The Correspondent - A Novel
by Virginia Evans (2025)
Audio book (8 hours 36 min) narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed + 13 more
The format of this book is rather unusual for our time and age, as it consists only of letters (and e-mails), written to and from the main character (Sybil Van Anwerp) over a number of years, in her old age. Sybil has obviously been a letter-writer all her life, and still enjoys writing letters by hand - but also uses email when that is required or more convenient.
The selection of letters is not restricted to her correspondence with just one other person, but involves quite a wide variety of people - like her brother, an old friend since way back, a current neighbour, a couple of authors she never met in person but whose books she read, someone at a university refusing to let her to audit a class in English literature - and a certain staff member at the customer service of a company handling DNA analysis results...
Through this variety, we gradually get to know Sybil quite well, and learn a lot about her past as well as her current situation - which also involves being in a slow process of losing her eye-sight.
I was a little bit sceptical about how a book of this structure would work as audio book - but it actually works extremely well, thanks to the variety of voices reading the different letters. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it, and getting to know Sybil; and I did not find it difficult to keep track of who was writing what.
In some ways, it also reminds me a bit of how one gets to know some people through blogging - gradually learning from "bits and pieces" both about their current life and their past, and how they interact with others.
The book was on the New York Times' Bestseller list for 2025.
Audible's summary about the author:
Virginia Evans is from the east coast of the United States. She attended James Madison University for her bachelor’s in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master’s of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark, two children, Jack and Mae, and her Red Labrador, Brigid.
This does sound interesting, as I love audio books...those our library system has at least. I'm now in the midst of a very long non-fiction about climate change...will wait a bit before recommending it, but I enjoy what I've heard so far. Since your author lives in NC, I dare say this book will be available. It reminds me of "The Guernsey and Potato Peel Pie Society" book, which is read through various voices and is all letters. Time to listen to that one again!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I read that one in print long ago, still have the paperback, plus have seen the movie a couple of times. Don't think I ever listened to it as audio but now feel tempted to reread it that way... (I read mostly by ear these days.)
DeleteAs someone who married the man that I wrote actual letters to, I think I would like this. Never listened to an audio book before but hey, I don't rule anything out!
ReplyDeleteKay, I do most of my book-reading by listening now as that can be combined with resting my eyes...
Deleteglad you found a nother audio to listen to, since its your thing. I am not a letter writer, never ave been and never got excited to get a letter. I like a story that starts at the beginning and has a story line, middel and end. most books and movies these days have none of that. the movies start, stop go back 3 years, then go back 2 more and I wonder just why they can't do it in a time line. I am happy we have access to so many books that we can all read just what we like the most, or listen to what we like.
ReplyDeleteI have never read a non fiction book, other than in highscchool when forced to
Sandra, I listen to audio books a lot more than I read with my eyes now, as my eyes tend to get tired more quickly. But I've been listening to audio books ever since back in the early 1990s or so, when I borrowed "cassette books" from the library... I do agree that it's often easier to both read and listen to books that have "a beginning and an end" - but I can also see why this doesn't always work. (Most murder mysteries for example wouldn't be much of a mystery if strictly written in chronological order...) Actually I'd say we often don't even understand some things in our own lives until looking back later! - As for this book, from the description it might sound like it doesn't have proper time line, but I'd say that it does - even if it also involves some digging into the past!
DeleteWhat an unusual book. Rather clever, too
ReplyDeleteGinny, it is both unusual and clever, and I do recommend it.
DeleteThis sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI've never listened to an audio book, although I've often been told by Amazon that I own the audio version of a book I've bought.
Carol, I can't recall ever having got the audio book for free with a Kindle purchase? Sometimes cheaper, but not free. But I suppose you use amazon.uk? - while here we're referred to .com. So I suppose that may differ. If you do own some free audio books I suggest you download the Audible app and check them out! :)
DeleteLike the others here have said, it does sound very interesting, but since I have not been listening to audio books since my last two eye operations in 2021, I guess I'll have to make do with your very well written review.
ReplyDeleteMeike, this book is of course also available both in print and for Kindle. I just chose to stress that it works better than one might think as audio book - which is not always the case with books that involve several different narrators.
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