Wow wow wow wow wow. I finished this book in about 24 hours and that's very rare for me, but I found that as soon as I picked it up I just wanted to keep reading.

Sybil Van Antwerp may not be the most likable character throughout this book, but I loved her nonetheless. She is spirted, intelligent, guarded, but also clearly hurt and doing her best to maintain whatever she can of herself as she ages. The letter format was perfection and I genuinely believe the story could not have been told as well without it.

I loved the choice of the epistolary format because it not only made the story propulsive and easy-to-read, it also was used to define so much of Sybil's character. You understand so much about her so quickly through the letters and Evans does an incredible job of that ever evasive writing rule where every line should contribute to your understanding of the character or a forward movement of the plot - she just nails it.

I don't even want to share too much in this review because I loved going into the book knowing very little and just letting it take me through Sybil's journey, but I would highly recommend to anyone who is also a fan of A Man Called Ove or Olive Kitteridge.

I started reading this title thinking it would be a light, fun read and ended up procrastinating the last 10% because I couldn’t part ways with the protagonist, Sybil. What a beautiful work!
Evans paints a portrait of life solely from one woman’s correspondence , in such a masterful way. I laughed, got anxious and cried profusely, many times. I’m really looking forward to the release date so I can buy a beautiful hardcover edition to have among my favorite titles.

Sybil Van Antwerp is a letter writer. Almost every day, she writes letters to friends, family, pen pals, strangers, authors, etc. Through the letters she sends and receives, we learn the story of Sybil’s life. Divorced with two living children, Sybil had a full life dedicated to her career as a law clerk. But there are things in her past that created a great distance between her and her children.

This book is a slow burn and full of mysteries. You’ll see the ebb and flow of relationships and, slowly but surely, the mysteries get solved. As I read, I found myself itching to write people letters. I also found myself sobbing at times, both for Sybil and for myself, reflecting on my own grief and losses — credit to the author for making me feel so many emotions so acutely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, in exchange for my honest review.

So much love for Sybil! This was a heartwarming, heart-felt, insightful story, and I enjoyed it so much!

It's a story of meaningful relationships, the effect we have on others, and looking back while moving forward. The secondary characters were all unique and interesting, and were an integral part of Sybil's journey.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Virginia Evans (maybe Rosalie will write that book!)

I requested this book on the cover and title alone as there was no description available at the time. I was not disappointed, what a fabulous read! Sybil takes out on a life journey through her letters and e-mails as she prefers to write to her friends and family. She even wrote to her neighbour who of course wrote back, I just love the idea of communicating with the neighbourhood via letters.
Although this is a short book, it is a compelling story and it made me laugh and cry and I will be recommending it to as many people who will listen!

This is a fabulous book!
I highly recommend "The Correspondent" by Virginia Evans!
This is the story of Sybil Van-Antwerp, a retired person who only likes to correspond with others through the written word. This story takes place in the final years of her life. By reading the correspondence, the reader learns all about Sybil's life, feelings, opinions, and relationships with her children, friends, and family, as well as a few others . The author manages to explain the relationships Sybil has, both the good and the ones she is struggling with. We read had she grapples with the struggles of aging in a very fast global world where conversation is not as easily achieved. It is a story that will make you life, cry, think, and wish the book didn't end. Sybil's story will stay with you for a long time! 5 Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a lovely epistolary novel that will stay with me. I think it is best read in small doses so that the reader can really absorb and understand the various relationships and events that occur throughout the novel. The story is like an onion that when peeled back reveals a multifaceted life. Highly recommend!

This debut novel about Sybil Van Antwerp and the many people she writes letters to is touching, tender, heartbreaking, and beautiful. It will make you want to buy stationery and write letters to your favorite authors and everyone you love. I love life affirming, introspective novels such as these. Well done.

Cleverly written, this is a series of letters that revolves around the life if Sybil Van Antwerp.

Who is this woman? She’s 73 and now going through a review of her life judging all the pieces and players as a mother, divorcee and chief clerk for 30 years. Should she let go of the secrets that she’s never told anyone especially about how her son died or finally do a DNA test to find answers about her biological parents?

