In ebook proof form this book was a little tricky to read as it wasn't always clear who the letters were to/from but very quickly I got to recognise the voices of each character and loved following them all as we went back and forth in time uncovering all sorts of stories, secrets and lies.
I don't think that this book will stay with me for long but I really enjoyed it as I read it.

This is a wonderful read told in letters and emails . We meet Sybil Van Antwerp who writes with such wit and passion in her letters . She writes to her friends , her neighbours , her family , she even writes to authors that she has read like Joan Didion and Ann Patchett. Sybil has had a colourful life and such tragedy as well. She had a good job and three children. She is feisty and doesn’t shy away from saying what she thinks . We learn about her relationship with her daughter and her best friend . She learns about her past and her zest for knowledge gets her through life . I loved the letters between herself and Harry , a young boy she takes under her wing and the relationship she develops with a man at a call centre. It’s a beautiful read which made me smile and demonstrates the power of the written word.

An unusual format and one that I’m not sure lends itself particularly well to ebook. However it wasn’t too difficult to follow and it made an interesting read but whether we reveal enough of our true selves in a letter or email I’m yet to be convinced so that was a negative for me.

As the title suggests, The Correspondent is told in letters (and a few emails), mostly between our protagonist, Sybil van Antwerp, retired following a career in law, and her friends, family and assorted others There is even the odd love interest...or two!

I love an epistolary novel and this was a highly readable and enjoyable addition to my collection. I read it in a couple of days as it was hard to put down – we are constantly learning more about Sybil from what she does (and does not) say and I became extremely invested in her story.

I came into the book expecting something cosy and "fluffy", which was a misunderstanding on my part. Although this is a truly warm-hearted, generous book, it is also unflinchingly honest about what it means to be human and explores our flaws, regrets and disappointments. Nevertheless, this is punctuated by so many comical and entertaining moments and the overall effect on the reader is uplifting, rather than depressing.

I particularly enjoyed Sybil's letters to her favourite authors and the book recommendations she shares with her oldest friend. There is even a knowing nod to 84, Charing Cross Road by Hélène Hanff (if you loved that, you may well enjoy this too).

The Correspondent is an ode to the redemptive power of friendship and honest communication and if it doesn't make you dust off a notepad an pen to get writing, i don't know what will!

Thank you very much to the publisher and to NetGalley for a free advance copy of The Correspondent in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute delight this book is. I love an epistolary novel, it’s a hard format to master but Virginia Evans does a brilliant job. All the characters had their own correspondence style and their personalities shone through what they wrote, or in some cases what they didn’t write.

Sybil Van Antwerp is a formidable woman, she is whip smart and forthright in her opinions. Whilst she is sharp with her correspondence, it’s clear she doesn’t always see the obvious in her personal relationships. There is a certain amount of dramatic irony reading her letters; the reader is often aware of what is going on before Sybil appears to realise.

I experienced all the emotions reading this one, it had me laughing out loud and I also shed a tear. It’s a gem of a book, I loved it.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans draws you into the appeal of writing letters and receiving them and also effectively explores bereavement and loss and the ageing process and relationship issues.

A book of letters! I am staggered by the author's ability to shape a story and character through her correspondence - I found it so refreshing and engaging to read. It was really moving, the last few letters in particular. I was choking back tears at several points.

I absolutely adored 'The Correspondent'. I felt I was sitting with Sybil, at her desk, while she wrote and read these letters. It is a remarkable feat to write an epistolatory novel purely through letters and the occasional email or copy from a newspaper article and develop such a complex and detailed character and on top of that to generate a plot that propels the reader through to the perfect ending.

Virginia Evans' writing is glorious! How she manages to capture the essence of Fiona and Felix and Theodore in their brief references is truly impressive. I cared about these characters. Mostly serious, comedic at times, and always hopeful, 'The Correspondent' explores and often reveals what it means to reflect on a life that is nearing its end: a life filled with joys, and regrets and second chances.

This is such an accomplished novel and I will be recommending it widely.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Sybil is in her 70s and through her letters to family, friends, neighbours and even writers she admires, we learn the story of her life. But Sybil is hiding a big secret and has some serious regrets... and time is ticking. Are you ever too old to change your life?

What a FABULOUS achievement this novel is, I absolutely adored it! The author does such a fantastic job of revealing Sybil and her story through the means of the letters she writes/receives. I loved ALL the characters, especially Theodore and Harry. A book to make you laugh, cry and think about what it is to age and reflect back to your life. It's now on my favourites of the year list! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

oh please give me a letter writing set like we of a certain age still remember using. didnt anyone else have the first moments of pure joy when thy were either gifted a letter set(usually a box with secret shelves which opened to reveal more notecards) or went to the shop to buy one. mine was winnie the pooh by the way, from the shop. i think i still have it or the remnants in a childhood draw. i also have a file of all my pen pal letters.
i wish we still did that. i loved receiving and sending letters.
i loved how this book centered around a cracker of a character. shes old, she knows her mind and this woman isnt for moving. or is she? what she does do is write. to anyone and all. because why not, she doesnt think she has much time left in her so why not tell people a few things in the form of the written word. its important she tell people a few things, ha!
this is a soul moving and soul lifting book. this book is a letter for all lovers of books. this book is a letter to anyone to just think, feel, and indulge in the warmth of true wit and humour and cosines of a true gem of a book.
this book needs more said about it but then id want to go into the details so i can tell you all about it. but i want you all to be able to come to it fresh. i want you to experience the opening and closing of each of her letters with the same smile i did.

