for more from Virginia Evans.

I’ll sign off just as Sybil does in letters to a beloved friend:

What are you reading?

READ THIS IF YOU:
-believe in the power of the written word
-know its never too late to change
-love the question: What are you reading?

This book was equal parts heartwarming, heartbreaking and funny. I very much enjoyed this look back via letters in Sybil’s life. She went through heartbreak and you go with her as she writes around and about these times. I laughed out loud because of her witty letters and it was a treat!

Epistolary novels usually aren’t my preferred reading format but this book was a welcome exception. The Correspondent is a reflective reminder that family and friendship are two of life’s greatest joys (and sometimes biggest sources of grief) and forgiveness is an incredible gift to give and receive.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!

Sybil Van Antwerp, a distinguished legal mind. Mother, friend, sister and neighbor, makes sense and order in her life by writing copious letters. She communicates with authors, former clients, friends and strangers, and anyone who deserves praise or criticism. She seems to be an independent, rather lonely woman, who lives life on her own terms. This episolotory unveiling of her storied life is like peeling layers of a sweet onion, including the tears. The Correspondent is a celebration of the pain and joy of putting one’s hopes, fears, and mistakes, on paper to face the reality of your own life.

The Correspondent is a novel told in letters written by Sybil who is in her seventies. She writes to her brother, her children, her friends, authors, her neighbor, etc. You get to know her and the people in her life through these letters. I felt the book was somewhat slow and some of the letters were unnecessary. There was a lot of sad parts in this book for me but maybe I was not the right audience. I thought it was going to be a bit more mysterious than it was. I still did enjoy it and really liked the different way the book was written. 3.5 stars.

I love an epistolary novel, and this one is excellent! This story about a women in her 70's told through her letters to family, friends, authors, and other people in her life. Sybil van Antwerp is a flawed but loveable protagonist who relates to people best through writing. Although in her twilight years, she is still learning things about her history and the people in her life. And who doesn't envy a relationship where in every correspondence, they always ask "what are you reading?"

When I first started reading “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not. After all, the entire book consists of letters and emails sent by and to Sybil Van Antwerp, a woman in her late seventies who is going blind. She had been a letter writer her entire life, and has poured her heart into her letters, an art, which is sad to say, one that’s disappearing. In writing to her children, her friend, strangers, and even well-known authors, we learn some secrets to her past that he is forced to deal with and to reconcile with people who had been affected by those events.

I ended up loving “The Correspondent” and felt like I knew Virginia intimately through her letters. I was reminded of a time when I was also an avid letter writer (which in the end, made me become a writer). I still have many of the letters I wrote over the years (particularly those to my parents who kept them!) and now I’m curious to get them out and examine the me I used to be before the internet killed that mode of communication. Like the character in this story, I’m tempted to send a letter to author Virginia Evans, telling her how much I enjoyed this book!

I’m grateful to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinions are my own.

I'm always a fan of epistolary fiction and with this book i think everyone should be! Sybil is an amazing character. I loved her, flaws and all. Already in the running for a favorite of 2025.

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.