Written mostly through letters or emails, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans unfurls slowly. Bit by bit we learn about Sybil, once-feisty lawyer, now retired but who remains active through her writing. She likes to maintain her relationships, make new ones. I liked how the story addresses different aspects of ageing and shows the trajectory of a woman who was once professionally well-known.

The format is unusual but at times it felt a bit confusing and I found it difficult to keep track of who's who.

Overall, an interesting read.

Sybil, a septuagenarian with a past career in law, and excellent letter writing habits, is the main character of The Correspondent.
Evans’ craft is exquisite - a book with letters can easily become boresome, clunky and unoriginal. The case we have here is the opposite of that. Sybil is a complex character with several good and negative traits and experiences. Plus, all the other correspondents have a distinct voice in this book. I was keen to get to know Rosalie, Theodore, Henrietta, Fiona, Harry, Bassam, Martinelli - if I keep counting, it will amount to all characters in this book!
The plot is very well structured and executed as well, Who would think a book with correspondence could have so much soul and substance?
Some smart narrative structure choices there and all letters have just the right words for the respective plot point/topic.
I am so glad to have read this book and cannot wait to see what Evans next comes up with.

The story of a woman who experiences great change in the winter of her years. You learn about Sybil solely through her correspondence with others. It is beautifully written. She is a memorable character who learns to forgive herself and others, admits to past failures and builds new relationships. It’s really a lovely book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher to read an advance copy.

There are very few novels about older people. The processes of ageing, an understanding of how that might play out, the joys and difficulties it can bring, the opportunities it offers, that you are still very much alive, are not in the consciousness of society. It's refreshing to read a novel which has this at its heart. I wish there were more. Age will come to us all, if we're lucky. Better that we have an idea of what that might look like. The Correspondent weaves together the poignancy, absurdity, difficulties, realisations and paradoxes of ageing in an engaging way. It is intelligent, humorous and sensitive. I enjoyed that it came in letter and email form. As someone who has loved communication in a written form for a lifetime it read well for me. That Sybil continued to learn and grow, while putting her life in order, making peace with her past and present was meaningful. I particularly enjoyed that she had been a powerful, insightful woman who made errors and did foolish things, or failed to understand how certain things worked. People of all ages are often more complex and nuanced than we give them credit for.

This is a really unusual format which does a great job of telling you about the protagonists life through her correspondence with a combination of mostly letter but also some emails both sent and received. Sybil has led an interesting life but it has been shadowed by grief and it was fascinating to see the impact this had not only on Sybil but others too. There’s quite a number of correspondents so I did occasionally lose track of who was who but overall I found it easy to follow, due to the format each section is relatively short so I found it very easy to pick up and put down. Sybil is quite an unusual character, not the easiest of people, sometimes she seemed quite prickly but once you got to the heart of her she really cared. I loved the character of Harry and how she seemed to understand him as there were similar personality traits there. There’s some great character development in this and some great background which all ties together well during the course of the book which manages to be both heartbreaking and uplifting as it tells the story of a life.

What a refreshing, emotional read. I love a book written in a different media format. The story is told in letters that will capture your heart. It’s funny at times and heartbreaking at others, and will certainly keep you thinking long afterwards.