The Correspondent

4.5 rounded down.

This was such a fascinating read. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that spans so many years of time with relatively little “plot,” yet still kept me completely invested. The character development was so good, and watching the relationships and personalities evolve over time felt incredibly real and rewarding. Life is constantly moving and changing and the way in which the man character, Sybil, learns lessons in her later years in life was inspiring and beautiful.

I’d also 100% recommend the audiobook — the different voices and characters added so much depth and emotion to the story. The writing style was thoughtful, immersive, and unlike anything I’ve read in a while.

This beautifully written book is why I love to read. Sybil Van Antwerp's past and present, encompassing her 78 years, are revealed in letters sent from and to her. She writes to family members, friends, authors of books she loves, a boy experiencing difficult times and anywhere she sees an injustice, including one to her garden club. She is compassionate, opinionated and, beneath her at-times prickly exterior, vulnerable.

Sybil is a retired attorney with an impressive educational background. Divorced for many years with her ex-husband living in Belgium, she has a daughter and a son. Another son died tragically at the age of 8, which left her unmoored and led in part to the divorce. She and her brother were both adopted by loving parents, show more but much was missing until a random DNA search reveals secrets from the past. Her letters also lead to a romance she didn't know was possible.

This is a book that touched my heart and Sybil is a character I will fondly remember. Her references to books, notably Crossing to Safety, resonated with me. I was sometimes reminded of another noteworthy character, Olive Kitteridge. It is more than worthy of a rare 5-star rating. show less

THIS is how you write a book about an unlikeable character. (And of course, maybe other folks didn't find her unlikeable.) But I was *fascinated* by Sybil even though I kind of wanted to maneuver her down a well. And in the end, I felt like I understood her and saw how other characters in the book might like her. Evans did a great job with the epistolary format. This is probably a bit my time of life, but this one also got me weepy. Recommended, but do be aware there are strong themes of grief, child death, and elder decline.

The Correspondent, Virginia Evans's best-selling debut, is an epistolary novel that offers a window into the life of Sybil van Antwerp, 73, a successful retired lawyer who engages with the world through writing, letters, and e-mails, and shares reflections on life and the books she is reading. Her regular correspondence with friends, family, former colleagues, and authors whose work she has enjoyed shapes the novel’s structure. Yet beneath her distinctive, often witty and erudite commentary lies unresolved family trauma.

Listening to this novel was a unique experience. I needed to have the cornea of my left eye scraped. It is not a serious procedure, but it is painful. It left me unable to read or see well for five days. I asked show more friends for audiobook recommendations, and The Correspondent received high marks. Ironically, what stood out for me was just a minor detail for them. Sybil van Antwerp, retired attorney, prolific letter writer, and avid reader, suffered from macular degeneration and was going blind. While I don’t share her problem (my vision has returned to normal now), listening to the book under a visual haze caused me to view much of her later correspondence as a struggle to come to terms with her life before blindness descended. Reading others' reviews and discussions with friends made me reflect on how much circumstances affect interpretation. show less

Sybil Van Antwerp has been a diligent letter-writer since childhood. Now in her 70s, writing letters has become a daily ritual. Most of her letters are hand-written and are exchanged with family members, her lifelong best friend, the child of a former colleague, and authors whose books she has enjoyed. She uses email as a matter of necessity, but even then some of her correspondence has evolved beyond its initial purpose.

The reader gets to know Sybil through these letters, which unfold over nearly a decade. Her personality is immediately apparent: fiercely independent, headstrong, and set in her ways. But there’s much more to Sybil, and small details dropped into her letters slowly paint a more comprehensive picture that shows how show more life events shaped her. Sybil had a successful career as a law clerk for a prominent judge, unusual for a woman at the time. She married, had children, and divorced. She experienced tragedy and loss, and built a protective shell around herself to cope.

But several events take place that begin chipping away at Sybil’s shell and lead her into some entirely unforeseen places which made this novel both joyful and a tear-jerker. It’s impossible to describe without spoilers, so all I can say is read this book, you won’t regret it. show less

I am not a big fan of books that are written as letters and emails so I hesitated to read this book. I decided to listen to this book and I am so glad that I did! There is a full cast reading the myriad of characters and each of them did a stellar job! It was so hard to stop listening to this amazing book! Sybil Van Antwerp is a letter writer and corresponds with her family, friends, her favorite authors, etc. We go through her life through her correspondence. She's a difficult woman much like Olive Kitteridge (another favorite character of mine). She is also an avid reader and books are an important part of her life. One of my favorite books so far this year! I can't recommend this enough!

What a gem! This epistolary novel includes letters and emails from Sybil Van Antwerp to the people in her life. From a decades-long correspondence with her childhood friend to notes to neighbors to emails with a customer service rep, the letters tell the story of her life. It's a bit like 84 Charing Cross Road but with added depth and breadth. I absolutely loved Sybil. She's a complicated woman; sharply intelligent, acerbic, and incredibly caring. The author manages to tell so much of Sybil's history purely through her communication. As someone who loves writing letters, I cherished this picture of an intentional life.