Sybil Van Antwerp has been/is a wife, mother, grandmother, divorcee, renowned lawyer and friend. Over the years she has written thousands of letters - to her best friend, her brother, the young son of a friend, various well known authors and the president of her local university to name but a few. To one person she writes regularly, however never mails the letters. Now retired, she enjoys gardening, reading and spends many hours each week writing and posting letters. Through these letters we learn Sybil doesn't suffer fools gladly. She sees the world in black and white, is highly organised and structured and has tricky relationships with her children.

Sybil's story is told entirely through her correspondence and the replies she receives. Initially there appears to be little structure to the order of the correspondence however I quickly became enthralled by Sybil's story and enjoyed trying to identify the important snippets from the general chit chat. There are some amusing exchanges between Sybil and a customer service agent working for a Heritage DNA testing organisation. Sybil's prolonged attempts at trying to persuade the University Principle to allow her to attend a literary course is a joy.

The author's characterisation of Sybil is excellent, initially appearing cantankerous, intolerant and a bit cranky. However the reader will experience a whole gamut of emotions as Sybil writes about past tragedies and her regrets at some of the choices she made. The developing vulnerability as she opens up and seeks understanding for some of her past actions is beautifully crafted. This is a heartwarming but gritty tale of reflection and introspection and that it is never too late to seek forgiveness and more importantly to forgive oneself. The style of Virginia Evan's writing is different to so many other books with a starring older protagonist and is all the better for it.

This would make an excellent choice for a Book Club read

Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

5 glorious stars for a true masterpiece of a book. Witty, clever and emotional, The Correspondent is a collection of letters, written between Sybil Van Antwerp and the various people who have come into her life.

Sybil is 73 at the start of the book. Retired from a distinguished law career, she loves gardening and letter writing. Three times a week at 10:30, she sits at her desk, hand writing her letters.

It is beautifully told, with descriptive prose setting scenes so well you it feels like you have stepped into these fictional places. I particularly loved reading about her writing desk, pots and pens everywhere, in front of a huge window with views overlooking the river. Exquisite!

There is plenty of emotion as the reader navigates through her stories and I will admit to shedding a few tears.

All in all, a beautifully told story that I will be raving about forever more. A contender for book of the year for me. I really need to get a hard copy of this to add to my collection!

Thanks to Virginia for writing this magnificent book and to the publishers for my eArc in exchange for an honest review. I really need to get a hard copy of this to add to my collection!

What a truly wonderful book, the best I’ve read in a very long time. I’d give it 10 stars if I could!

I knew the book involved letters, but I wasn't expecting the whole book to be formed of them - with the odd email and article added. And I really liked it. It can be difficult to write a book in a non-traditional way like this, but I can't imagine it being written in a conventional way, it would lose - in the words of The Mad Hatter - its muchness. So much of its charm comes from the, unfortunately, outdated art of putting pen to paper.

I loved the use of fictional characters and real people. It made the fictional ones feel real, and the real ones feel like our friends, someone we would write to.

I did worry at times, because how can you sustain a narrative through letters, so I was impressed. I sped through it. I thought the formatting would make it more clunky to read but it didn't and I was lost within it. I admit, for me, it didn't have a real key plot point, and it was a bit rambling but I loved that quality to it. It had that comforting rambling conversational quality to it, like I used to have with my late Nan.

In my view, this is a love letter to handwriting. Yes there is a plot and it's good and the characters are great. But this is all about putting pen to paper, which we sadly don't see too much of now. I for one am a great lover of writing letters but it does seem to be dying now.

It is such a heartwarming book and comforting. Sybil is an old lady, perhaps a little lonely, even if she doesn't admit it. She was a gorgeous characters and I loved reading her letters.

I believe this is Virginia's debut novel, and if that is the case then I am mightily impressed and I look forward to what's next.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I found it quite difficult to follow due to the format on kindle.

Although I feel that it was intimate to read the letters, I didn’t feel like I ever truly got to know the real Sybil. I did enjoy seeing how other characters reacted to her/addressed her in their responses.

Epistolary novels never go out of fashion for good reason, I think. The Correspondent is a really worthy edition to the novel. Honest and moving and really engaging - recommended

The structure of this novel is so well done. The way Sybil’s letters unfold over time, how certain gaps in her story slowly fill in, and how her past and present collide—it’s all woven together beautifully. There’s something incredibly intimate about reading a character’s unfiltered thoughts in letter form, and Evans uses this to great effect. The result is a novel that feels deeply personal, like you’re peeking into someone’s life one page at a time.

A charming story told in letters and emails, packing more of a punch than I initially expected. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the epistolary format of The Correspondent and thought it lent itself well to the gradual and emotive exploration into Sybil and her past. I loved the writing style and overall thought this was a sweet yet deeply affecting read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

well this was superb.
I am a big fan of epistolary novels and really should seek out more as I think they give such a human insight into a character. This is the story of Sybil, a woman in her 70s who is a big, big letterwriter. Through her letters to her best friend, her neighbours, a potential romantic interest, her brother, a long lost relative and more we learn about the life she led, her loves, her regrets, her career, her passions, her loss.
Truly a joy from start to finish