Virginia Evans

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

Ann Patchett, bestselling author of TOM LAKE

‘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

Clare Chambers, bestselling author of SMALL PLEASURES

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.

Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL

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.

Claire Daverley, author of TALKING AT NIGHT

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

Lucy Atkins, author of WINDMILL HILL and MAGPIE LANE

I read The Correspondent in a single sitting. What a beautiful, brilliant book. Both funny and movingly poignant, this is a book for anyone who has ever felt the compulsion to pick up pen and paper, but also for those who sometimes find themselves at a loss for the right words. You must read it!

Libby Page, bestselling author of THE LIDO

A witty, tenderly rendered story of a life, in all its fragments and knots, and ultimately a beautiful meditation on the lost art of communication. I can’t imagine anyone with a soul not loving it

I finished this wonderful, wonderful book in tears, and had to take a moment to pull myself together. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you reflect, as all the best novels do. Read it, read it, read it! Then buy it for your family, your friends, your people

Fran Littlewood, author of AMAZING GRACE ADAMS

The Correspondent is the rarest of debuts with not a misplaced word, or a beat missed. Moving, funny and exquisite, it is a masterpiece in human frailty

ANNE GRIFFIN, bestselling author of WHEN ALL IS SAID

The superbly talented Virginia Evans has written a novel of connection and daring . . . The circus of beautifully drawn characters, who receive and respond to Sybil's letters are vibrant and rich . . . The letters are so deliciously crafted, Sybil's life itself becomes a work of art

Adriana Trigani, bestselling author of THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE

I was wowed by this deliciously brilliant book! Thank you, Virginia Evans, for a life beautifully told in letters, for creating a character whose mind struggles with her heart in a most intriguing, sympathetic, witty, and binge-worthy way. Author friends - please forgive me for proclaiming The Correspondent my new favorite book

A beguiling and emotional read , Sybilwill capture your heart

What a lovely novel . . . I fell in love with the eloquent, stubborn Sybil, such a wonderful character

Margot Livesey, author of THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY

At turns amusing and poignant and ultimately, a pleasure to read. This moving novel unfurls its truths one letter at a time, filling in a complex and memorable picture of one woman’s life. Like a handwritten letter at its best, THE CORRESPONDENT is meant to be savoured.’

CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of BLACK CAKE

In her letters to family and friends we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerp: stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word. 
 
But as the clock begins to tick for Sybil, the need for a few post-scripts to the life she’s led becomes apparent. Fixing her difficult relationship with her children. Taking a final chance at romance. Atoning for an old legal case which has come back to haunt her. And finally, reckoning with a devastating loss that she has spent the last thirty years holding close to her chest.

Virginia Evans

Praise for The Correspondent

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 < ...

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.

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 < ...

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.

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 < ...

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.

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