I wasn’t sure I was going to get through a book of all sorts of personal and professional letters, e-mails and notes. Yet, here I was still reading at 3 a.m. trying to find out what would happen next in her life through the correspondence. Somehow it just grabbed me. I felt like I was locked up in this lady’s therapy sessions trying to figure out what really happened and I didn’t even care for her that much.

It's a good example of how someone can have a beautiful home, successful children, wonderful friends and still feel like a misplaced soul in this world. There’s depth in the letters with all sorts of health issues, family secrets, politics with the garden club and of course, a romance that takes her to unfamiliar grounds. Readers may likely feel like they’re part of her world with their own past which makes this book an unexpected winner.

My thanks to The Crown Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of April 29, 2025.

I enjoyed reading of Sylvia's journey through life via letters of the present. Writing allowed for the ease of telling unspoken dreams and long hidden secrets, she refused to adapt to phone calls and emails. Her faithful letter acquaintances kept her abreast of their lives, while making sure to also ask about hers in return. It allowed for remembering of details that can get lost in conversation. Her oldest recipient most certainly followed along for every letter knowing she cared deeply and did her best to make up for her faults. Thank you for the advanced reader copy. Excellent book about rethinking your path in life and that where you head in always in your hands.

I am a sucker for epistolary novels. I have not been let down by one yet. If an author has the creativity to come up with stepping stones of plot instead of a traditional narrative, then they have given a lot of thought to each plot point. This is very much true for The Correspondent. You feel like you're right there with Sybil Van Antwerp, a character that reminded me a bit of Olive Kitteridge. How to say it.....hmmmm... I kinda have the feeling that SVA would have read Olive Kitteridge and had interesting and contrasting opinions to share. The relationships in this book are so real, so very emotionally complex -- "it's complicated" describes every single one. But also completely understandable. Perhaps, my favorite element in fiction is when a writer gets this right.

And this is Virginia Evans debut work to boot. I think and I hope that this book will be huge with book clubs. I can't believe it's not out until May, but at least it's early May. Good for people who are lucky enough to have a mother who reads, this would make an excellent mother's day gift.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a wonderful read. A easy and complete memoir of a writer recalling her life thru letters. Forgiveness and lifestories.

I just finished reading The Correspondent and I can’t stop thinking about it. It is uniquely compiled of letters and emails that the lead character writes to friends, family and other important people in her life. I found the characters very relatable especially Sybil who feels she communicates better through writing than in person. The author gives an honest portrayal of aging, the challenges that we face in life and the consequences of our actions on others. This story tells us it’s never too late to find joy and to move on from the past.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an inspirational read that sticks with you. It is a beautifully written debut and I’m looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent is a captivating novel that seamlessly blends mystery, historical fiction, and romance into a deeply emotional and thought-provoking narrative. With her skillful storytelling and a keen eye for detail, Evans has crafted a story that will keep readers hooked from the very first page. The Correspondent is a stunning exploration of love, history, and the power of words to bridge the gap between generations. Virginia Evans’ writing is rich with emotion and insight, and her ability to intertwine a historical mystery with a heartfelt, character-driven narrative is truly impressive. Fans of literary fiction, historical mysteries, and beautifully written stories will find much to appreciate in this novel.

I recently read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s one of those books that quietly gets under your skin and stays there. Told entirely through letters and emails, it’s a story about life—real, messy, beautiful life—and how the choices we make shape who we are.

At the heart of it all is Sybil Van Antwerp, a 73-year-old woman who’s sharp, funny, and—let’s be honest—a bit of a curmudgeon. She’s fiercely intelligent, blunt to a fault, and completely unapologetic about who she is. I adored her. Sybil’s aging, and while it’s new to her (as it is to all of us), she’s not exactly a fan. A former lawyer and law clerk, she’s always seen the world in black and white, and that same no-nonsense attitude applies to how she’s handled family, friendships, and life in general.

Through her letters, we see it all—her complicated relationship with her adult kids, the deep losses she’s endured, her regrets, and her moments of joy. But here’s the thing: Sybil never wallows. She reflects. She gets real about the challenges of growing older—grief, loneliness, guilt—and yet there’s so much beauty in her perspective. She’s sharp and observant, with a sense of humor that had me laughing one minute and teary-eyed the next.

