The Correspondent

“Audiobook version is 🙏”

“I almost didn’t read this book bc the cover art is giving stationary aisle at Michael’s. But I adored every morsel of this highly literary & epistolary gem. I cried 5x”

“Five million stars? I learned so much about family, aging, friendship and life from Sybil. She is a kindred spirit, I have loved writing and receiving letters and embarked on a letter a day project only a few years ago. Oh, if this book renews the beauty of the written letter! Read this for the love and wit of Sybil, come away with the lessons of aging and forgiveness. I loved it.”

“Such a lovely book. Highly recommend the audiobook - the narration is perfect.”

“Hands down favorite book of the year.”

“I tore through this! The main character is so intriguing and lovable—working her way through some late in life regrets. There’s a (small) mystery, romance, lots of tender family dynamics. I did cry but it was life affirming.”

“Lived up to the hype for me, surely because I listened to it. The entire story is presented in the form of emails & letters over many years, which makes for a unique audiobook experience. It is special.”

“this book is an absolute treasure. beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! let’s all start handwriting letters again, shall we?”

“This is a flight bite book. Read it in under four hours and when it ended, I wanted more. The main character is such a nailgun, I want to be her when I grow up!”

“Oh man, I love this book. Never did I think a collection of letters/emails would capture my attention as much as it did.”

“Love the way this story is told so much that I read it again as soon as I finished it. Cried even more the second time. A really great one if you like to annotate your reads.”

“3/4 of the way through this book i just started weeping openly and didn't really stop. Probably because my grandpa just died and the main character reminds me SO much of my grandmother who is alone now, in a house in the mid-Atlantic, with all her things and regrets. This book contains everything, and I'm sure I'd take something else away if I had read it at another time in my own life, but I really latched onto - how easy it is to tell the truth to a complete stranger, and how impossible it is to say the one thing to the person we love that could make things right again. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Recommend audiobook. 5/5”

“Love Sybil’s story and how it is told. It’s a creative way to tell a story about personal growth and change as it relates to complex relationships.”

“Moving book about the power of connections”

“Sybil is a fallible, lovable character that makes you believe in the power of relationships. The audiobook is akin to listening to a movie, absolutely brings the story to life. I loved the letter format and the way Sybil’s story is told through interwoven narratives. I may even take up a letter writing hobby now.”

“I was skeptical of this premise but the author managed to convey an excellent narrative exclusively through means of correspondence between characters.”

“Written in the form of letters. Makes me want to improve my handwriting and write to everyone I know and want to know more. Also encouraged quite the onset of tears on my flight home yesterday.”

“Motherhood, sisterhood, marriage, loss, aging, dating later in life, modes of communication, race and age, adoption, and more themes. Left me more touched than I expected.”

“tears on my pages”

“I loved this tender novel. I listened to it and loved the different voices.”

“I almost didn’t read this because everyone was suggesting it to me and I was feeling obstinate and I’m so glad I got over myself and picked it up. Made me cry multiple times, and made me look at the work in my life through a new perspective.”

“as a lover of letters, i loved reading this book written through the lens of, you guessed it, letters”

“An epistolatory novel that keeps you turning the page as eagerly as you would rip open a letter from a long-distance love.”

“Absolutely lovely.”

“January book selection. It really is as good as the internet says it is. I cried, I laughed, I was inspired into a better version of myself after this book. Vive la Sybil! 5/5”

“Read for an it’s-never-too-late arc.”

“gradually and quietly floored me”

“"There are, by definition, four seasons that repeat in measured pattern year after year. As there is no such rhythm in the human life, I have to think that when it comes to seasons we all get one round. We are born and grow through childhood in spring. We live those glorious, lively, interesting years of our twenties, thirties, forties in summer. We settle into ourselves in autumn, that cool but not yet cold time, rich and aromatic. And in winter we age (brutally) and die. One turn of the seasons per person, unless it's cut short."”

“Lives up to all of the hype”

“everyone is telling you to read this book and it’s for a reason. zero hype, pure beautiful writing. clever and a little thrilling at some points but mostly beautiful and moving.”

“A story woven of love, loss, grief, and acceptance with uncanny wit through letters- an astounding read. "You get the one life. It's awfully unfair, isn't it?””

“A rare read that lived up to the hype”

“This book captivated me, in a way that I still find myself thinking of the protagonist. Just a wonderful piece of art.”

“I mean this in the best way possible - epistolary novels are the reality television shows of the book world. Reading them feels like I’m getting a very juicy peak into someone’s life and I am sat for it. The Correspondent deserves all the hype it’s getting. I will be spending the summer writing letters in honor of Sybil.”

“Not a shocking revelation since this book has been everywhere but I don’t care because I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Pro tip: Virginia Evans signs her books at her local indie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC, so you can always get signed copies of The Correspondent there.”

“beautiful”

“Call me inspired.”