The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Posted by Ms A on January 27, 2026 in All, Book Club Fodder, Grab it Now, Holiday Reads | Leave a comment

Dear Ms Evans,

Please let me begin by congratulating you on the success of your most recent novel, The Correspondent.

Many friends — whose opinions I admire greatly when it comes to outstanding books — recommended it to me, and I am very grateful they did. I have to admit, it took a little while for me to adjust to its original format and to absorb the names and details of the many people your protagonist, Ms Sybil Van Antwerp, was corresponding with, but once I fell into the rhythms of her writing and her world, I was metaphorically waiting at her mailbox each day.

Of course, your book is much more than a series of letters and replies spanning a decade or more of Ms Van Antwerp’s life. It is a window into her world and a long life shaped by love, loss, trauma and remorse.

With her nervous ways and quirky turn of phrase, I loved seeing how the elderly Ms Van Antwerp sustained relevance and connection through the good old-fashioned discipline of letter writing. She exchanged honest and heartfelt letters with her brother living far away, and by contrast, more guarded ones with her children and old friends.  It was genius of you to intersperse these letters with earnest notes that she penned for strangers – writers she admired, random customer service operators and even George Lucas, just to give us a greater insight into her complex ways. Without in any way disrespecting Jo March, I think your Sybil Van Antwerp might just be my newest and greatest literary hero.

Ms Evans, I very much look forward to your next publication (no doubt as do your publishers), and it is with warm regards and sincere congratulations that I write.

Yours sincerely,
Ms A
Humble Book Blogger, Sydney

And that’s my 2 cents worth.