One of my favorite parts of this book is how much Sybil loves reading. She writes to authors, sharing her thoughts on their work, and those little moments felt like a love letter to books and readers everywhere. It was such a relatable, joyful touch.

Virginia Evans’s writing is stunning, full of emotional depth and sharp insight. It reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Strout or Fredrik Backman—stories that are so deeply human they feel like they’re about someone you know. By the end, Sybil felt like a friend. A complicated, occasionally prickly friend, but a friend all the same.

The Correspondent is a book about aging, yes, but also about family, love, regrets, and finding meaning in the small moments. It made me want to slow down, appreciate where I am in life, and maybe even write a few letters of my own.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the chance to read this one early.

The Correspondent is a debut novel by Virginia Evans. The story of Sybil Van Antwerp’s life is slowly revealed through letters and email correspondence written to friends and family, predominantly in the late years of her life.

This was a very unique format for a book. I enjoyed the story and found it to be a relatable story of family dynamics, coming to terms with regret and acceptance. It also made me want to start writing more letters!

People who enjoy short stories, strong female characters, and general fiction would enjoy this book.

Thank you to Crown Publishing for the complimentary copy through NetGallery in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is told in epistolary form. The correspondent at the center of the novel is an older woman Sybil Van Antwerp. Sybil is a very intelligent woman who had worked closely in her esteemed career as the assistant to a judge. But she was more than an assistant, she was a voice that he trusted in his decision making. Her job had been a priority to her, sometimes at the expense of her family.

This is very much Sybil’s story and it is through her and the letters and emails to family, friends, authors and others that we get to know her and the ones who correspond with her. I wouldn’t call this a cozy book. There is a lot of growth in her character and others along the way. But this is a book about life and in a life there is regret alongside joy. There is sadness in Sybil’s past and we learn about it throughout the book. Long hand writing is Sybil’s preferred method of communication and communicate she does. Letter writing has become almost a lost art in our culture. But there’s really nothing like it in terms of revealing yourself to others and understanding someone. Relationships develop and we come to see Sybil for who she is and that is not a lonely old woman. There’s a richness to her life and she discovers more about herself and others through these letters and her interactions.
There’s much more to the story, but it’s best to find out for yourself. And there are things that we learn along the way, that are life changing. The author did a great job in fleshing out the different characters and their voices.
#TheCorrespondent #netgalley #CrownPublishing

A lovely book about aging and the choices we make that determine the type of life we have. A true celebration of what it means to grow old. I really loved this book. Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Correspondent is a novel told in the form of letters and emails, both from and to our main character, Sybil van Antwerp. She is a woman in the “winter season” of her life and has always believed in the magic and power of letter writing. You don’t need to know a lot going into this book and you can be contented to just jump right into Sybil’s life and relationships, via her letters.

This was such a cozy, heartwarming book- I absolutely loved it. It took me a minute to get oriented to all of the characters and individuals referenced in her letters but, once I did, I was swept away. The author did an excellent job at giving each character their own unique voice so, it became easy after a time to detect who each new letter was from. In particular, Sybil’s personality can be characterized as a delightful, unapologetic, spitfire; she is a woman who has seen and experienced life and is not afraid to live life the way she wants going forward. I think the author just nailed this one. She also did a good job at inhabiting the voice of younger teenage characters, both men and women, and Sybil’s adult children— again, these voices were all unique and developed. I was able to get a solid sense of who each of these people were through just the method and characteristics of their correspondence and also, through what the author shows us in these letters.

I also think the author did a great job at just fleshing out the plot through this correspondence; none of it was overly long or drawn out and they all genuinely felt like letters or emails. However, I was still able to piece together what was happening and what past events were still impacting these characters and their lives currently. There were a number of sensitive topics brought up throughout the book and it felt very real to life. The author handled these topics sensitively and respectfully but, the characters were still messy and flawed as they tried to figure it all out— again, very realistic and lifelike.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the character of Sybil! She is a fantastic character to follow and this was a very enjoyable world to be in for a few hours. I would definitely recommend it and would look forward to any future works by this author.

The cover is what drew me to this book and after reading it, I loved it. I think all woman can relate and will enjoy this book. the concept isn't like any story I've read before and it was a lot of fun to escape into.